SPECIAL FEATURE BY CHRIS BROWN
Being a dual-sport Division-1 collegiate athlete is no easy feat, but Dan Banister Jr. from Hampton University will make you second guess that notion.
Born in North Carolina and raised in Chesapeake, VA, Dan found his love for sports early in elementary school. He spent long hours outside with friends describing the street lights –like many of us once did– to be his “time to go inside” alarm. Dan also credits his love for sports stemming from those times playing outside with friends.
Watching him play collegiate basketball today, you would never have thought that basketball was not his first love. In an interview with HBCU Gameday, Dan opens up about track being his first love and also the first sport he officially played. Dan started running track in elementary school on an AAU team named Track757.
He competed in multiple events including the 200m and 400m. He didn’t start playing basketball until his 8th-grade year.
Once Dan decided he wanted to take basketball seriously, all other sports were cut out so he could focus on one sport until his senior year.
Being a student-athlete at Cape Henry Collegiate, Dan earned letters in basketball, volleyball, and track while also serving as the leader of the Black Student Alliance and the Peer Leadership Program.
After his senior year at Cape Henry Collegiate, Dan received a full scholarship to attend and play basketball at Hampton University. In his Freshman Season (2019-20), Dan played in 21 games averaging 1.5 points and 1.4 rebounds. Due to a quad muscle injury, his sophomore season was cut short. Only playing in 14 games, Dan averaged 3.5 points and 2.6 rebounds. He put in a career-high 11 points with three 3-pointers against Gardner-Webb and grabbed six rebounds in three consecutive games.
After missing a whole season with a quad injury, Dan was able to make a comeback in his Junior season (2022-23) where he played 31 games on 8 starts. This season’s averages continued the uptrend of previous years, averaging 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds while also shooting 45% from the field. Dan led his team with 21 total blocked shots, came in second in free throw percentage at 74% on 45-61 FTM, and tied the team for 4th on 3-pointers made with 20.
Dan Banister Jr. scored in double-digit figures four times with a new career-high against Texas Southern in Las Vegas at the HBCU Challenge presented by Chris Paul. Following the completion of the 2022-23 basketball season, Dan decided to join the Hampton track team for the Outdoor Season.
His first time on a track team since his senior year in high school, he is no longer competing in running events. This year he was only jumping. Dan competed in Long Jump events and plans to add High Jump, Hurdles, Sprints, and Relays next season.
When Dan isn’t busy working out and being an athlete, he enjoys playing video games, spending time with his family, and giving back to the youth. He says his favorite thing to do is spend time with his family.