But the Early family is already setting some boundaries so Hannah will get the full college experience of living on her own.
When she first steps foot on the Davidson campus, she will have very limited access to her car. She’ll go to school, stay there and get immersed in the new environment. There won’t be a choice.
“It’s 10 minutes away, but we’re going to pretend it’s 10 hours,” Early said this week. “My parents are alright with that.”
Class at Davidson will be a new experience altogether, Early knows that. But she has already gotten a sampling of what basketball will be like at the next level. She has played pickup games with her new teammates at Davidson, and Monday night, she became the first Hopewell girls basketball player to play in the East-West All-Star Game, a contest for the state’s top recent graduates, held annually at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Early and Hickory’s Jada Payne each scored 14 points to lead the West, but the East, led by game rMVP Courtney Melvin (East Bladen High), proved too much in a 66-58 win.
Early said it was a neat experience.
“It’s fun to play with players all on the same level,” she said.
Early started, played a team-high 26 minutes and led the West with nine rebounds. Her 2-of-5 shooting performance from beyond the arc represented a third of the game’s three-point makes.
“She’s really a good shooter,” said West coach Mike Norman, who watched Early play in the 4A West Regionals in Greensboro in March. “She has a pure shot. I think she has a good future ahead of her at Davidson.”
Early again showed her multi-faceted skill set. Her first basket of the game came when she rebounded an East miss on the block, took the ball up court and pulled up for a jumper at the top of the key. Having essentially played multiple positions on one play, she nailed the shot.
“She is capable to play probably one through five,” said Hendersonville High’s Norman, who was coaching his final game.
Because the space-eating, 6-foot-2 Melvin was such a force to defend in the paint, Norman threw all he could at her, including Early, who admitted she had matched up with few players of Melvin’s size and ability.
“But I like a challenge like that,” said the former guard who stretched up in high school. “It shows my versatility.”
The Hopewell graduate’s all-around talent was not limited to the basketball court during her career. The two-time I-Meck Conference Player of the Year on the hardwood, Early was also the league’s top volleyball player as a senior. At the next level, she is playing basketball only, however.
“I definitely miss volleyball, but it just helps me focus more,” said Early. “It’s a lot off my plate, when a lot more (a Davidson College course load, in particular) is being put on.”
When not playing basketball this summer, Early has stayed busy elsewhere. She took a two-week trip to Kenya as part of the Kilgoris Project and helped deliver Kindles to schools, set up medical clinics and also played and read Bible stories with children. She even delivered some kickballs for the kids, courtesy of the Hopewell Athletic Boosters.
And she didn’t even have to pretend she was far away.
