Former Monmouth Basketball Great Passing Along His Talents to Youngsters

From 2001 to 2005 Monmouth University gave Blake Hamilton the opportunity to showcase his talents on the basketball court.

Hamilton, the 2004-2005 North East Conference (NEC) Player of the Year, is giving back to the community where he once found success as a collegiate basketball player. Today he is currently providing young children with the opportunity to better their basketball skills through local summer basketball clinics.

Hamilton’s 4-week basketball clinics, Findaballer Youth Basketball Services, started on May 16 and will, in fact, run through the rest of the summer. The clinics will be held at the All Sport New Jersey facility in Ocean Township (on Brielle Avenue right behind Costco).

The clinics are broken down into two parts: Fundamental Basketball Clinics and Services and Position Specific Basketball. Each of these will cost $125 per person and will be offered to boys and girls between the ages of 5-18.

 “I’ve spent many years as an advocate for basketball,” Hamilton explained. “From a child, to a student-athlete, to professional athlete, to volunteer high school coach, to Director of Player Development for Monmouth University, and now a youth services instructor.”

“My time playing and coaching basketball has allowed me to further understand the proper method of implementation when working with the youth and community," Hamilton continued. "These roles have inspired me to want to continue to help our youth and community through valuable cost- sensitive services.”

For Hamilton, the president, co-founder and youth services instructor/manager of Findaballer Youth Basketball Services, this summer will be the first time that he will be running basketball clinics and services in New Jersey. According to Hamilton, he’s also started to provide youth services in his local community of Lower Paxton Township, PA.

“I’ve already started running small clinics in my hometown of Harrisburg, PA, but this (the Jersey Shore) is definitely my second home. So this is special too,” Hamilton said. “Working those clinics back home has really helped me to see the need for parents to have a controlled environment where fun and learning are a major part of this natural cycle.”

Former Monmouth University standouts such as John Giraldo and Corey Albano will serve as two of the clinic’s instructors. More recent Monmouth University graduates assisting Hamilton with some of the clinic instruction include R.J. Rutledge, Whitney Coleman, Nick DelTufo and Steve Bazaz.

Hamilton, who’s played professionally in eight different countries since he graduated from Monmouth University, last played professionally in 2009 when he played in Israel. This summer, Hamilton will again be playing for Stern’s Trailer Rental in the Jersey Shore Basketball League in Belmar.

With his professional playing days are currently on “pause”, Hamilton has since shifted his passion to coaching and teaching children the sport of basketball through his clinics.

“I’d like to consider myself a modern age Bill Russell (Russell was a player-coach towards the end of his career with the Boston Celtics),” Hamilton said jokingly.  “But on a more serious note coaching is a very tough job when having to follow specific guidelines. This has given me the insight as to where my skills are most needed.”

Forever a Monmouth University basketball supporter, Hamilton, who helped lead the Hawks to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003-04, believes that newly hired head coach King Rice will help revitalize a Monmouth University basketball program that went 9-21 last season. Since their last NCAA appearance in 2006, the Hawk’s have struggled mightily going 48-105 overall and 30-60 in the NEC.

“Coach Rice was a great addition to our program,” Hamilton said. “I look forward to our universities’ continued overall success through his ability to motivate and inspire others. His philosophies are fundamental and his experience at the highest level has proven that his practices will positively affect our position in the NEC and NCAA”.

During the season there’s a good chance you catch Hamilton inside the Monmouth Athletic Center as he tries to attend Monmouth basketball games regularly when he’s in town.

There’s an even better chance (in the near future) you can catch him sitting on either the Hawk’s bench or the opposing bench trying to be a modern age Bill Russell.