Hamilton thrown into the fire right away at UCLA

Hamilton circa 2013

UCLA guard Isaac Hamilton knows he must be patient with his own progress, while also being assertive – a lot to ask from a first-year player heading into the most taxing stretch of his basketball career. DON LIEBIG, COURTESY OF UCLA ATHLETICS

BY RYAN KARTJE
OC Register STAFF WRITER

Published: Dec. 9, 2014 Updated: 9:39 p.m.
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LOS ANGELES – When the season began and his 16-month wait for eligibility had finally come to an end, Isaac Hamilton was ready to put the pedal to the floor. He’d waited long enough, spending extra hours in the gym for more than a year without any payoff, long nights even after his UCLA teammates had left, preparing for this moment. There would be no easing into things.

So the smooth combo guard burst from the starting gate, scoring 31 points in his first two games. He hit six 3-pointers in his debut weekend, spotting up and making wide-open kick-outs. It was an ideal start for a player who waited so long for a shot and a team with limited depth and no other choice in the backcourt.

But it took only another week for Hamilton to hit a wall. In his next four games, Hamilton shot 10 for 40 from the perimeter – a stretch that included an 0-for-6, seven-turnover performance in UCLA’s blowout loss to North Carolina in the Bahamas. The former McDonald’s All-American was forcing the issue and going too fast, headlong into the fire.

A year ago, things had gone so slowly, every step moving at an excruciating pace, that Hamilton would have done anything to press fast forward. After deciding to transfer from UTEP, even though he signed a national letter of intent, Hamilton spent most of the summer of 2013 sitting at home, waiting for word. He reached out to Long Beach State and San Diego State.

He spoke with administrators at UCLA, since it already had his academic records from an official visit. It wasn’t until mid-September that the school finally accepted him and the piles of paperwork were finished. But a month later, the NCAA closed the door on Hamilton’s 2013-14 season, costing him a full season of eligibility.

Hamilton still turned heads at UCLA’s practice in that first year, impressing new coach Steve Alford enough for him to consider Hamilton a sure-fire future starter, after the Bruins’ backcourt was raided by the NBA. Even the planned addition of fifth-year transfer guard Jon Octeus, which fell apart before the season, would not have changed that notion, Alford said Tuesday.

But as Hamilton has been rushed to get up to speed as the No. 2 ballhandler in UCLA’s offense, there have been bumps along the way.

“He’s been up and down, but now, it’s just about staying positive,” senior Norman Powell said. “It clicks and shows some games, but other games, he’s still a little rusty.”

Hamilton acknowledges that his start has been an exercise in patience. After waiting so long, he wants nothing more than to kick things into high gear. The proper response for the 6-foot-4, 185-pounder now, though, might just be a deep exhale.

“Coaches tell me to just play,” Hamilton said. “It sounds so simple, but it can be so hard.”

There have been glimpses of those moments in his first nine games – a crisp corner 3, a tough transition dish, a smooth finger-roll – snippets that are reminders why the former St. John Bosco High standout was such a coveted recruit in the first place. Against UAB, a day after struggling against the Tar Heels, Hamilton exploded for 21 points.

Like with most young players, Hamilton’s growth over his first season will be about bottling those moments. Alford said he still needs to be more aggressive offensively – he’s shot just nine free throws in nine games – and his defense will likely be a work in progress throughout his first season.

But while that development means more patience, time isn’t exactly on Hamilton’s or UCLA’s side right now. After Wednesday’s game against UC Riverside, the Bruins face a murderer’s row of Gonzaga, Kentucky, Alabama, Colorado, and Utah – all of which could expose UCLA’s youth and inexperience.

Hamilton knows much of that onus is on him, with only point guard Bryce Alford receiving more minutes in UCLA’s lineup this season. That means being patient with his own progress, while also being assertive – a lot to ask from a first-year college player heading into the most taxing stretch of his basketball career. But it’s a balancing act Hamilton said he is confident he can pull off.

“I just need to play basketball and everything will come,” Hamilton said. “I play with a rhythm. If I force it, I’ll get frustrated. If it’s not going in, I’ll get mad. It has to come to me.”

He paused, finally taking a deep breath before he continued.

“It’ll happen,” Hamilton said. “I know it will.”

BENCH TALK

UCLA’s bench players are averaging just 10.4 points per game this season – a half-point lower than the average offensive output of the Bruins’ lowest-scoring starter, center Tony Parker.

To many, that’s a red flag. To Alford, it doesn’t mean much.

“Everyone puts a lot of onus on bench scoring,” Alford said, “but it’s not bench scoring (that’s the problem). We have five guys in double figures, and they’re all in the starting lineup. It’s about: Can that bench defend? Can they bring energy?”

It’s fair to wonder, though, what the Bruins would do if their bench players were forced into a larger role because of injury or otherwise. For now, UCLA will cross its fingers that its young bench continues developing and its starting lineup stays intact.

Contact the writer: rkartje@ocregister.com