Franklin Regional grad Kadyn Hannah helps steady ship after Cal (Pa.) men’s basketball team is ravaged by injuries
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As a senior — one of only three on the roster — with two years of experience, Kadyn Hannah figured to take on a larger role with the Cal (Pa.) men’s basketball team this season.
After spending his freshman season at La Roche then having his share of ups and downs in his first two seasons at Cal, the Franklin Regional grad was penciled into coach Danny Sancomb’s starting lineup from Day 1 of the 2024-25 season. But Hannah didn’t realize at the time just how much the Vulcans would lean on him.
Cal won its first six games, and by the fourth game of that run, the Vulcans had risen to No. 4 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll. On the heels of last season’s NCAA Division II tournament berth, they were looking like a legitimate contender.
But as the wins mounted, so did the injuries. Starter Bryson Lucas, a 6-foot-7 junior, was lost for the season in the third game. In the next game, another starter, Antoine Arnett, also was lost for the season. And two games later, starter Keith Palek III, who was leading the team in scoring (18.8) and rebounding (8.5), was injured and lost for the season.
Further, point guard Donald Whitehead Jr. missed nearly a month with an injury. Hannah wasn’t even immune, missing two games.
“At one point, we have five of our top six players out with injuries,” said Sancomb, in his seventh season at Cal. “I thought early in the year we were going to have a chance to compete for a national championship.”
With a roster suddenly thinned by injuries, the Vulcans went into a tailspin, dropping seven straight games.
Sancomb had to recalibrate, and that meant adjusting the roles of several players, including Hannah. The 6-4 senior suddenly went from a complementary piece to a staple of the Vulcans’ plans.
“I thought his role on the team would be to play very good defense, to make open shots and to rebound the basketball,” Sancomb said. “That has changed dramatically. We need him to play 30 minutes a game. We need him to do more scoring, more rebounding, guard way more different types of people. And he’s done that.”
Heading into Saturday’s PSAC West matchup against Gannon, Hannah had started every game for which he was active, averaging 7.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game. He also was third on the team with 19 steals.
It’s a big leap considering last season Hannah appeared in only 15 games and played only 41⁄2 minutes per game. That was a decline from his first year at Cal, when he appeared in 27 games and averaged more than twice as many minutes.
But Hannah continued to work, never regretting his decision to bet on himself when he left La Roche, the only school to recruit him out of Franklin Regional. He was the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Newcomer of the Year three seasons ago after starting all 28 games and averaging 13.1 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Redhawks.
He said he wanted a new challenge, so he reached out to many of the coaches in the PSAC and Mountain East Conference. Sancomb, Hannah said, was one of the few to respond, and now he is validating the coach’s faith in him.
“When you lose six or seven games in a row, a lot of teams, they’re probably looking back. They’re getting selfish,” Hannah said. “We just stayed together, we trusted our coach, we trusted the process and we just kind of found our identity.
“I’m a little bit older. I’ve been there. I know what coach wants and expects … so I can just kind of help the younger guys learn from mistakes if they’re made and just kind of be there for everybody.”
Though the Vulcans might have fallen back in the PSAC ranks, they have, at least, righted the ship. They won four of five after the seven-game losing streak and are 5-3 overall since, making them 11-10 overall, 6-7 in the PSAC West.
Hannah’s scoring average ranks sixth on the team among the active players, but his biggest contribution comes on defense. Sancomb calls Hannah a “tweener,” but because of his strength and athleticism, he can guard at multiple positions.
“He just works at it,” Sancomb said. “His will for wanting to stop people is really good. He guards 6-7, 6-8 guys, and he guards 6-3, 6-2 guys as well.”
Added Hannah: “When I’m on defense, I just try to be a pain and try to make nothing easy for them. I like watching film and understanding what guys do well and if they’re a more physical person or don’t like contact.
“I’m just trying to be annoying out there on defense. … If they score, they’re going to have to work for it.”
Six games remain until the PSAC tournament, so Hannah and the Vulcans still have time to perfect their chemistry. Their offense has been clicking and ranks third in the 17-team PSAC at 84.8 points per game.
On the other side is where Hannah said the team needs to improve. The Vulcans rank fourth from the bottom in points allowed (81.4).
“If we can hold teams to 70, 60 points, we’re going to be pretty good,” he said.
As for himself, Hannah might not have the stats or accolades that would identify him as a “star,” but he said he doesn’t need any of that to be satisfied.
“Looking back on it the last couple of years, I feel so grateful for coach Sancomb giving me this opportunity,” he said. “I really found my place here, and I really love it. I feel like I can go out there and play with everybody. … We are going to compete late in February, early March and go on a run here.
“I’m happy with my career, but it’s not over yet.”