THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Now a golfer who also plays tennis, Lakeland junior Hanna enjoys trip to state in both sports

Already qualifying for state in tennis as a sophomore, Lakeland High junior Brady Hanna kind of expected to be back in the 4A tournament again.

Done.

So when Hanna, who also plays on the Hawks golf team, also qualified for state in that sport the same week, the work really began.

HANNA WAS runner-up at the 4A District 1 golf tournament at the University of Idaho Golf Course on May 9, shooting 10-over 82 to qualify for state by finishing in the top three individually. On May 13, Hanna and doubles partner Cole Andres qualified for the state 4A tennis tournament after finishing runner-up in boys doubles at the Moscow School District Community Playfields.

It was his first appearance at state in golf after finishing two strokes short of qualifying as a sophomore. His freshman year in both tennis and golf was wiped out due to COVID-19.

“I used to be a tennis player that plays golf,” Hanna said. “But I think now it’s turned into the opposite of that. I’ve started to focus more on getting better at golf and just playing tennis for the fun aspect and still trying to compete too.”

Brady added that he’s spent more time golfing with his dad, Lakeland boys basketball coach Tony Hanna, who previously was a golf professional before entering real estate.

“I think that’s really what’s gotten me to that point right now with golf is working with him,” Brady Hanna said. “He’s kind of been my coach so to speak. But he’s been one of my bigger influences when it comes to golf.”

Brady Hanna competed at state golf at Lakeview Golf Club in Meridian on May 16-17, a Monday and Tuesday, then remained in the Boise area with his dad before competing at state tennis on May 20-21, a Friday and Saturday.

“It was more working on homework and catching up on that,” said Hanna of his downtime waiting for the tennis team to arrive Thursday. “There was a little bit of getting mentally prepared for the switch to playing tennis and having a teammate. But it was a lot of homework most of the time.”

Hanna finished 30th in the state 4A golf tournament, finishing with an 89-91—180. The top 10 finishers received medals.

“I feel like I underperformed a little bit,” Hanna said. “But it was still a fun experience to see that level of competition and a new course.”

Temperatures for the state golf tournament were in the mid-80s for both days.

“Endurance was an issue, and that usually comes into play on the second day,” first-year Lakeland golf coach Rick Anderson said. “I think him being by himself helped a little bit down there. Some of the guys that had teammates down there, they didn’t rest as well. Brady, by not having other teammates, was able to get his rest and do what he needed to do.”

With a few days off between competitions, Hanna played golf at Quail Hollow Golf Course in Boise and toured Boise State University with his dad as they waited for state tennis to begin last Friday.

“Boise State has been on my radar for college for a few years,” Hanna said. “It was good to get a chance to check it out while I had a chance.”

STARTING THIS fall, the 5A and 4A golf seasons will be played in the fall, with state tournaments scheduled for October, leaving Hanna the ability to focus on one sport at a time.

“It’s going to be helpful,” Hanna said. “More than anything, to be able to focus on just one sport will be a big deal. Doing both, it helped me more mentally more than anything to just be ready for the next thing.”

As for playing golf in the fall?

“I think it’s going to be a good change,” Hanna said. “With the summer right before, you can get out and play more and go from the summer to the season. The weather in the fall is typically better than the spring anyway.”

As a sophomore, Hanna went 0-2 at state tennis, playing doubles with Brady Manko. This year, Hanna and Andres advanced to the second day, falling in the consolation round.

“It’s eye-opening how good some of the players are down south,” Hanna said of tennis. “You see some of those players that play all day, every day, and it’s kind of a challenge facing them.”

“What jumps out about Brady’s tennis game is his grit and absolute determination to never give up on a point,” first-year Lakeland tennis coach Bill Ryan said. “Sliding, jumping, diving — he’s really fun to watch.”

Hanna added that playing tennis has also increased his athletic ability.

“It really helped me flexibility wise,” said Hanna, whose mom is Post Falls High volleyball coach Willow Hanna. “There’s been some things with playing both like slowing down my swings from one to the other. I don’t think there’s much of a negative impact in trying to do both sports, outside of all the schoolwork you miss.”

It wasn’t too often, but Hanna missed some tennis practices due to golf. During the school year, golf matches were in the morning, leaving Hanna able to get to tennis practice afterward. Hanna does not have a class during the final period of the day, giving him the chance to get to golf practice earlier than most of his teammates, then go to tennis practice.

“He once came from a weekday morning match in Coeur d’Alene to make tennis practice in the afternoon,” Ryan said. “Even though we didn’t expect him to. He had a great commitment to his team and his partner to try to get better every day. He’s also a terrific student.

“For the state tournament, he and Cole didn’t change from being the scrappiest team out there. He did work throughout the year on keeping the emotional level even throughout a match and was great with that at state.”

A week later, Hanna added he’s still not totally caught up in the classroom.

“It hasn’t been easy,” Hanna said. “I’m still trying to catch up a little bit, but it was worth it either way. It’s been tough trying to catch up on all the (homework) stuff, but it was nice to have those free days, not having to drive anywhere and staying in one spot was really helpful.”

As for what’s next, you can call the experience of playing two sports in one season another lesson learned.

“If I could do it all over again, I think I would,” Hanna said. “I probably would have worked on my golf game a little more in my downtime between regionals and state next time. It’s been kind of a challenge getting caught up in school. But I’m really looking forward to both seasons next year, and not just doing both in the spring. It should be a fun year.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.