Final Four MVP Luke Hancock of Louisville Has Spent His Summers in Banner Elk Since He Was 11

By Jesse Wood

Image is attached of Luke Hancock, 2001 Banner Elk July Fourth Parade with the McKays and Hardins. He took the prize for best float for children and won a bag of cookies. Kathy Boone is in the far left upper quarter. Mike, Pam, Morgan (On the motor cycle) Mason (in the stroller). Susan and Ed Hardin are behind us. — Luke Hancock, pushing the stroller, at the 2001 Banner Elk Fourth of July Parade with the McKays and Hardins.

April 16, 2013. Luke Hancock, who is on the cover of the Sports Illustrated that came out today for his stellar performance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, has spent summers in Banner Elk since he was 11 years old.

Hancock, a 6-foot-6, 200 pound rising senior, is the nephew of The Art Cellar Gallery’s owners Michael and Pam McKay – see photo of Luke at a the Banner Elk Fourth of July Parade in 2001. In an email, Pam McKay wrote that little Luke took first prize for best float for children and won a bag of cookies.

During the championship game against Michigan, which coincidently had another High Country connection, Luke single handedly pulled the Louisville Cardinals from a double-digit deficit with a flurry of three pointers.

But it was his leadership (even though he was a backup his players selected him as a captain of the team), his overall consistency and his ability to hit clutch-after-clutch shot that led to the recognition he obviously merited.

As this Roanoke Times graphic goes:

A Final Four to Remember