She slouched down in the chair and draped her leg over the side casually.
Could this really be the same woman that had ripped Yale apart mercilessly for 13 points in the first half less than a week ago?
In an age where extreme competitiveness drives athletes to compulsive gambling and fatal car crashes, one is surprised to see such an intense basketball player on the court such as Katherine "Kat" Hanks '03 display such an easy-going attitude as she did when she sat down for an interview last week.
It's hard to believe that someone who in her spare time prefers "to do nothing" would play such an integral role on this year's women's basketball team.
Though only a freshman, Hanks is the team's starting center and leads the team with 15.8 points per game and with 18 blocks, and is second on the team with 6.6 rebounds per game (6.6).
What's really astonishing, however, is that she has never been known as a big scorer and she didn't even play center until she came to Dartmouth.
"This is something totally new," Hanks said. "I'm definitely outsized!"
Hanks attended high school at Detroit County Day -- a school renown for its graduates who have gone on to successful basketball careers, the most famous of whom being Chris Webber.
There, she was a national standout, earning all-league, all-area and all-state honors for three years, and being named an honorable mention All-American by USA Today.
She sums up her numerous successes simply: "Sports was the one thing that always came naturally."
Yeah, and windy winter nights here in Hanover are a bit nippy.
In addition to skiing and other various outdoor activities, Hanks won a state title as a varsity soccer player. Just before her senior year, her friends advised her to try volleyball.
"My friends just said, 'Come play' and I said 'Alright'."
It turned out to be good advice, as Hanks ended up playing for the varsity team and being named the team's most valuable player.
Despite the numerous accomplishments, Hanks maintains a humble attitude in regard to her outstanding athletic talent.
She doesn't keep track of her statistics and chooses not to dwell on past accomplishments -- she couldn't recall how many times she won all-state honors in high school. Rather, she focuses on the team.
"We go everywhere together as a team. We have so much fun," she said.
Part of the reason Hanks chose to play for Dartmouth in the first place over other such schools as Harvard and Princeton was because she was so impressed with the coaches and the players as well as the entire school.
"The coaches and players were really cool and the campus in general was laid-back and not stuck-up," she observed. "They [veteran teammates] treat me like I've been playing here for three years. They expect the same from me as they do from anyone else."
The feelings are reciprocal.
"Kat is a very friendly, extroverted person," says fellow '03 Heather Hanson. "She reaches out to everyone and makes people feel special."
This team cohesiveness will be important for the Big Green -- who are currently 8-6, 2-1 in the Ivy League -- throughout the rest of season.
After two huge home wins over Brown and Yale last week, the Big Green stand poised to fulfill their own high expectations.
Following a home game tonight against Albany and on Saturday versus Stony Brook, Dartmouth will resume their Ivy League schedule, culminating with a huge rematch at home against front-runner Harvard (9-5, 3-0 Ivy) on March 7.
"We've had a very rocky season, [but] those two wins were definitely stepping stones to our ultimate goal: to win the Ivy League championship again," Hanks said,
As for the next three years, Hanks is unsure but confident.
"It looks good to me. We have five freshmen now and both Keri [Downs] and Heather [Hanson] are getting good minutes. [Katie] Skelly's just coming off her injury so hopefully we can get her in some more.
"And Jenn [Johnston] is so strong and she's working really hard so we can get her playing more too. We're getting four freshmen for next year, which also helps us out a lot."
Hanks' most memorable experience so far was when she first put on the Dartmouth uniform.
"We had to take pictures in the preseason and afterwards, we all asked 'Can we just wear these uniforms just a little bit longer?' That was definitely a very cool moment."
There will be plenty more of those for this talented young star.
