Sean Hanlon had a great high school career at GHS. He earned a D1 scholarship to Northwestern and was able to live the dream of every basketball player, to play basketball at the highest level. But he also experienced the underside of D1 when he experienced a coaching change with the new coach creating a completely different atmosphere.
Sean married Karla Emery, and today they live in Colorado with their three children. We have lived next door to Sean’s parents for the last 20 years so we have gotten to enjoy watching Sean’s family growing up from a distance.
I got Sean to answer some questions about his college basketball career, his career, and his active children.
Can you start out and talk about your family and your career? I am especially impressed that each child seems to have their own niche.
Just a few months after Karla and I married in the summer of 2000, we moved from Chicago to Tulsa where we lived from 2000 - 2007. I worked as an athletic director, gym teacher, and basketball and track coach for a private school in Tulsa while Karla utilized her accountancy and business backgrounds for various companies. I earned my law degree while we lived in Tulsa, and kept my AD job during law school.
In early 2008, we relocated to Denver where I joined the law firm of Holland & Hart. Emma (our oldest child) and Jake (our middle child) turned 5 and 2, respectively, shortly after our move to Denver. We had our third child, Olivia, in Denver in 2010. I have been with Holland & Hart since we moved, and made partner in 2015.
Since moving to Denver, Karla has worked for several nonprofit companies. Karla is currently the COO (which also encompasses the CFO position) at Rocky Mountain Public Media dba Rocky Mountain PBS. She loves it. It really is a cool company. Rocky Mountain PBS recently constructed its new office headquarters in downtown Denver. Once the pandemic turns the corner, she looks forward to moving into her new office building located near my law firm's office building. Karla currently offices in our home office, while I occupy the dining room table for my law practice.
Life at the law firm is going well for me. I served as the firm’s summer clerk chair for a couple of years in a row. Through that summer clerk program, my practice group (commercial construction projects) now has a first-year associate that is just killing it. Great attitude, hard worker, very smart, and is a sponge. Having great teammates makes all the difference.
As you mentioned in your first question, our three kiddos (Emma - 17, Jake - 14, and Olivia - 10) definitely have their own passions/niches, and Karla and I love seeing those passions unfold and evolve. The Denver Hanlons absolutely love Denver and all that the beautiful state of Colorado has to offer. Here is a picture of us a few weeks ago at the summit of Maroon Pass (in between Aspen and Crested Butte):
After HS, you earned a D1 scholarship, but went thru a change in coaching. Tell me about your college basketball experiences
My college basketball journey had many highs and lows. The oft-cited sports phrase, "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat," doesn't just apply to the games. Earning a full athletic scholarship to Northwestern University, earning a starting spot on the team, leading the team in scoring a couple of games, and getting the experience to compete in the Big Ten in arenas that I grew up watching games played on TV were all thrills and such an honor. Those experiences were electrifying. But on the other side of that coin, I also experienced the business side of big time college hoops, lived through Northwestern's firing of Coach Ricky Byrdsong (NU's head coach that recruited me), and endured the hostile environment that automatically followed Kevin O'Neill (Coach Byrdsong's replacement) wherever he went for about half of a year until I (and others) made the difficult decision to transfer. Those experiences were agonizing and tough. All of those experiences, the good and the bad, are etched into my memories.
One of the lowest points came after learning that Coach Byrdsong had been killed. Prior to that, and more than 20 years ago in the Northwestern Men's Basketball media guide, my teammates and I had to answer this question, "if there is one thing you could change in the world, what would it be?" My answer was to end racism. But just a few short years after that (and after Ricky Byrdsong had been fired and I had transferred from Northwestern to Illinois Wesleyan), a white supremacist shot and killed Ricky Byrdsong in a random act of hate. Two of his three children were riding their bikes alongside him while he jogged in an affluent neighborhood in broad daylight near Northwestern's campus. It is hard to believe that Ricky Byrdsong was about the same age as I am now when it happened. After his death, his amazing wife helped bring awareness to the tragedy through, among many other things, an annual 5K called "Race Against Hate." My teammates and I ran in his memorial 5k race. And 10 years after his death, some Northwestern journalism students made a powerful documentary about the tragedy.
The thing I love most about basketball is the camaraderie that naturally forms with your teammates. The workouts, practices, meetings, and games constantly test your character and your mental toughness. Having solid bonds with your teammates gets you through the rough patches, inspires you to dig deeper and push harder than you otherwise would, and gives you great satisfaction and joy when you can celebrate the good moments together.
The lifelong bond I formed with my Northwestern teammates is something that I absolutely treasure. We now live in different parts of the country, but frequently communicate (via text, video conferencing, and phone calls). Many of us met in Salt Lake City in March 2017 when Northwestern made its first NCAA tournament appearance, and we have organized trips and other get togethers over the years. Last fall, Emma, Jake and I went back to NU to celebrate homecoming with my teammates and classmates. During the trip, my teammates and I were invited to watch a closed NU Men's Basketball practice, got to chat with Coach Chris Collins, and toured the newly renovated Welsh-Ryan Arena. Same bones of the old arena, but very impressively updated.
Here are some pics from that October 2019 NU Homecoming trip:
Julian Bonner, my NU teammate and former point guard, showing how to use the NU "Pound the Rock" Sledge Hammer properly:
Jake with Joe Harmsen, my 6'10" NU teammate and former power forward:
Jake taking in the details in NU Men's Basketball locker room:
Jake and Emma getting ready to watch the NU Men's Basketball team practice:
Jake with Bryant McIntosh, his favorite NU player (besides his old man). B-Mac holds the NU single-game, single season and career assist records, was an All-Big Ten second team selection and led the 2016-2017 Wildcats to the first NCAA Tournament in school history.
NU Homecoming 2019 - Emma, Jake and I enjoying dinner with some of my teammates. To my left is my 7'0" teammate, Evan Eschmeyer, the second all-time leading scorer at NU and played in the NBA for the Nets and the Mavericks, and in the lower righthand side is Nate Pomeday, who was an assistant coach with Oregon State University and Minnesota. Nate currently works for the American Athletic Conference. And Julian Bonner is in the back right. Joe Branch, another teammate not pictured, is currently the GM for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
When you throw a group of people together with a shared passion requiring blood, sweat and tears in pursuing that passion, it is incredible how tightly the bonds form among the group. The other aspect of this type of camaraderie that gives me great hope generally is how the individual members of the team came from many different walks of life, were of different races, etc. But once you truly get to know the person (the heart, soul and character of the person), any generalizations or stereotypes fade away. The lesson in this is, of course, when you make an effort to really get to know people that are different than you, beautiful things can happen.
So, that is a long-winded way of saying this: I cherish the bond I have with my Northwestern teammates, and if I had to do it all over again, I would endure 100 times the adversity I faced knowing that I would come out on the other side as a stronger person with a lifelong bond with my teammates.
In following you on Facebook, it appears you can still dunk the ball and that you still actively play basketball. I believe twice you have traveled to Europe to play with an Irish team that competes in international tournaments. How did that come about? I assume it was a great experience?
Ha! Yes, I have been blessed with bouncy legs and I still enjoy dunking at the age of 43. Here's a reverse dunk from the Dublin Masters tournament:
I love basketball so much. I am fortunate to continue to play frequently and have found a couple of high quality, competitive weekly pickup basketball games in Denver. One of those weekly pickup games is at Chauncey Billup's gym. It is an exclusive group. The majority of the hoopers played college or pro basketball. You have to be invited or earn a spot on the list of players eligible to play. A text goes out every Saturday to about 20-25 players and the first 15 to say "in" get to play the following Sunday morning at 7 a.m.
Earl Boykins--who at 5'5" enjoyed a 13-year career in the NBA--invited me to play a few years ago, and I have been "on the list" ever since. The court is top notch and contains NBA striping. The logo at half court is an image of Chauncey "Mr. Big Shot" Billups (perennial NBA All-Star, All-NBA Defensive Player, NBA Finals Champion and NBA Finals MVP, and a future NBA Hall of Famer). The court is also painted with "Chauncey Billups Court" on each half. I get the pleasure (or punishment) of guarding Chauncey when he plays. I love the competition and the camaraderie. It is my version of "Field of Dreams."
Here is a pic of Jake and one of his Euro Star teammates with Chauncey at his gym (Jake and Jalen are getting ready to watch the ol' guys do it):
I have also competed in several international masters basketball tournaments in Ireland and Spain with an Irish basketball team based in Dublin. I am one of two Americans that travel to Ireland to play on the Irish team. These masters tournaments are for players 40 and up.
I have my son's club basketball coach, Aaron Westbrooks, to thank for these international experiences. Aaron's father, Jerome Westbrooks, grew up in the Chicago area and moved to Dublin to pursue professional basketball after college. Jerome and his wife Lois ended up planting their roots in Dublin and raised 5 amazing children (4 boys and one daughter) who each played college or pro level basketball in their own right. Aside from basketball, the Westbrooks family is one of the coolest families I have ever met.
Jerome now in his early 60s, is a high school basketball coach and teacher, an Irish basketball legend, and still loves and actively plays hoops. Jerome was in Colorado in the Summer of 2017 to help Aaron run a basketball camp. After learning that I was 40, he invited me to play on his Irish over 40 masters team beginning with the 2018 tournaments in May and June. I accepted! Karla and I got our passports, and enjoyed our first trip overseas in 2018 while my parents stayed with our kids (thanks Mom and Dad!). For the masters tournaments in 2019, I took Jake along with me on an incredible father-son basketball adventure. And, as you probably guessed, the 2020 masters tournaments were canceled due to the pandemic. I look forward to more masters tournaments, post-pandemic.
Here are some pics of my Irish masters team, BNAF (Brothers Near and Far), including some post-game pics with some of the teams we played:
Here are a couple of shots at the Santander Masters of Jake with 6'11" Charles Smith, former standout player for the New York Knicks who had the unfortunate task of playing the Michael Jordan Bulls:
And here is a pic of Karla enjoying a beautiful day at the Cliffs of Moher on the western coast of Ireland, during one of our sight-seeing adventures in between tournaments:
But for these international basketball tournaments, Karla and I would not have gone overseas when we did. During that first trip, we looked at each other and said, "why haven't we done this before?!" We have now made traveling with the family a priority. And camaraderie appears to be a theme here, but these international tournaments have been so cool from that perspective. Rather than traveling to Ireland purely as a tourist, we have forged great friendships with my Irish teammates and get to enjoy much more of the local side of things while in Dublin. Jerome and Lois Westbrooks have been especially hospitable, and we have so enjoyed staying with the Westbrooks while in Dublin. I have also made great friendships with players from other countries that we have competed against and stay in contact in between tournaments.
Your son has really taken to basketball. It seems like his opportunities in the Denver area have been fabulous as far as being involved in club programs. Can you describe some of the opportunities he has had?
Jake is 14 and heading into his freshman year of high school. Like Emma's passion for musical theatre discussed below, Jake discovered a passion for hoops. But Karla did everything in her power when Jake was born to make sure that basketball (or sports) wasn't a predetermined path! When Jake was a newborn, Karla told the family not to flood him with sports related gifts. Those instructions were followed. But it didn't take long until Jake gravitated toward anything with a ball. One of his very first words was "ball," usually said with his arms and hands open ready to receive a ball or object resembling a ball.
Jake's middle school team (McAuliffe) won the Denver Public Schools City Championship last season (Jake’s 8th grade year). It was the first boys' city basketball championship for the school. Jake was the starting shooting guard. Here is the 8th grade team pic after winning the city championship in February 2020:
And here is a pic of Coach Aaron Westbrooks with his Euro Star players who also played for McAuliffe's championship team:
Jake is headed to Denver East High School in the fall, located right across the street from City Park in the middle of the city. East has a long history and tradition – it is Denver’s first high school – both academically and athletically. In this July 2, 2020 article, MaxPreps recently recognized East as one of the most dominant basketball programs of the past decade! Jake looks forward to his basketball journey with East.
With regard to the club basketball scene, Jake has been extremely fortunate to play for Aaron Westbrooks' team, Euro Star. We were introduced to Aaron's team four years ago, and Jake has been with Aaron's club ever since. As mentioned above, Aaron grew up immersed with the game of basketball, played professionally himself (and now plays hoops with me on Chauncey's court!) and has such a tremendous feel for basketball and coaching. Aaron has a unique blend of knowledge of the fundamentals, game strategy, and the ability to motivate and keep the boys accountable all with a positive and fun energy that is contagious. The boys play very hard for Coach Aaron, not out of fear, but out of respect and trust. They know how much Coach Aaron cares about them and wants to see them become the best versions of themselves.
I didn't start playing AAU/club basketball until my freshman year of high school. Now, AAU starts at very young ages, complete with travel teams and expensive tournaments. Coach Aaron is wise enough to understand that prior to high school, no one is recruiting our boys. So last summer, and rather than traveling to play in an overcrowded "exposure" AAU tournament, Aaron organized a basketball trip to Ireland for his teams. The teams stopped in London on the way to Dublin for a couple nights, and then participated in the Westbrooks' Basketball Camp in Dublin (running since the '80s under Jerome's leadership, and now passed down to his sons). The boys also got to play against some local Irish basketball club teams (complete with real time play by play announcing in the arena). It was a trip we will never forget.
From left to right: Isaac Westbrooks, Aaron Westbrooks, Jerome Westbrooks and Maya Westbrooks (Jerome's granddaughter) at the Westbrooks' Basketball Camp in Dublin at St. Fintan's High School:
Euro Star pictured with a Dublin basketball club team (Killester) after their game:
Here's Jake's Euro Star team heading into Clontarf Castle to join their opponent, Killester Club Basketball Team, after their game:
We are very grateful to Aaron.
Jake has also enjoyed training with Aaron's brother, Isaac Westbrooks (who has played professionally in Europe) when he travels to the U.S. to visit Aaron. And Aaron's oldest brother, Michael (another talented hooper) was kind enough to make arrangements for Jake to practice with an Irish club team while we were in Ireland for my masters tournament. Heck, we are grateful for the whole Westbrooks' family!
Here is a recent set of clips of Jake from last week's Euro Star open gyms here in Denver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xXD7_sLM3E
Your oldest daughter has had a tremendous experience in drama at her school. (I know this has to be Karla's influence!) Could you describe the investment in time that she has put into her interest?
Emma is 17 and heading into her senior year of high school. She just took her ACT, is signed up to take the SAT, and will be applying to colleges soon. She is really looking forward to her college journey and has been pouring herself into that process. Karla and I are very proud of her approach and spirit. It is so crazy how fast the time has gone! She has attended Denver School of the Arts since the 7th grade, and focuses on musical theatre. Musical theatre is her passion, and it is fun to watch her grow in the areas of acting, singing, and dance.
Last fall, she earned the lead role of “Roxie Hart” in the all-school musical performance of “Chicago." In addition to our friends in Colorado, we were joined by family and friends from Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, and Oklahoma to watch Emma's performance. It was a bit surreal to watch her perform in front of a packed house, and the students involved in all aspects of that show truly did an incredible job.
Here is a montage of Emma as "Roxie Hart" in last fall's all-school musical performance of "Chicago."
Emma has enjoyed dance classes since she was very young. Around that time, we also introduced her to team sports, and I even coached one of her basketball teams that included the daughter of the then head coach of the Denver Nuggets (George Karl). But it became pretty clear in those early days that team sports weren’t Emma's jam.
So, in addition to dance, Karla and I enrolled her in a variety of non-sport summer camps when she was young. One of those was a theatre camp. She absolutely loved it and couldn’t get enough theatre after that! It has evolved from there to her love for musical theatre.
Emma's investment in time to pursue musical theatre confirms her passion for it. For musical theatre, she not only invests a lot of time to improve her acting, but also invests considerable time each week with vocal and dance training. As a totally "unbiased" father, Emma dances with an athletic strength and grace. She can also be heard (for probably miles away) belting songs from her room or in the shower! When she leaves for college, we will miss hearing her songs.
Karla and I love that Emma has selected a passion unique to her that neither Karla nor I ever really experienced. We have now benefited from learning more about theatre and its related arts, and have so enjoyed seeing Emma perform and attending professional shows with her. Theatre, like sports, provides a wonderful setting to experience successes and failures. Preparing for auditions and not getting cast in the roles you sought (or not getting cast at all) builds character. And also like sports, Emma's theatre companions have developed a very tight bond.
It would seem that both your oldest children are very driven in their areas of interest. I think it is tough for parents trying to help their children understand how hard they have to work to succeed and to push them, without pushing too hard and making it a job for them. What are things you and Karla have tried to do to balance pushing, but not too hard?
This is such a great question and important topic that Karla and I frequently discuss.
I will give you the analogy that I use (and that Karla rightly makes fun of me about). As parents, I compare the role that Karla and I have in this area to the initial steps necessary to build a camp fire. In order to get it started, you need to secure an area for the fire, make sure that it is safe, gather the kindling, and then arrange the kindling such that the initial fire is not instantly suffocated. You've got to give it air (space) to burn, but until you get the fire going with the kindling it might not take off on its own.
For our kids, Karla and I are the kindling and the groundwork necessary to get the fire started. If the fire doesn't get going, we look for another area to start that fire. But once the fire gets going, the fire is ready to burn on its own without too much extra assistance from us.
If kids don’t have the internal passion for a specific activity, the fire will never burn on its own. During my time as an athletic director, I was fortunate to see enough of the underbelly of youth sports to learn that if the true driving force comes solely from the parents, the kids forced into those activities burn out. But if they do have that internal passion, and once you help get that fire going, it will burn well on its own. The kids will then be willing to put in the hard work necessary to succeed. Occasionally, you have to throw another log on the fire. Then you can sit back and enjoy the warmth of the fire.
But you are so right. This is a very tough issue, and there is a fine line between pushing too hard and not pushing enough. But like other parents, Karla and I do our best and are constantly evolving our approach. And our approach differs with each kiddo.
The Massey's were blessed to inherit one of the nicest basketball courts in Galesburg. The Bennett's started things out. Who were the stars on the court and what were some of your best memories playing out there? And did Mrs. Bennett ever have to come out and separate you and Patrick?
First of all, that court is one of my all-time favorite places on earth! Growing up, we spent so much time playing hoops there (and continue to do so when we are home). I am grateful to the Bennetts and the Masseys for allowing the Hanlons to continuously invade the court. There were so many times growing up that the Bennetts would come out and move their cars if they heard one of us dribbling a ball up the driveway. You and Amy have been similarly gracious. Thank you.
I remember some pretty good games on that court with Joey Range, Earl Strickland, Mike Lee, Benji Hensen, John Lindstrom and others. If you had too many hoopers over to play (and before you improved the court by making it wider and level), you really had to refine your ability to get enough space for your shot! I also remember having one of my Northwestern teammates (Nate Pomeday) over one summer. We played one on one well into the dark of the night. (Thank you again, Bennetts.) And I have now loved playing on that court with Patrick's kiddos and my kiddos.
As for the stars of the court, perhaps one of the greatest stars of that court was my brother Michael, particularly with respect to a game of H-O-R-S-E! Michael's complex build-ups leading up to his eventual shot were exhaustive, funny, and nearly impossible to match!
Mrs. Bennett never had to come out to separate Patrick and me. But she did come out with grave concern one time, as Patrick and I set up chairs for Patrick to sit in while I jumped over him to practice for one of the Galesburg Railroad Days' dunk contests! Man, she was worried!
I love that court (your driveway). And you have improved it beautifully. Thank you!
My wife went to Colorado St so we have made it out to Denver-Ft.Collins area several times and have done the standard things. The two things I would like you to recommend:
A- Where is a place to hike, bike, or raft that the typical tourist like myself has never heard of that we should go to?
Karla and I recommend a hike at Staunton State Park. The Denver Hanlons hiked there this summer and it was spectacular. It is close to Denver and offers a beautiful day hike complete with lakes, mountain forest trails, great vistas, and an impressive waterfall. https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Staunton/Pages/Trails.aspx
Here is a pic of the Denver Hanlons on that hike:
B- What is the name of an out of the way western diner, restaurant, or bar that a person should visit?
Karla and I think you and Amy would enjoy a Breckenridge wagon or sleigh ride followed by dinner. If you are here in the summer, you could enjoy the Chuck Wagon Dinner and Wild West Show to give you an entertaining taste of the Old West: http://dinnersleighrides.com/chuck-wagon-dinner-colorado/
Is there any truth to the rumor that I have heard on Prairie Street? The rumor is that your youngest daughter is going to come live with her grandparents so she can develop her basketball skills on the famous Hanlon Court, and then play for GHS? I can't say more because I don't want to get involved in an illegal recruiting scheme.
Olivia (“Livvie”) is 10 and headed into 5th grade. She has played both competitive soccer and basketball. But like we discovered with Jake at that age, playing for two nearly year-long club teams is just too much – logistically, physically, and mentally. Livvie recently made the choice to focus on basketball as her club/competitive sport. But while she enjoys both sports, Karla and I both noticed an extra spark of joy when Livvie plays basketball.
Here's Livvie (#19 in blue):
Outside of sports, Livvie is pretty intent on saving the world’s environment, loves sea turtles, and thinks she wants to be a vet or a marine biologist when she grows up. Recently, she has also said she would like to become the President of the United States. She currently has a red-eared slider (turtle) named Lorenzo. Livvie and I get to spend hours of quality time together every 5 weeks cleaning the 50 gallon tank! Ugh.
As for that rumor you have alluded to, I wonder who may have started it? Hmm. It's such a mystery! It couldn't have come from Livvie's grandparents (your neighbors), right? Ha! Well, if that rumor were true, it would be quite a fortunate circumstance for Livvie! After having personally experienced and witnessed negative/abusive coaching over the years, Livvie would be so very lucky to don a Streaks uniform and play for a positive coach like you (as her mom absolutely enjoyed)! Maybe we could at least get her registered for a Massey summer basketball camp! Go Streaks!
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