Auburn High School basketball and the Hansen name will always be synonymous with each other.

With Ryan Hansen coaching the boys to their first state title in 2022, to Jessica Hansen taking over as coach of the girls team that went 3-18 the year before and becoming the No. 4 seed in the state tournament.

What is even more special is the fact that both Ryan and Jessica get to coach their kids, Carter and Avery Hansen.

On Feb. 11, mom and dad came home from coaches meetings and had some news to share with Carter and Avery.

“They came home from the meeting and pulled us aside and told us we both got MVP. We were like ‘that’s crazy,’ because the leagues are so good. All glory to God,” Avery said.

The two were named 4A North Puget Sound League (NPSL) MVPs in the same season coached by a parent, something that sounds straight out of a Disney Channel movie script.

“We were talking about it and I don’t think that has happened very often. So that is super special,” Carter said.

But they aren’t the first Hansen kid to win MVP. Kaden, the oldest son is playing basketball at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey. He won MVP during his junior year, the season before Auburn won its state title.

According to mom, Kaden was very proud of his younger siblings.

“He was pretty impressed with these guys winning, he was like ‘That’s awesome,’” Jessica said.

With the departure of Jaylen Petty, who played two seasons with the Trojans before jumping ship back home to Rainier Beach in Seattle, Carter took the reigns as the main playmaker on offense for Auburn, and through his leadership the Trojans finished the regular season with an 18-2 record.

“I feel like Carter was the underdog last year because Jaylen was here. He didn’t get much credit and do stuff, but he wouldn’t get recognized. But this year he really proved himself and I am proud of him for doing that,” Avery said.

Carter took a step out of his comfort zone and is working to become a more vocal leader. His play shows that it is working as he averaged 17.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals per game and shot 50.4 % from the field, 44% from three-point land and 89% from the free-throw line.

“I’m not like the type to be the ‘rah rah’ guy. But I tried to be a leader and do that to the best of my ability this year,” Carter said.

Avery led the Trojans to a 15-6 record and a second-place finish behind Tahoma in the NPSL. She finished the regular season averaging 15.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and four steals per game.

Carter and Avery both are do-it-all type of players. Both play point guard and are the primary ball handler, but also can score at will.

They have seen the development of their siblings throughout their lives as well.

“It’s super cool, she’s family and she’s my sister so I’ll always support her. She’s doing big things, sky is the limit for her,” Carter said.

At the start of the season, Avery felt like she was playing a different type of basketball, not her style. Getting her personality back in her game took some extra work and that work paid off.

“I wanted to do a lot more than I was. I went into the gym day and night and mornings to put in the work. That made me confident for the rest of the season and helped me win MVP,” she said.

Both Hansens have revenge on their mind as the schedule now takes on a bit more as the state tournament nears. Both teams last year saw early exits and big upsets in the state tournament.

“I feel like I am ready. Knowing we could have gone farther and having that feeling, we are coming,” Avery said.

Both Trojan teams punched their ticket to state and if it goes their way, the whole Tacoma Dome will hear the Hansen name.

“A lot of people doubted us this year. But we are going to go out and show what we can do,” Carter said.

Carter Hansen dribbles the ball for the Trojans in the district tournament.