By Robert Wilson
Tang Hamilton won two state championships for Lanier as a junior and senior in 1996-97 on his way to being named the Mississippi Player of the Year and signing an SEC scholarship with Mississippi State.
His son, Kimani, matched his dad this weekend on his junior season as he helped Clinton to the Class 6A state championship.
Kimani, a 6-foot-9 junior (two inches taller than his dad), was named MVP after a 14-point, 14-rebound performance in a 56-51 victory over two-time defending state champion Starkville Saturday night at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
For his outstanding performance, Hamilton has been named the Priority One Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Boys Basketball Player of the Week.
Hamilton also had 22 points in a 59-53 victory over Harrison Central in the Class 6A semifinals last week.
Hamilton averaged 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots and led Clinton to a 21-1 record and the 6A state title, the school’s first boys basketball state title since 1993. He has offers from Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Alabama, Texas Tech and Houston.
“Once playoffs started, Kimani stepped his game up to another level,” Clinton coach Robert Green said. “He always rises to the occasion in the big games and doesn’t feel pressure on himself. Kimani always has a big impact on offense, but he took it on himself to step up defensively late in the year by getting plenty of steals and rebounds.”
Hamilton averaged 14.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists for 23-9 Clinton last year as a sophomore.
