Eagles’ Hansen Rises Above Troubled Past : Preps: El Segundo standout is now a winner in the class and on the court.

Chris Hansen doesn’t mince words when describing his troubled past.

“I was an idiot, a lunatic,” he said. “I did not feel good about myself at all.”

Today, Hansen has an entirely different self-image, and being able to play basketball for El Segundo High is a big reason.

“Right now I’m at the peak of my life,” he said. “I’m playing. The team is doing well. I’ve got girls. It’s perfect.”

Hansen, a sharp-shooting senior who leads the CIF-Southern Section with 105 three-point baskets, has made a remarkable turnaround in his attitude and work ethic since last season, when he missed most of the basketball season because he was academically ineligible.

It wasn’t the first time Hansen paid a price for his actions away from the court.

He also missed most of his freshman season because of poor grades, and his sophomore season--his first on the varsity--got off to a rocky start when Coach Rick Sabosky became angry at the wise-cracking Hansen before a game and threw a clipboard in the player’s direction. It broke on Hansen’s head.

“He said something back to me, and I told him to go home,” Sabosky said. “A few days later, I kicked him out of practice. I saw flashes that he could play, but I didn’t see any sense of commitment on his part.”

Since then, Sabosky and Hansen have enjoyed what the coach amusingly calls “a love-hate” relationship. It wouldn’t be stretching the truth to say that Sabosky has been a surrogate father to Hansen, whose parents are divorced.

“He’s taught me everything,” Hansen said.

And not just about basketball.

“Chris has been in all kinds of trouble,” Sabosky said. “His mom is a great lady, but his dad is gone. Chris just kind of ran the streets. He was just kind of a wild kid. He’s always been very likable and popular, but he was his own worst enemy.

“If there is one thing he has learned this year, it is to be more self-disciplined and more under control. He’s a totally different kid.”

Because of the turnaround, the versatile Hansen finally has been able to show what he can do as a basketball player. He is among the team leaders in scoring (20.6 points per game), rebounds (6.8), assists (2.3) and steals (3.2), and has made 105 of 295 three-point shot attempts, including 12 in a nonleague game Jan. 22 against Glendale Adventist to set a section record.

He has scored 40 or more points in three games this season.

At 6-foot-4, Hansen is capable of playing either of the guard or forward positions. Normally a small forward, he made his first start at point guard Friday night because of injuries to other players and responded with one of his best all-around efforts.

He finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists as El Segundo beat visiting St. Anthony of Long Beach, 68-59, in a Division IV-AA playoff opener. The Eagles (18-8) face fourth-seeded Palo Verde of Blythe (17-7) in the quarterfinals at 7:30 Friday night at Palm Desert High.

The team’s success has added to Hansen’s enjoyment of his senior season. Forced to be a spectator last year, he was determined to remain eligible.

“I told myself last year, ‘I’m never going to have to sit out again,’ ” he said. “I hated watching.”

He hated it so much that after watching a game, he headed straight to El Segundo’s Recreation Park to work off his frustration in pick-up games.

“I’m happy to be playing this year,” he said. “It’s about time.”

Hansen’s contributions to the team have extended beyond the court. In an effort to ensure a large, rowdy crowd for Friday’s game against St. Anthony, he wrote and distributed a one-page promotional letter at school last week.

“He’s the ambassador of our team,” Sabosky said. “Everybody knows him. Everybody likes him. He wanted the place packed.”

Hyper-active as a child, Hansen says he plays better when the stands are full and the decibel level is high.

“I feel more calm in loud situations,” he said. “I feel more relaxed when there are a lot of people yelling.”

Sabosky says it was that desire to be in the eye of a hurricane that got Hansen into trouble.

“He’s always been a real hyper and kinetic person,” Sabosky said. “He always had to be the life of the party. He was that way on the court. He’d get excited and try to do too much.

“I’ve talked to him a lot during the year to make him see that he can’t carry the team by himself.”

Sabosky said Hansen has learned to be more selective in his three-point shot attempts and look for his teammates more often.

“He just wants to win right now,” the coach said.

Winning was something that figured to be difficult for El Segundo. The Eagles graduated the top six players from last season’s team, which reached the semifinals. But they have excelled because of the emergence of several players who had limited roles on the team last season.

Travis Showalter, a 6-4 senior forward, improved greatly over the summer and leads the team in scoring (22 ppg) and rebounding (12). He was named co-most valuable player of the San Fernando Valley League. The Eagles’ other scoring threat is off-guard Ryan Machado, who averages 12 points.

With Showalter, Hansen and Machado leading the way, El Segundo finished second to Harvard of North Hollywood in league play and handed the Saracens their only league defeat.

“I knew if Travis could come around that we’d be good,” Hansen said.

Showalter, who operates near the basket, and Hansen, with his outside shooting prowess, have proven to be an effective scoring combination. They also have learned to put aside any petty differences.

“Chris and Travis have had a few run-ins,” Sabosky said. “It wasn’t anything serious, but there was some friction there. Now Chris is passing to Travis more, and Travis is kicking it back out to Chris. They’ve become more team-oriented.”

Hansen has improved his grades this year, but because of past failures in the classroom he probably will be forced to play at a community college next season. One of the schools he has expressed interest in attending is Rancho Santiago College in Santa Ana, where the basketball team is coached by former El Segundo standout Dana Pagett.

“I’d love to go away to school and play ball,” Hansen said. “I have to get out of (El Segundo). It’s too social. I have a lot of friends here. If I had a chance to get away and go to school, I could build my grades up.”

Hansen has come a long way since the days when school was little more than a place to socialize with friends and play basketball.

“I’ve gotten compliments from teachers and instructors who hated Chris last year,” Sabosky said. “I’d like to take some of the credit, but really Chris just made up his mind: ‘I can go this way or I can go that way.’ ”

It appears Hansen chose the right path. Finally.