Hamiltion a rebounder ... and a project
Connecticut sophomore Daniel Hamilton was a
second-team all-American Athletic Conference selection, and was MVP of the AAC Tournament. He is also skinny, at 6-foot-7, 195 pounds. But he displayed a knack for getting on the glass, finishing sixth in the country in defensive rebounding (303 total), averaging 8.9 boards per game for the Huskies.
Daniel Hamilton's basketball IQ draws praise from NBA scouts.
And, he has a pretty strong pedigree. He has three brothers who have all played or are playing Division I ball: Gary, the oldest, a 6-foot-10 forward who played at the University of Miami from 2002-06 and has played in Japan and Uruguay. Jordan, who played at Texas and was a first-round pick of the Mavs in 2011 and is now with the Pelicans, and Isaac, a junior guard at UCLA who was a second-team all-Pac 12 selection this season.
Hamilton will surely be a long-range project if he's drafted, or even if he isn't. But he's an intriguing prospect with his smarts -- "elite IQ," a Western Conference scout said -- and his rebounding prowess, though he has a habit of bending at the waist defensively rather than bending his legs, according to one scout.
"I think he's got a real good intellect," another scout said. "He's got a mature game. Obviously, his family is pretty competitive. I think that has to be taken into the judgment. I was up there in October watching practice...he's not a wower, I guess. But what he really can do is rebound. I think he rebounds well for his position. He's not a super athlete, but I think he's a glue guy you can put in there. I don't think he's going to be a star by any stretch, but I think he's going to be a guy who's going to be in the league and help you."
-From NBA.com