Ferris State Alum Zach Hankins To Play In NBA Summer League With Phoenix Suns

Big Rapids, Mich. - Former Ferris State University men's basketball standout and 2018 NCAA Division II National Player of the Year Zach Hankins (Charlevoix) has been selected to compete for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Summer League, which gets underway for the franchise this weekend.

Hankins, who previously played in the NBA Summer League with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019, worked out for multiple NBA organizations following the conclusion of his collegiate playing career two years ago, including the Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, 76ers and more. He played overseas on the 2019-20 season and recently inked a contract to play for the South East Melbourne Phoenix in Australia's National Basketball League unless an NBA opportunity awaits.

He will join the Suns, who reached the NBA Finals this past season, for the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. The Suns open play on Sunday (Aug. 10) against the Los Angeles Lakers with tipoff set for 10:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Vegas. Phoenix will also face the Utah Jazz on Aug. 9 at 10 p.m. (ET) followed by games versus the Denver Nuggets on Aug. 12 at 10 p.m. (ET) and the Portland Trailblazers on Aug. 14 at 9 p.m. (ET). The final three games will all be carried by NBA TV.

The NBA Summer League games will run from Aug. 8-17 and each team will play at least five games - four to determine seeding and at least one tournament-style game. All games will air on ESPN or NBA TV and stream on the ESPN app.

Previously, Hankins had an opportunity to showcase his skills in front of NBA and professional scouts by participating in the 2019 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and was ranked among the country's top 100 draft eligible players in 2019 by multiple sources, including Sports Illustrated, before going undrafted. 

Hankins, who led FSU to the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship, played his final collegiate campaign as a graduate transfer at NCAA Division I Xavier University in 2018-19 following four years in the Bulldog program.

Hankins made a major impact in his one season at Xavier. He averaged 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds as a Musketeer while leading the BIG EAST Conference with a single-season school-record 68.6 percent field goal percentage mark. Hankins also led Xavier in blocked shots at 1.5 per game and his season total of 54 blocks is ranked sixth in Xavier history.

Before heading to Xaiver, Hankins led the Bulldogs to a school-record 38-1 overall mark in 2017-18 en route to claiming the D2 National Championship and matching the all-time NCAA Division II record for most wins in a season. The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II National Player of the Year for the Bulldogs, Hankins spent four seasons in the Bulldog program, helping FSU to four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, back-to-back Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Regular Season Championships and four consecutive GLIAC Tournament titles in his career.

In his final season at FSU, Hankins was tabbed as the National Player of the Year in Division II basketball by being selected as the country's top performer by both the NABC and Division II Bulletin. Hankins, whose dominant post play was pivotal as Ferris State advanced to its first NCAA Division II Elite Eight in 30 seasons, led Division II in total blocks for the second straight season and was ranked among the national leaders in field goal percentage.

In his junior campaign, Hankins set new school single-season records with 380 rebounds and a 71.1% field goal percentage while being a consensus All-America choice and claiming both the GLIAC and Midwest Region Player of the Year awards for the second consecutive campaign. He was one of the national finalists for the Bevo Francis National Small College Player of the Year honor and also scored his 1,000th career point during the historic season.

Hankins graduated from Ferris State as the school's all-time leader in blocked shots (319) and holds the school record for highest field goal percentage in a career (64.2%). He also ranks among the program's all-time best with 858 rebounds and finished his Bulldog career with 1,232 points. He became the first sophomore in GLIAC history to earn the league's coveted Player of the Year honor in 2016-17 when he paced the league with a conference record 130 total blocked shots. Initially, he redshirted in his first season at FSU in 2014-15 before playing as a reserve under all-region center Jared Stolicker in 2015-16 when FSU reached the D2 Sweet Sixteen.

A two-time All-American for the Bulldogs, Hankins also claimed All-GLIAC honors each of his final two Bulldog seasons and was a two-time GLIAC All-Defensive Team honoree in addition to being a two-time Bevo Francis National Player of the Year finalist.

In his final season with the Bulldogs, Hankins helped FSU win its final 26 games of the season and the team compiled a perfect 22-0 home mark en route to the national championship.