Beloit College

In the spring of 1975, while concluding a stellar basketball career at Lake Oswego High School in Oregon, Mark Hanzlik made his decision to come to Beloit College and play for Coach Bill Knapton.  The 6-4 forward quickly proved he was a hardcourt standout with his accurate shooting, solid rebounding, clever ball-handling, effective defense and overall athletic ability.  He contributed to a great era of Beloit basketball by totaling 1,005 points and 535 rebounds in 83 games as the Buccaneers won two Midwest Conference championships, and he was a two-time Midwest Conference selection, an NCAA all regional performer, and the Bucs’ 1979 MVP.  “Mark made things happen,” said coach Knapton, adding “He probably would have been an even better player in a less-structured offense.”  As a senior, Hanzlik was the first recipient of the Ron Bontemps Award, an honor recognizing outstanding athletic achievement, and also won the prestigious Pat Dawson Award and a “B” blanket.  He, his wife Ann Whitmore Hanzlik ’80, and their three daughters live in Pickerington, Ohio, where he teaches mathematics in the junior high school.