Hamilton will add another option and much needed inside/outside offense next year.Jordan Hamilton Link : [Why Texas? Jordan has skills. it's going to be a good year.
Cool. great post. Good kid. Just wonder if we're getting set up for more one-and-done exits before we get anywhere. We've had KD and DJ come and go -- the two playing a grand total of 3 years between them, only one together, before leaving us again at the alter with the Rebuilding-Reloading-ReChemistrying Bouquet. These three new guys coming in might only be here for their freshman year, so let's hope we win our national championship next year. The next YouTubes could well be their videos for where they land in the 2010 lottery.
Memphis is going to be sick with talent next year. And I mean SICK. To have a legitimate shot at the FF and NC we need Dex and James to come back and Lucas has to come into the mix in December and be ready to take the reins because Balbay is better suited for a 15-20 min energy guy role.
He seems to have a couple of things that our current guards, forwards don't have. Can't wait to see him.
He's also a good distributor from the small forward position. Plus, he has a post up game, too. He's a matchup nightmare at 6'7 for opposing teams. He's like a college freshman Paul Pierce.
And Avery Bradley, in his own way, is even better. People who don't follow recruiting don't understand how good these two guys are.
I like this kid. Confidence in his team, and knows his UT basketball already. Great pick-up... He is going to be a big time leader at the 40 acres.
SLX, I agree that Jordan is the real thing, 2-3 months with TWright working on his lateral speed and he will be a top flight defender to boot. He is a good defender right now. Avery reminds me of a young Gary Payton "The Glove" ,Avery may even be better then Payton at his age. These two guys have all the tools to make TX an elite team. Averys' midrange game is going to surprise alot of teams JH put on 10 lbs since the last time I saw him , maybe 230-235lbs but still quick. This kid is a great shooter and handles great and he collects dimes, etc.... frigging good.
And I realize it's his highlight video, I get it, but he does alot of things that maybe only DAmion James could do on the perimeter, and I may be sort of generous there and want to temper my enthusiasm. That's a great highlight video. Very fluid and natural.
Damion James is a fantastic rebounder, especially in traffic. He's also really good at defending against players with more size than him. He can shot block. Other than that, poor Damion James can't hold a candle to what Jordan Hamilton brings to the table ---and that's no knock on James. Hamilton is closer to the Kevin Durant type of talent --- although he's not Durant, that's not a fair comparison. Thiink about getting Paul Pierce as a freshman in college. That's the kind of player Hamilton is. And he's going to be paired with someone just as special in his own way in Avery Bradley.
GemStateJim, Hamilton is a 2/3. He's going to be able to take guards off the dribble, never mind the wings Damion can't beat off the dribble on a regular basis. I agree with you regarding James' rebounding. That's why I mentioned it as something where Hamilton will fall short. In fact, I think we're going to really miss James' rebounding next season. He's amazing at snatching rebounds in a crowd. He's just so active. Hamilton isn't a bad rebounder, but it's not his strength, so he definitely looks poorer by comparison to someone who is so good at it like James is. And I agree re: James having problems on the wing in man to man. I think James is terrific on hedges as a 4, because he's so quick to recover. When he's asked to defend against a smaller player exclusively, though, he has the normal problems most 6'7 players do when asked to defend against smaller opponents who can handle the ball well. However, he has 3 years at the collegiate level. IMO, learning how to play defense correctly within a team concept is one of the more difficult transitions. My guess is that Hamilton right now is not going to be as good as James is right now. Having said all that, absolutely I project Hamilton as a better college wing. Hamilton is an IDEAL college level wing. James struggles with the role. James simplly doesn't handle the ball well enough, whereas Hamilton has a great handle. On the perimeter, James is more of a catch and shoot guy, whereas Hamilton can either catch and shoot, or he can create his own shot. Hamilton is a true triple threat from the perimeter, who can hit the outside shot with range, he can take his defender off the bounce, and he can dish to the open teammate when help comes. Of those, James can really only do one. One place where Damion James has just about everyone beat is with that intangible...heart. All James knows how to do is give it his best. I'm not saying Hamilton is lazy, because that's not fair. However, he hasn't been challenged the way he's about to be, whereas James has been in the program 3 years already. I'll also say that there is no finer kid than Damion James. Nor more loyal. I sure wish for nothing but good things for James, that's for sure. But as an answer at the wing, Hamilton is a much better player at the college level right now.
I saw Avery Badley play up at Moody in February. That guy is quick and he can shoot the lights out. I am looking forward to next year.
James himself doesn't know what he's going to do right now. It all depends on what he hears... if it's 1st round, he's gone.
Hamilton hasn't played HS ball this year, so the last game of his that I watched (California HS championships for Compton Dominguez's class) was, in fact, Hamilton's last official competitive game. I think all of the reports on his skill level are dead on. He's got a terrific stroke. I can see him doing some of the same things for UT next year that Sam Young does for Pitt this year. Young is a better athlete, though. Since he's being compared/contrasted with Damion James, I have to say that Jordan does not play as hard as Damion. Damion's issues are in lacking some wing skills and hoops IQ...never should there be a question about his heart or effort. Hamilton, from the games that I've watched (including the aforementioned California HS championship game), does not put forth the same type of consistent effort as James. He went into passive mode when the shot wasn't falling. I'm not saying that he's a pouter, but since we're comparing him to James, I'd say that Damion is a warrior (especially evidenced by his work on the boards) and Jordan, as far as I've seen, has not demonstrated that. Regardless, I LOVE the fact that he's coming.
Thanks for the insights, SLX. I should've known Hamilton was a 2/3, but, for some reason, I had him pegged as more of a 3/4. On that note, the thought of having a 6-foot-7 shooting guard makes me anxious for November. Damion has a huge heart, but he also has a habit of disappearing for significant stretches and getting benched for turnovers, fouls or a general lack of "focusness." How many times this season did he start a game with two points and two boards in the first 20 minutes, only to follow up with a double-double in just one half? If Hamilton's greatest weakness is a lack of effort, then I'm not worried. He won't last long under Barnes if he puts forth anything less than the maximum. I can't wait to see him play. If Pittman hangs around, we just might have the most balanced, skilled and deep team Barnes has ever fielded. Factoring in football, 2009-10 should be a great time for UT fans.
Gary J and Damion are my two favorite Horns, but one thing I noticed is they both need to relax. It's like they play almost too hard and lose control. How many times did we see James or Gary grab a board with explosion but then miss the putback? Would love to see DJ come back, hard to not like him, but I think he's gone.
That's what we ran when Augustin was here, but it relies on having a relatively competent PG apparently, because we totally went away from it this year. I think we'd be amazing in the 4 out 1 in set, with Sexy in the middle. That would allow Bradley, Hamilton, Damion, and whomever else to penetrate at will and make plays.
Well, he has one of the better midrange games I've seen. He needs to get in the correct mentality, though. He would be such a better mismatch on the perimeter sometimes, as opposed to always being wasted in the post hoping for putbacks and dump offs...
This is the fundamental issue I see with James coming back; ideally he gets most of his minutes with us as more of a 4 than a 3, but his only real motivation not to go this year is to come back and work more on his game as a 3. Everything you hear right now leans toward him returning, but if he gets that high teens/low 20s draft grade that some 'experts' are projecting, I have a hard time seeing him come back...
This may be a dumb question, but I assume the only reason Hamilton is not in the McD's AA game is because he didn't play basketball this year? His talent is certainly worthy.
Jordan Hamilton will be playing in the MJ Jordan Classic later in April along with Bradley. You'll get to see them then, Also Findlay Prep is participating in some tourney coming up that will be broadcast and you'll see Bradley and Tristan Thompson.
