(Story taken from the Pearl River Community College
website)
POPLARVILLE, Miss. - Dwayne Hanberry came to Pearl
River Community College from Oak Grove High School in 1983 as
6-foot-4, 150 pound basketball player without much experience. By
the time he left for Oglethorpe (Ga.) University in 1986, he stood
6-8, weighed 210 pounds, and was an all-state player for the
Wildcats.
"I was a late bloomer," understates Hanberry, who currently lives
in Suwanee, Ga., and serves as the commissioner of the Southern
Collegiate Athletic Conference, a Division III league that includes
12 schools from nine states.
"When we did jumping drills, coach (Lawrence) Smithmeir used to
tell me he couldn't slide a piece of paper under my feet when I
jumped."
As Hanberry grew in height, he gained 70 pounds, got stronger and
improved his game. By the time he was a sophomore, he had worked
his way into the starting lineup, averaging 12 points and 8.5
rebounds a game, shooting 49 percent from the field and getting
named to the All-State team.
"When I got out of high school, nobody expressed an interest in
me," said Hanberry. "My dad talked to Billy Holmes (then PRC coach)
and he let me walk on. They gave me a half-scholarship to stay
around, keep statistics and be a student assistant coach. That
sounded good to me."
Hanberry's accomplishments on the basketball court have earned him
a place in the college's Sports Hall of Fame. He will be
inducted Saturday, Oct. 17, during 2009 Homecoming festivities
on the Pearl River campus.
He will be part of the first father-son team to be inducted into
the PRC Sports Hall of Fame. His late dad, David (Goose) Hanberry,
was inducted in 1994 as a standout basketball player from
1963-65.
"When Coach Smithmeir replaced Coach Holmes, I had to basically
start over, but I still had two years of eligibility," said
Hanberry. "I made the team and eventually broke into the starting
lineup."
Hanberry's game got better his sophomore season, as did the
Wildcats. He scored 24 points in a South Division win over East
Central, 16 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Jones JC and 23
points in a win over Utica Junior College. He was the team's
leading rebounder.
Hanberry also excelled as a PRCC student. He graduated with special
honors (3.6 GPA) , was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and made the
dean's list or president's list in every semester.
"School wise, I loved the time I had there," he said. "I had great
teachers. I started out in engineering, but I switched to
business."
Hanberry chose Oglethorpe University over some 15 other college
offers, mainly he said, "because they were the first school to
recruit me. Plus, they were in Atlanta and I wanted to get away
from home."
He averaged 14 points and nine rebounds his first season, leading
his team into the playoffs. Two knee surgeries kept him from
playing more than six games his senior season.
After college, Hanberry began work at a men's clothing store for
eight years before joining the SCAC staff as the sports information
director, then moving to interim commissioner before taking over
the head job.