Northwestern State basketball player Hansel Enmanuel has one arm, no limits

When Northwestern State University guard Hansel Enmanuel rebounded his own missed free throw Saturday night and finished with an emphatic dunk, it felt to him like an announcement of his arrival on the college basketball scene.

"I've been waiting for that moment," Enmanuel told USA Today Network before practice this week on the NSU campus in Natchitoches, La. "It was cool."

The basketball world noticed, too, not just because of the dunk but because Enmanuel has only one arm.

His dunk was featured as one of ESPN's top plays, but Enmanuel's skills already have been showcased nationally, first at Life Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Fla., then in a Gatorade commercial.

Enmanuel, 19, lost his left arm after a childhood accident in his home country, the Dominican Republic, but he never considered it a barrier.

"The only limitations are the ones you put on yourself in your mind," he said. "You have to (maximize) what God gives to you."

Enmanuel, a freshman, has seen limited playing time during the Demons' first 10 games in which the team has sprinted to an 8-2 start, including a win over a then-ranked TCU team, but he's drawing national attention to the program.

"I need to work on my defense," he said. "But I'll get better."

First-year NSU Coach Corey Gipson said Enmanuel and his teammates have embraced the program and each other.

When asked what about Enmanuel stands out, Gipson said, "His mental fortitude. Some people look for excuses. He's never looked for an excuse."

Enmanuel's teammates have also embraced his celebrity without resentment of the attention he receives.

"He's just an all-round genuine guy, someone you love having as a teammate," said Karlin Hardy, a redshirt freshman. "He's not caught up in all of the hype. He's really down to earth."

"I don't want anyone to think that I believe I'm better than them," Enmanuel said.

Gipson said Enmanuel's teammates "treat him like a normal freshman. They've taken him under their wing."

"We have a very talented team here," Gipson said. "We have guys who know who they are - dudes. They're confident in their own ability and don't resent anyone else's success.

"Hansel doesn't act entitled. He works for every minute and every second on the court and on this earth. He's very talented, a student of the game."

Enmanuel said he has signed three name, image likeness deals that provide him with an income that has allowed him to lift his family out of poverty in the Dominican Republic.

"We were broke when I was growing up," he said. "The Bible says if you bless your parents it will return to you many times. It's been my dream to be able to help them. It feels great."

But Enmanuel has other dreams as well.

"I want to make it to the NBA, and this is a step toward that," he said.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: College basketball player Hansel Enmanuel has one arm, NIL deals