More Basketball in the Family

 

Ancestry. 1925 Thorntown HS Basketball.

With the return of college basketball this week for the 2024-2025 season, it's fitting to see family connections in basketball from 100 years ago. Two members of the 1925 Thorntown High School basketball team were brothers Russell Hankins (in the middle of the first row of the photo above, with the basketball at his feet) and Richard Hankins (far right end of the second row). Both were older brothers of Guy Hankins. Guy was later a reserve member of the 1937 Thorntown team.

Russell was a multi-sport star for Thorntown, participating in football, basketball and track all four years. It appears he ran in the Indiana State track meet in 1926, and I'll have more on this in another post. His brother Richard was also on the football and track teams.

Both Hankins boys appear on the first row of the 1926 Thorntown basketball team photo, with Richard on left corner and Russell in the middle with basketball on his right foot.

Ancestry. 1926 Thorntown basketball team.

Another sporting member of the family was their sister, Pearl Hankins, who was on the 1927 Thorntown girls basketball team. She appears in on the top right corner of the photo below. Pearl was the junior class basketball captain in 1927.

Ancestry. 1927 Thorntown girls basketball.