With Hamilton healthy, Georgia State rediscovers its winning ways
It was challenging for Jelani Hamilton to sit and watch. He tweaked his right hamstring in early November and was forced to the bench. While recovering, he watched his Georgia State teammates lose six consecutive games, knowing there was nothing he could do about it. It certainly tested his patience.
“You know, I want to be on the court. I want to help the team win,” said Hamilton, a 6-foot-5 redshirt sophomore from Marietta. “My production on the court can help us win, but I didn’t want to rush it back, and I think it taught me a lot about being patient and going through the process and not just thinking, ‘I’ve got to play, I’ve got to play.’”
With the Panthers struggling at 1-9, Hamilton finally was cleared to rejoin the lineup for full minutes Dec. 13 against Jacksonville State. Georgia State won that night and has won four of its past six games — including a 2-2 road trip to begin Sun Belt Conference play. Now at 5-11 and with their best player healthy, things look brighter.
“He’s gotten very productive,” coach Jonas Hayes said. “I think his shot selection has improved tremendously, as indicated by his shooting numbers. But I think he makes our team fall into place much, much simpler, much easier.”
The Panthers host Appalachian State at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Sun Belt home opener. The game can be heard locally on WRAS-FM 88.5 or the GSU sports app and seen live on ESPN+.
Since his return, Hamilton has scored 23 points against Jacksonville State, 19 at Georgia Southern, 24 at App State, 15 at Marshall and 22 points at Coastal Carolina. His scoring average is up to 17.5 points — which would lead the Sun Belt if he had enough games to qualify.
“When you get in the zone, it’s like the ocean,” Hamilton said. “That’s when I feel like everything is open — everything I shoot, everything I see is going to go in.”
Hamilton, a preseason all-Sun Belt selection, is shooting 44% from the field and 38.6% on 3-pointers (22-for-57). He has made 94.4% of his free throws (68-for-72), which also would rank first in the league.
“I’m elated he’s back,” Hayes said. “He’s gotten himself into a rhythm, and the expectation is for us to continue to get better.”
Hamilton has been able to play with confidence at full speed since his return. He was effusive in his praise of the plan put together by Hayes and athletic trainer Aaron Jackson and said he saw the team pull together in his absence.
“I feel like we had a maturity problem coming into the season,” Hamilton said. “We lacked experience, and for (Hayes) to throw us in the fire and let us go through the pain and heal our wounds, I think that speaks a lot. It allowed our team to grow mentally and mature.”
Hayes continues to challenge Hamilton to improve his defensive game. Within earshot, Hayes said, “I’m going to challenge him because my grandmother, who’s been dead for 11 years, is a better defender than him right now. But we’re continuing to work on that.”
Hamilton smiled at the good-natured jab. The two have enjoyed a time-tested relationship since Hamilton was a sophomore in high school and Hayes was an assistant at Xavier. And when Hamilton made the decision to enter the transfer portal and leave Iowa State after one season, the first call he got came from Hayes. That’s about all it took.
Now, with Hamilton healthy and the lineup more stable, the Panthers can focus on conference play. GSU plays four of its next five games at home.
“We’ve got to continue to get better and our mentality has to continue to be in place, to be process oriented every play, every possession, every practice,” Hayes said. “We’re playing to be disciplined and tough enough to execute, stay in our process.”
About the Author
Stan Awtrey has been covering sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. He currently writes about high school sports, Georgia State University athletics and golf.
