Andrew Anastasio – Sports Writer –
After his 24-point performance in the team’s win over Pace on Nov. 28, senior forward Trevon Hamlet became the 24th player in the history of the Owls Men’s basketball program to score 1,000 career points.
“It was a good feeling,” Hamlet said. “It was something that I always wanted to do, and I wanted to do it here at Southern. I got it, and it is a good accomplishment for me.”
Trevon Hamlet leads his team in scoring (16.9 per game) and blocks (18).
Hamlet’s road toward 1,000 points began in his debut season with the Owls in 2010. That year, Hamlet scored 475 points, which led the team. He also accumulated 62 blocks and 68 assists, ranking him atop the stat sheet in both categories. His season performance awarded him an All-Northeast 10 Conference selection and an All-ECAC selection.
Before his career at Southern began, Hamlet played one season under Southern’s current head coach Mike Donnelly at Post University. In his brief 30 game stint with the Eagles, Hamlet amassed 540 points (18 per game), which led the team that year. He also led the team in blocks with 50, and tallied 19 total steals.
“Trevon is the best,” Donnelly said. “He’s been with me for four years, he’s close to me. He came with me from Post, so we came here together and he means the world to me. He’s a fantastic kid, hard worker, great teammate, extremely coachable, and he’s a great player. He’s as good as it gets at this level, and he’s had a tremendous career. It’s good see that he’s been able to string a few games together where he’s been able to perform at a high level. He puts the work in, and we’re hoping he can continue to play with confidence, and continue to have a great senior year.”
Hamlet’s current career numbers at Southern stand at 1,042 points, 141 blocks, 35 steals, and 108 assists. Donnelly said Hamlet’s versatility is his greatest attribute.
“He’s a tough matchup for other teams,” Donnelly said. “He’s an interior big guy who is an exceptionable defensive player. He strictly guards inside for us, but he’s developed his game away from the rim. Big guys don’t normally knock down shots from the perimeter, so it’s a ton of pressure on opponents because he stretches the floor. He brings bigger guys away from the basket, and I think that’s the biggest thing he does for us. Even though he can shoot from the perimeter, he’s still able to score inside. He’s gotten better off the bounce, and he’s still able to be successful inside the paint.”
Hamlet said his career at Southern has been memorable.
“It’s been great,” Hamlet said. “I love playing basketball here, and it’s good that we’ve been able to turn the program around. As we continue moving forward, we’re hoping we can continue to build.”
Senior teammate Rashamell Vereen, who transferred over from Post to Southern with Hamlet, said his teammate deserved the milestone achievement.
“I’ve been with Trevon since our freshman year at Post, and we’ve always had a connection,” Vereen said. “I was honored to see him score 1,000 points, and I couldn’t be more proud of him for accomplishing something like that.”
Currently, the Owls are 5-3 and tied for sixth place in the Northeast-10 Conference. Hamlet said his final goal is to win a championship.
“Everyone including myself wants to win it all,” Hamlet said. “Winning the NE-10 is how we will start; after that it will be getting to the tournament and going as far as we can there.”
