Recruiters take note of Young's Hamilton

Updated: April 9, 2011 7:38PM

Somehow, Young's Tommy Hamilton Jr. might actually be under the radar at this point in his career.

Coming off a season in which the Dolphins failed to advance to state and other players dominated the headlines, there hasn't been much buzz around the 6-9 sophomore.

That's about to change.

After a dominating weekend at an AAU tournament in Mequon, Wis., Hamilton looked ready to be mentioned among the best players in the country once again.

At times, Hamilton has been called out for being out of shape or not mentally focused, but the Hamilton that helped lead the Mac Irvin Fire 17U team to a title this weekend was far from that.

"Tommy Hamilton has always had the talent; he's shown that from a very young age. The question has always been motivation and desire to be great," Scout.com recruiting analyst Brian Snow said. "This weekend he showed that when motivated he is one of the toughest players in the country to stop. You just don't see kids with that combination of size and skill very often.

‘‘As he continues to be consistent with effort, Hamilton will prove to be one of the best in the country."

Hamilton has lost a noticeable amount of weight, which makes him far more dangerous getting up and down the floor than he was during the high school season.

"This is the slim and trim Tommy Hamilton," Fire coach Mike Irvin said. "He's got the size, power and mobility to go out and dominate every game now."

The new Hamilton can give partial thanks to renowned trainer Tim Grover, who has been putting Hamilton through his legendary NBA-level workouts.

"(It's) painful," Hamilton said with a laugh when describing Grover's workouts. "We do on-the-court drills and I've been in the weight room. I'm working on staying in shape, trying to work on my body, getting stronger and becoming more mature."

The focus for Hamilton has been strictly basketball. Although schools from across the country will start to recruit him, Hamilton is focused on improving his game. He'll worry about the recruiting process down the line.

"Let the recruiting begin," Irvin said. "He's wide open at this point."

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