Connecticut's national champion — two-time All-American who launched the modern UConn dynasty.
Richard Clay Hamilton was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania in 1978. He attended the University of Connecticut under coach Jim Calhoun and won the national championship in 1999. He was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after averaging 24.0 points per game across six tournament games. He was a two-time All-American and the Big East Player of the Year. He averaged 21.5 points per game across three seasons. His ability to score off the dribble, coming off screens and from the mid-range was the offensive system that made UConn a national championship team. Washington Wizards selected him seventh overall in the 1999 NBA Draft. His professional career produced an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 alongside Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace. His UConn career launched what became the most celebrated program dynasty of the 1990s and 2000s — Jim Calhoun's Connecticut teams won four national championships, and Hamilton's 1999 title was the first.
National Championship (1999)
Career Honours
- National Championship (1999)
- Tournament MOP (1999)
- All-American 2x
- Big East Player of Year