Thanks to great sources who had HoopDirt.com out in front of this story earlier this morning (Daily Dirt – 7/11/16)…
NYIT has officially named Kevin Hamilton as the ninth Head Men’s Basketball Coach, effective July 11, announced by Duane Bailey, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation.
“As we worked through the search process and spoke with a distinguished pool of coaches, it became apparent that Kevin best embodied all the characteristics we were looking for, and was ideally suited to take on the challenge of moving NYIT basketball to higher levels of success,” commented Bailey. “He has a unique, interesting and long background in the game of basketball. He’s a driven and intense competitor that cares deeply about his players and he’s a visible and involved member of the community.”
Kevin Hamilton comes to NYIT with a background ranging from the collegiate to the national level. The Iona College Hall of Famer joined the Gaels in1976 after a successful career at North Babylon High School. In his four seasons at Iona, Hamilton helped guide the Gaels to an impressive 84-31 overall record, as well as Iona’s first two appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
“I would like to thank Duane Bailey, Director of Athletics, Dan Velez, Associate Director of Athletics, NYIT Student Affairs and the entire search committee for the confidence in choosing me for this position,” said Hamilton.
“With hard work and commitment to be the best in the classroom and on the court, we will become a formidable opponent in our conference and beyond. The work begins today by recruiting the right student athletes to compliment our existing players.”
Best known for his outstanding long-range shooting, Hamilton ended his career as the school’s fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,412 points. His .883 free throw percentage during the 1976-77 seasons ranks as the third best single-season performance by a Gael. During the 1979-80 season, Hamilton lead the squad with 63 steals over 34 games to average just under two per contest. Also in 1979, Hamilton scored a career-high 37 points in a win over Pittsburgh at the Nassau Coliseum. It is the ninth-best single-game performance in the history of Iona basketball. During his senior season, Hamilton scored 32 points against Georgetown in front of a nationally televised audience on NBC’s “Game of the Week.”
Upon graduation, Hamilton was chosen in the 4th Round of the 1980 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, but suffered a career-ending injury in preseason. Since concluding his playing days, Hamilton has stemmed into several career paths including his current position as an AAU Director and International Scout as well as a sixteen-year stint with the Xerox Corporation. He also has experience speaking to organizations on team building and player development all while still finding time to return to Iona to be apart of the broadcast for ESPN and Iona College tv/radio.
In 2014, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) added Hamilton to the Honor Roll Class along with Iona women’s basketball standout Celeste Grier Johnathan. As a part of this prestigious award, Hamilton and Grier-Johnathan were enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the “MAAC Experience” exhibit.
“I want my coaches and players to have a life long memory of playing for an institution that is admired as a best in class. I have experienced this myself and know what it takes to get there. We have tremendous support from the University that will enable our desired success.”
Hamilton graduated from Iona College in 1980 with a bachelor of business (BBA) in business administration with a concentration in marketing and statistics. He’s also completed leadership training, including the Executive Leadership Class from IBM and the Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
http://nyitbears.com/general/2016-17/releases/20160711f63eun
