Where are they now ? Kevin Hamilton

Terrific story, including teammate & Coach Willard mentions
About 4½ years ago, Holy Cross basketball Hall of Famer Kevin Hamilton was in between professional seasons, having just finished up a stint in Puerto Rico and likely getting ready to return to Europe. He previously played in Poland, Germany and France.


While he was home, his HC teammate Jave Meade, who like Hamilton grew up in Queens, New York, invited him to work out at the gym at Eagle Academy for Young Men in Brooklyn, where Meade’s brother, Rashad, is the principal.

At the time, Hamilton also was planning for his profession after basketball, and Meade suggested he talk to Rashad if he was interested in pursuing a career in education.

“Once I was in the school building and saw how impactful the work Rashad was doing,” Hamilton said, “I never went back to play basketball.”


Hamilton, who starred as a terrific shooting guard and defender for some of coach Ralph Willard’s great teams and graduated from Holy Cross in 2006 with a degree in sociology, is a guidance counselor and boys’ basketball coach at Eagle Academy for Young Men, a public, all-boys school that serves students in grades 6-12 from underprivileged communities. A majority of the students are African American, Hamilton said.

Rashad Meade, a nationally renowned educator and a “brilliant, brilliant man,” Hamilton said, devised a model in which Eagle Academy’s “houses” (like a homeroom) are named after historic Black figures such as Thurgood Marshall, Duke Ellington and W.E.B. Du Bois.

“The kids in the same house develop a brotherhood,” Hamilton said. “We work in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, which is traditionally a rough neighborhood with kids going through a lot of rough circumstances. Our school provides resources. It’s hard to describe; you have to walk through the halls and see how the school operates. It’s a great thing to be a part of.”

Eagle Academy has locations in each of New York’s boroughs, as well as Newark, New Jersey.

Hamilton, 36, and his wife, Ariana, a 2008 Holy Cross graduate, have two daughters, 11-year-old Sofia, a rising basketball star herself, and 8-year-old Jordyn, a talented gymnast. The family lives in the Bayside neighborhood of Queens, about 25 minutes from where Hamilton grew up in Queens Village.

Coaches and former Holy Cross teammates Kevin Hamilton, far left, and Jave Meade, far right, with members of their Eagle Academy team.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
While studying for his master’s degree, Hamilton worked as a paraprofessional or teacher’s aide at Eagle Academy, and he and Jave Meade became co-head coaches of the boys’ varsity basketball team. Meade, who was a standout point guard at Holy Cross, teaches special education at Mott Hall Intermediate School, which is in the same building as Eagle Academy.

Hamilton earned his master’s in school counseling from Alfred University in 2018 and recently obtained a mental health counseling extension. He works with ninth and 10th graders.

“A lot of my work,” Hamilton said, “is helping kids adjust to the different level of education, the responsibility, the transition from a teacher holding their hand to understanding you have to manage your time better now. That’s an adjustment for some kids. There’s a lot of social and emotional stuff. It’s something I really like.”

Hamilton is also making special connections with his players.

“I realized through basketball and having a commonality with the kids being from Queens, an urban environment, and them wanting to hear about my story and them taking to me,” Hamilton said, “I realized I can have an influence on these kids and help them with their circumstances, especially through coaching, which I love.”

Hamilton and Meade are running a simplified version of Willard’s system and have built Eagle Academy into a top team in the area. They haven’t played any games yet this season, but are still hopeful.

“We hope to become competitive nationally,” Hamilton said, “but more than that, we just try to use the game to teach transferrable skills to kids, prepare them for next stage of life, teach them discipline, accountability, how to work together. Things they can carry with them. It’s very meaningful work. It’s very rewarding and I’ve enjoyed it very much.”

Hamilton and Meade met with Willard, who began his coaching career at the high school level, two summers ago.

“We’re thankful he sat down with us so we could pick his brain,” Hamilton said. “We think we know the game pretty well, but there are certain situations we run into when we need guidance. We’re in contact with Coach Willard pretty often.”

Holy Cross' Kevin Hamilton dishes off a pass during a game against Army in 2006.
T&G STAFF FILE PHOTO/STEVE LANAVA
While leading Holy Cross to a Patriot League Tournament championship, two regular-season titles, an NCAA Tournament berth and an NIT appearance, Hamilton never much considered that coaching would be in his future.

The 6-foot-4 Hamilton scored almost 1,500 career points and ranks as HC’s all-time leader in made 3-pointers. With a knack for reading passing lanes, great anticipation, and quick hands, Hamilton was an outstanding defender — the best the PL, in Willard’s opinion — and also holds the Holy Cross career record for steals.

“One of my strengths,” Hamilton said, “I was a cerebral player. (As he’s transitioned from player to coach), it’s been part of the game I enjoy — analyzing, preparing, trying to figure out how to use your advantages, hide your disadvantages. I think I’ve been good at it.”

Willard has been a major influence in Hamilton’s life, and he and Meade are sharing the principles of Willard’s “circle of opportunity” philosophy with their players.

“One of the reasons Jave and I are so enthusiastic about this,” Hamilton said, “is because we see the effect a coach can have on your life and your perspective and how you approach things. The mentality that I have that has served me so well is not being a victim, fighting through adversity, holding myself accountable, having discipline. Those things transcend basketball.

"I try to think what my life would have been like had I not had someone like Coach Willard to instill these things in me," he added. "What we learned in that time period is still with me, and I almost feel a responsibility to pass these things on that I learned from him to the kids we’re servicing now.”

As a junior in 2005, Hamilton helped the Crusaders to a 78-73 win at Notre Dame in the NIT, marking the first national postseason victory for a Patriot League team.

Hamilton was the 2005 PL Player of the Year, the 2006 PL Defensive Player of the Year and an honorable mention AP All-American in 2005. He was inducted to the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2013.

“That was just an honor and something I’m very thankful for,” said Hamilton, who lists winning the PL title his freshman year and beating Notre Dame among his fondest memories. “More than (the games), the relationships I was able to build and that have lasted to today are what I’m most thankful for.”

In addition to Meade, Hamilton is in regular contact with former teammates Torey Thomas, Greg Kinsey and John Hurley.

Kevin Hamilton works out with the Boston Celtics Summer League team in 2006.
T&G STAFF FILE PHOTO/BETTY JENEWIN
The summer after his graduation, Hamilton was invited to a Boston Celtics four-day minicamp and earned a spot on the C’s summer league roster.

He went on to play professionally for 10 years in Europe and Puerto Rico, and was a proud selection to the Puerto Rican National Team. His mom, Netty, is from Puerto Rico.

Last year, Hamilton and his youngest brother, Kieran, established Hamilton Hoops Academy, a basketball training company. Kieran and the Hamiltons’ middle brother, Keith, also played basketball collegiately.

Hamilton’s parents, Kevin Sr. and Netty, as well as his brothers, never missed a Holy Cross game. Kevin Sr. celebrated his birthday last week, and Hamilton said his dad and mom are doing well.

And it comes as no surprise that Hamilton is flourishing as a husband, father, son, coach and mentor. He is proud of his work.

“I am,” he said. “It’s challenging. A lot of kids that grow up in these environments deal with a lot of difficult life circumstances. It’s heavy, heavy stuff. Rashad is a leader on how to help these kids. When you’re able to make a difference, able to give them some perspective, I can’t imagine being in something more rewarding.”

Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @jentandg

Originally Published 1:29 pm EST March 6, 2021
Updated 21 hours ago
Subscribe Now – Get Your Offer
NEWSLETTER
Be the first to be informed of important news as it happens in Worcester.
Sign up now
Help • Terms of Service • Privacy Notice

Your California Privacy Notice

Mobile Apps • Ad Choices

© Copyright Gannett 2021

This reminds me of when Willard was asked what was the best thing about coaching at HC and he said "I get to coach great kids." This is a great story about really good people.

Couple of great photos also if you get to the article