Question
Hansel Enmanuel Shoots Big
News: Eye On People
Hansel Enmanuel was having the kind of game a 19-year-old college basketball newbie dreams about. His team, the Demons of Northwestern State University in Louisiana, was facing off against the University of Louisiana Monroe Warhawks in December 2022. This was the fifth game Enmanuel played for the Demons. He had done nothing of note in the previous four. Now the lanky, 6-foot-6 first-year guard had the ball with two-and-a-half minutes left on the clock.
Unfazed, Enmanuel dribbled between two Warhawks and…swish!—he landed the first layup of his college career. Then, with little more than a minute to go, he was fouled. So, he positioned himself at the free-throw line and nailed the first throw. He missed the second throw, but recovered the ball and sank a soaring dunk. Cheering broke out in the stands. In just eight minutes of play, Enmanuel scored five points. Clips of his big night aired on ESPN, CBS, and other sports news outlets.
Such a display of ability would be a major feat for any college athlete. For Enmanuel, however, it was especially impressive because he has only one arm. He lost his left arm when he was a 6-year-old growing up in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He climbed up an old cinderblock wall that toppled and crushed his limb.
"I couldn't do anything," Enmanuel said in an ESPN interview. "I needed help from everyone. I couldn't hold a glass to drink water or tie my shoelaces or dress myself."
The accident didn't lessen the boy's love of sports, although it meant giving up his first love, baseball, for good. "I started playing basketball when I was six, after the accident," recalled Enmanuel in the ESPN interview. "At first, it was hard. I'd lose my balance. Sometimes when I ran, I'd go sideways."
But Enmanuel persisted, regaining his balance and mastering the game through sheer willpower. By age 14, Enmanuel knew he was good at basketball. Clearly, he wanted the world to know, too: He started posting videos of himself in action on social media.
Luckily, Enmanuel's videos caught the attention of a high school basketball coach in the United States. The coach offered him a scholarship to Life Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Florida. So, Enmanuel moved to the U.S. and faced a new challenge head-on—learning English. As he became the team's big scorer, his videos began going viral, drawing over 4 million followers on Instagram and TikTok combined. He also attracted the interest of college recruiters, including one for the Demons.
In March 2023, Enmanuel made headlines once again when he announced that he will leave Louisiana and continue his budding college career elsewhere. There's no telling where he will land, now or in the pro basketball career he hopes will follow. Wherever he plays, Enmanuel has a message he hopes to convey: "I want to make people see me as a great player, talented like many others, not for my disability. I want to be seen as any other good player because I'm good and I want to compete."
Think about and discuss these questions:
What facts or evidence would you choose to show Enmanuel's basketball skills?
If you could interview Enmanuel, what three questions would you like to ask him, and why?
Question 1
1 / 8
In the first two paragraphs, the author describes a college sports event in order to __________.
explain some of the rules and strategies used in college basketball
highlight how a college basketball team works together to score
demonstrate some of Enmanuel's impressive skills on a basketball court
criticize the Warhawks' team for giving Enmanuel foul shot chances
News: Eye On People
Hansel Enmanuel was having the kind of game a 19-year-old college basketball newbie dreams about. His team, the Demons of Northwestern State University in Louisiana, was facing off against the University of Louisiana Monroe Warhawks in December 2022. This was the fifth game Enmanuel played for the Demons. He had done nothing of note in the previous four. Now the lanky, 6-foot-6 first-year guard had the ball with two-and-a-half minutes left on the clock.
Unfazed, Enmanuel dribbled between two Warhawks and…swish!—he landed the first layup of his college career. Then, with little more than a minute to go, he was fouled. So, he positioned himself at the free-throw line and nailed the first throw. He missed the second throw, but recovered the ball and sank a soaring dunk. Cheering broke out in the stands. In just eight minutes of play, Enmanuel scored five points. Clips of his big night aired on ESPN, CBS, and other sports news outlets.
Such a display of ability would be a major feat for any college athlete. For Enmanuel, however, it was especially impressive because he has only one arm. He lost his left arm when he was a 6-year-old growing up in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He climbed up an old cinderblock wall that toppled and crushed his limb.
"I couldn't do anything," Enmanuel said in an ESPN interview. "I needed help from everyone. I couldn't hold a glass to drink water or tie my shoelaces or dress myself."
The accident didn't lessen the boy's love of sports, although it meant giving up his first love, baseball, for good. "I started playing basketball when I was six, after the accident," recalled Enmanuel in the ESPN interview. "At first, it was hard. I'd lose my balance. Sometimes when I ran, I'd go sideways."
But Enmanuel persisted, regaining his balance and mastering the game through sheer willpower. By age 14, Enmanuel knew he was good at basketball. Clearly, he wanted the world to know, too: He started posting videos of himself in action on social media.
Luckily, Enmanuel's videos caught the attention of a high school basketball coach in the United States. The coach offered him a scholarship to Life Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Florida. So, Enmanuel moved to the U.S. and faced a new challenge head-on—learning English. As he became the team's big scorer, his videos began going viral, drawing over 4 million followers on Instagram and TikTok combined. He also attracted the interest of college recruiters, including one for the Demons.
In March 2023, Enmanuel made headlines once again when he announced that he will leave Louisiana and continue his budding college career elsewhere. There's no telling where he will land, now or in the pro basketball career he hopes will follow. Wherever he plays, Enmanuel has a message he hopes to convey: "I want to make people see me as a great player, talented like many others, not for my disability. I want to be seen as any other good player because I'm good and I want to compete."
Think about and discuss these questions:
What facts or evidence would you choose to show Enmanuel's basketball skills?
If you could interview Enmanuel, what three questions would you like to ask him, and why?
Question 1
1 / 8
In the first two paragraphs, the author describes a college sports event in order to __________.
explain some of the rules and strategies used in college basketball
highlight how a college basketball team works together to score
demonstrate some of Enmanuel's impressive skills on a basketball court
criticize the Warhawks' team for giving Enmanuel foul shot chances
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
In the first two paragraphs, the author describes a college sports event in order to **demonstrate some of Enmanuel's impressive skills on a basketball court**.
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