OSU crash brings tears, reflection.(Oklahoma State University)(Brief Article)

There were two topics of conversation that were sure to bring a smile to Will Hancock's face--his 2-month-old daughter, Andie, and college basketball, especially Oklahoma State basketball.

While some gave him a good ribbing for his aw-shucks smile, that smile will be missed.

Hancock, the assistant director of media relations at Oklahoma State, was one of 10 people killed when a charter plane carrying members of the OSU traveling party crashed just outside Denver on the team's return trip from a game against Colorado last Saturday.

Reserve players Daniel Lawson Jr. and Nate Fleming also were killed in the crash of the 11-seat Beechcraft King Air 200 Catpass, as were Bill Teegins, the voice of OSU basketball and football, and student manager Jared Weiberg, the nephew of Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg.

Hancock, the husband of OSU women's soccer coach Karen Hancock and the son of NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament director Bill Hancock, had worked in four different sports information offices since he graduated from college in 1991. He had been at Oklahoma State for five years, and that meant he was familiar with small-plane travel.

It is common for college basketball teams--dozens each weekend--to travel on small aircraft. Charters frequently are more expensive than commercial air travel, although using a number of smaller planes can cost less than acquiring one large enough to carry the entire team. The University of Texas' men's and women's basketball teams regularly take as many as four aircraft for a road trip.

Many schools like having smaller aircraft ...