Florida

UF depends on Hamilton

[Times photo: Carrie Pratt] Guard Justin Hamilton has earned a reputation as one of the SEC’s best defensive players. “Justin Hamilton is the best defender I have ever faced,” said Maryland’s Steve Blake, whom Hamilton held to five points.

Justin Hamilton clearly is the unsung hero of the Gators.

He's not flashy and he isn't going to overwhelm anyone with fancy moves. Instead, he's what every coach loves at the point guard position: solid and dependable.

The softspoken guard from Sarasota is an awesome defender, an opponent's worst nightmare. Four years into his Florida basketball career, Hamilton has earned a reputation as one of the SEC's best defensive players. In games against some of the nation's top players, Hamilton has been outstanding.

"He's got a tremendous, tremendous gift to really defend," coach Billy Donovan said. "He's phenomenal. I've never been around anybody that defends the way he defends. He takes a lot of pride in it. He comes out of that same mold as (former Gators) Major Parker and Brent Wright -- he understands how important that stuff is. It's all about winning to him."

Hamilton, 6 feet 3, held Eastern Illinois guard Henry Domercant, the second leading scorer in the nation last season, to seven points on 3-of-9 shooting. Domercant had scored 36 points in the game before Florida.

Hamilton held Stanford's Julius Barnes to 4-of-12 shooting and 11 points; Barnes entered the game coming off a 28-point effort. Matched up against Hamilton, Kansas' Kirk Hinrich went 2-of-8 for five points, and Maryland's Steve Blake went 2-of-7 for five points.

"Justin Hamilton is the best defender I have ever faced," Blake said.

"He throws off your game," Hinrich said. "He's always right in front of you."

Added Georgia's Jarvis Hayes: "He's the best defender in the SEC and probably the country."

Hamilton, 22, isn't a big-time scorer -- he scored 21 against Louisiana Tech earlier this season and had a career-high 22 against Tennessee last year -- but he will shoot when he thinks it's necessary. His maturity is a calming influence on this Gator squad with two freshmen in the starting lineup.

"Justin has taught me a lot," freshman guard Anthony Roberson said. "The way he goes about the game, how he works. He doesn't worry about how many points he scores or anything like that, he's just all about the team."

Playing in the NCAA Tournament so close to home -- in his final season -- will be a special moment for Hamilton. He said he's unsure how many family members will attend, but he expects it to be fun.

"It'll be nice to play there since it's an hour away from my hometown, so it'll be nice," he said. "It's exciting to get the opportunity to play. We just want to go out and play the best we're capable of. We feel if we do that, everything will take care of itself."

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