In the 23-plus minutes Joshua Hamilton was on the court Saturday night, Chico State outscored rival Humboldt State 53-27. While the team's three super seniors—Malik Duffy, Isaiah Brooks and Kevin Warren—corner most of the headlines, Hamilton has stepped into a crucial starting role as a sophomore and delivered. The Central Catholic product played perhaps his best game of the campaign in Saturday's 86-50 win, piling up 19 points and three assists to earn Wildcat of the Week honors.
Hamilton was nearly perfect shooting the ball, knocking down all six of his field goal attempts (including both of his 3-pointers) and his first five free throw attempts before missing his last two. He was especially aggressive, against the Lumberjacks, attacking the paint for driving buckets, kick-out dimes, and fouls. He drew six fouls on the night.
Hamilton, who ranks second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with a free throw percentage of 80.6, is averaging 11.7 points per game on 49 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc. He is also a key cog in the Wildcats' defense, which ranks third in the nation in 3-point percentage defense, 10th in overall field-goal percentage defense, and 13th in scoring defense by providing suffocating defense on the perimeter.
Hamilton and the undefeated (9-0) Wildcats are back in action at home on Sunday, January 2, at 3 p.m., against Stanislaus State.
