The Randolph College Athletic Department has announced Pete Hamilton ’11 as the second head coach in the history of the men’s basketball program at Randolph. Hamilton brings with him a wealth of experience in the region as well as a WildCat.
Hamilton was part of the first class of Randolph College after the institution went coeducational. He was a member of the first WildCat men’s basketball team that took the floor in 2007-2008. He was part of many firsts for the basketball program: the first win, the first conference win, the first four-year member Senior Day, and the first-ever appearance in the ODAC Championship. Hamilton’s name can still be found in the top-10 in almost every category in the program’s record books, which includes the record for most three-point field goals in a career.
However, since his time as a ‘Cat, Hamilton has honed his coaching skills at four different institutions.
Hamilton spent the past two seasons coaching at two different Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) institutions. During the 2015-2016 season, he served as the assistant coach at Washington and Lee University. The Generals placed two athletes on the All-ODAC team, with one of those players being selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. W&L fell to Randolph in the ODAC Tournament.
Prior to Hamilton’s year with the Generals, he spent one year with Guilford College. Hamilton helped the Quakers win 18 games, including 10 in conference play. During that season, he helped GC advance to the conference semifinals, while coaching two All-ODAC performers. One of those was named All-Region and All-American. Off the court, Hamilton was instrumental in recruiting, helping bring in a player who was named ODAC Rookie of the Year in 2016.
Before returning to the ODAC, Hamilton spent one year as an assistant coach at Moravian College in Pennsylvania. He was named the Recruiting Coordinator at MC during the spring of 2014.
Hamilton started his coaching career at Averett University following his graduation from Randolph. He assisted in all aspects of the program, helping out with recruiting, film exchange and breakdown, practice and game preparation, and some budgetary tasks. While in Danville, Hamilton coached two all-conference players. He also earned his Masters’ Degree in Business Adminstration.
“We are thrilled to have Coach Hamilton return home to the hardwood where he and his teammates took a leap of faith, and began to build a program we’re all proud of,” said Director of Athletics Tina Hill. “He has since learned a lot from some of the best coaches in our league and we’re confident, he’ll continue to do great things at Randolph.”
“I am extremely humbled and excited to be headed back to Randolph College to continue a culture that has been a part of my life since I was a player,” said Hamilton. “I look forward to working with the administration, athletic department, and community members to keep building a program that Randolph can be proud of, on and off the court. Randolph is a special place to me and the opportunity to lead a program I once played is absolutely a dream come true.”
“I’d like to thank Tina Hill and the search committee for putting their trust in me as the right man for the job,” added Hamilton. “Lastly, I’d like to thank the players for their patience, communication, and input during the interview process. This program will continue to be about the players and I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to start with.”
Hamilton also has extensive camp coaching experience. He has worked with HoopGroup, ScoutFocus, Maximum Exposure, as well as camps at previous stops.
Hamilton replaces his former head coach Clay Nunley. Nunley was the only head coach in the nine-year history of the program and left to take the head job at Roanoke College.
http://randolphwildcats.com/sports/mbkb/2015-16/releases/20160516t34zbj
Photo Courtesy Randolph Athletics
