Former Thomas Dale basketball standoutVernon Hamilton has extended his career further, signing on as the assistant to the head coach at LSU under former VCU coach Will Wade.
Hamilton played three seasons with the Knights alongside fellow standout Brad Byerson. Hamilton would eventually transfer to Benedictine and head to Clemson, while Byerson started his college career at West Virginia. The team with Hamilton and Byerson was the last Thomas Dale team to win a regional title (2001) until last season.
Hamilton’s credentials on and off the court extend far beyond his time donning the maroon and gray. The guard was a four-year starter at Clemson. He finished as the program leader in steals at the school, collecting 271. He also ranked ninth in assists and scored over 1,200 points while a Tiger.
He played in the NBA G-League, winning a championship in 2009 with the Colorado 14ers, and he also played overseas, winning defensive player of the year honors in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2011.
Coaching-wise, Hamilton served the last two years as assistant and associate basketball coach of the Jeonju KCC Egis in the South Korean Basketball league, and he coached in the league’s all-star game. He was also a member of the Dallas Mavericks’ player development staff during the 2017-18 season.
