St. John's University Athletics
Lamont Hamilton Impresses with NIT All-Stars in London
6/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 30, 2005
Queens, NY - St. John's junior forward Lamont Hamilton (Brooklyn, NY) recorded a double-double with the National Invitational Tournament All-Stars in a 100-76 win against London United in London, England on June 27. Hamilton netted 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field, to go along with 11 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks.
For St. John's last season, Hamilton led the team in rebounds (7.5) and blocks (1.6), and was second on the team in scoring (13.3), and field goal percentage (50.4%, sixth in the BIG EAST). His 7.5 rebounds per game average was the highest per season total at the school since 1997-98 and put him eighth overall in the BIG EAST for the year.
The sophomore led the team in points six times, while grabbing team-highs in rebounds in 16 games during the year. He reached double-figures in points 20 times and in rebounds as many as seven times. Hamilton provided a string of eight consecutive games in double-figures in points midway through the season, including three double-double performances in that span.
His first career double-double outing came against Virginia Tech, when he scored a career-high 24 points while snatching 11 rebounds in a 75-65 victory over the Hokies.
Hamilton's beaming performance to this point in his young career at St. John's came in a showdown with rival Rutgers at Madison Square Garden on February 2, 2005. Coming off his third double-double performance of the year with 14 points and 11 rebounds against Seton Hall, Hamilton backed it up with another double-dip by gathering 16 points and 16 boards in a win over Rutgers. He also was responsible for the game-winning bucket in the 53-52 win and his 16 rebounds was the most in a BIG EAST game this season.
For his career, Hamilton has collected 472 points for a 10.3 average in his two years, while grabbing a total of 283 rebounds for a 6.2 average heading into this junior campaign.
The NIT All-Star team is made up of college players from throughout the country. The team is in the midst of a 10-day, seven-game tour with appearances in parts of England and Ireland. The team will make stops in Surrey, Middlesex, Uxbridge, England, and Limerick, Ireland.
The games follow international rules, meaning the lane is wider and the 3-point line is somewhere between college and the NBA. The All-Stars have a 46-4 record under current coach George Bucci, a veteran ABA and Italian League All-Star. Bucci took over for St. John's legend Lou Carnesecca, who coached the team from 1992-97. Since the tour started in 1980, St. John's has had 18 players participate including Felipe Lopez (1996), Ron Artest (1998), and Marcus Hatten (2002).
