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.
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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.
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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.
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Hamilton and the undefeated (9-0) Wildcats are back in action at home on Sunday, January 2, at 3 p.m., against Stanislaus State.
