Daniel Hamilton’s performance at the American Athletic Conference Tournament was impressive enough to earn him the weekend’s Most Outstanding Player award. More importantly, it also vaulted UConn into the NCAA Tournament.
With the attention being paid to the larger team picture — for good reason — and some of Hamilton’s shine going to freshman Jalen Adams —also for good reason — his performance is not getting the recognition it deserves.
Often regarded as the team’s best defensive player this season, Hamilton seized control of the UConn offense in Orlando. While Adams hit the tournament’s most iconic shot, Hamilton was its overarching star.
Hamilton’s 32 point, 12 rebound, eight assist performance in the four-overtime classic against Cincinnati is one of the finest individual games a UConn player has ever had in a conference tournament game. Only three Huskies have scored more points in a tournament game (Calhoun/Ollie era): two of the greatest players in the program’s history, Donyell Marshall and Kemba Walker, and AJ Price who scored 33 points in the infamous Syracuse game that lasted six overtimes.
Of course, Hamilton’s success carried through in big victories over Temple and Memphis. Over the team’s three tournament games, Hamilton averaged 21 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists. He is just the third Husky to average a double-double over three or more tournament games (Travis Knight, Alex Oriakhi) and the only to do it while averaging at least 20 points.
Only Ray Allen (1995), Kemba Walker (2011), Ben Gordon (2004) averaged more points over a tournament than Hamilton. Walker and Gordon won their respective tournaments and the corresponding MOP awards.
Put simply, Hamilton’s performance in the AAC Tournament was one of the greatest in the program’s history. The events of the coming hours, days and weeks will dramatically impact how this UConn season is viewed historically, but Daniel Hamilton has already made history.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT AVERAGES
min. three games played
| YEAR | NAME | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK | TO | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Gordon, B. | 27.0 | 7.3 | 2.3 | 43% | 39% | 87% | 0.7 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 38.7 |
| 2011 | Walker, K. | 26.0 | 6.4 | 4.2 | 47% | 13% | 85% | 2.8 | 0.2 | 3.6 | 38.0 |
| 1995 | Allen, R. | 21.7 | 5.3 | 1.7 | 63% | 41% | 50% | N/R | N/R | N/R | 36.7 |
| 2016 | Hamilton, D. | 21.0 | 11.3 | 5.3 | 41% | 23% | 80% | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 42.0 |
| 2002 | Butler, C. | 19.0 | 9.0 | 4.0 | 42% | 60% | 75% | 2.7 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 42.3 |
| 1996 | Allen, R. | 19.0 | 6.0 | 2.3 | 34% | 29% | 73% | N/R | N/R | N/R | 36.7 |
| 2012 | Lamb, J. | 19.0 | 6.3 | 2.3 | 53% | 42% | 60% | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 40.7 |
| 1999 | Hamilton, R. | 18.3 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 47% | 41% | 84% | 1.3 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 32.3 |
| 2000 | El-Amin, K. | 18.3 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 46% | 50% | 85% | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 32.3 |
| 1990 | Smith, C. | 18.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 43% | 63% | 94% | 1.3 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 36.0 |
| 2002 | Gordon, B. | 17.7 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 52% | 56% | 83% | 2.3 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 28.3 |
| 2015 | Purvis, R. | 17.5 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 48% | 44% | 40% | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 33.0 |
| 1998 | Hamilton, R. | 17.0 | 6.3 | 1.7 | 26% | 15% | 81% | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 36.7 |
| 1990 | George, T. | 17.0 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 56% | 33% | 88% | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 30.7 |
| 2003 | Gordon, B. | 16.7 | 6.7 | 4.3 | 35% | 40% | 80% | 0.7 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 33.7 |
| 1996 | Sheffer, D. | 15.7 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 39% | 33% | 100% | N/R | N/R | N/R | 33.3 |
| 2012 | Napier, S. | 15.3 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 37% | 40% | 83% | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 31.3 |
| 2000 | Mouring, A. | 15.3 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 36% | 50% | 90% | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 36.0 |
| 2003 | Okafor, E. | 15.0 | 7.3 | 2.3 | 50% | 0% | 33% | 1.3 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 31.7 |
| 2014 | Daniels, D. | 14.7 | 8.0 | 1.3 | 50% | 50% | 67% | 0.3 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 33.0 |
| 2015 | Boatright, R. | 14.5 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 31% | 35% | 93% | 0.8 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 37.0 |
| 1999 | Freeman, K. | 14.3 | 4.8 | 0.8 | 66% | 0% | 69% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 33.0 |
| 2011 | Lamb, J. | 14.2 | 4.2 | 1.4 | 51% | 33% | 88% | 1.2 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 30.6 |
| 2014 | Napier, S. | 14.0 | 5.0 | 2.7 | 38% | 25% | 67% | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 36.0 |
| 2016 | Miller, S. | 14.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 62% | 33% | 90% | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 22.7 |
| 1996 | King, K. | 13.7 | 8.7 | 0.7 | 55% | 0% | 54% | N/R | N/R | N/R | 27.7 |
| 1995 | Marshall, Donny | 13.7 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 42% | 25% | 86% | N/R | N/R | N/R | 31.3 |
| 2016 | Adams, J. | 12.3 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 45% | 60% | 100% | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 28.7 |
| 1996 | Knight, T. | 12.0 | 12.7 | 2.7 | 56% | 0% | 80% | N/R | N/R | N/R | 29.7 |
| 2011 | Oriakhi, A. | 11.2 | 10.0 | 0.4 | 53% | 0% | 73% | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 29.0 |
| 2000 | Voskuhl, J. | 9.5 | 6.3 | 0.8 | 52% | 0% | 63% | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 24.0 |
