His highlight-reel dunks are all over YouTube. He’s a five-star recruit and is the top-ranked small forward in the entire class of 2009, according to ESPN.
But Jordan Hamilton still has to rely on his mom for a car ride.
Hamilton, who committed to Texas on Oct. 9, has been so busy playing basketball that he hasn’t had the time to take driving lessons.
“He’s so busy all the time that he doesn’t have a lot of free time,” said his mother, Karen Hamilton. “He’s not too happy about that.”
Instead, he has used every free second to play basketball. The extra work has paid off.
The Compton, Calif., native is one of the hottest prospects in the entire United States. The 6-foot-7-inch, 210-pound small forward has established himself as one of the top scorers in the nation, averaging 27.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game his junior year at Dominguez High School—a basketball powerhouse that has produced NBA stars Tyson Chandler and Tayshaun Prince.
Jordan chose Texas after being sought after by Connecticut, USC, California and Kansas. Along with fellow five-star recruit and friend Avery Bradley and Duncanville standout Shawn Williams, Hamilton gave the Longhorns the second-ranked recruiting class in the nation.
Karen saw it coming and can still remember the moment she realized that Jordan was a gifted basketball player.
“I used to always wonder why Nike referred to Michael Jordan’s dunking as ‘flight’,” she said. “[ Jordan ] was about 13 and was really getting lift on his dunks, and I remember how high he was getting — it looked like he was taking flight. I was like, ‘Wow, he’s getting high. How’s he getting that high?’”
But basketball wasn’t his first love. He found himself at home playing baseball and, by the age of nine, was already blowing 70-mph fastballs by opposing hitters.
“Baseball was my first sport, and I was really good at it,” Jordan said. “I still go back to it, and I might try to play my senior year.”
His athleticism on the diamond caught the eye of an Amateur Athletic Union scout who convinced Jordan and his family that he could be a good basketball player.
Later that year, Jordan was playing in his first national basketball tournament. The rest is history.
“We thought he would really pursue baseball. The kids told him he sucked at basketball,” Karen said. “The children just laughed; now they’re laughing with him.”
It’s no surprise that Jordan developed into a gifted athlete. His father, Greg, played basketball and baseball growing up, and his older brother Gary played four years of basketball for the Miami Hurricanes from 2002-06.
Having his 6-foot-10-inch, 265-pound big brother around gave him a challenging practice partner. Gary and his best friend, current Golden State Warriors guard Marcus Williams, played game after game with Jordan, forcing him to play at a level of boys five years older.
“I always played with older guys,” Jordan said. “Playing with older guys helped me a lot. I think that I’m one of the top players because of it.”
Those backyard games helped him develop his competitive spirit.
“They didn’t always accept him. He had to fight for that, too,” Karen said. “That helped his competitive edge. They were bigger. They were stronger. They were better.”
That could be the reason that Jordan has looked like a man among boys in his high school career. But his ability to play his senior season is up in the air.
Last month, Jordan was ruled ineligible to play this season after California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section denied his request for a hardship waiver.
Jordan attended Dorsey High School his freshman year but didn’t play and had to repeat the year due to academic ineligibility. He transferred to Dominguez last season.
Although he has only played three years of basketball, since he has been in school for four years, he was ruled ineligible to play his senior year. The family is appealing the decision.
“We have a lawyer, and we’re still waiting for a final decision,” Karen said. “We’re just asking for the year that he lost.”
Jordan has managed to keep a clear head throughout the entire process and has kept in basketball shape by training and practicing with his team.
“I don’t really even worry about it. I’m still working with the team and individually,” he said. “It’s like everything is normal.”
He’s also optimistic about his chances of playing.
“I have no doubt that I’m going to play this year,” he said. “I’m ready.”
Even if he doesn’t play, he will be ready to step in and make an impact at Texas next fall.
“I’m looking forward to everything — the big crowd, just coming in and playing on TV, and hopefully I’ll do well,” Jordan said.
In addition to having one of the top-flight basketball programs in the country, Karen said that she was the most comfortable with Texas because of the academic support system in place for student athletes, especially given Jordan’s past struggles.
“We know what needs to be done, that you need to stay on top of your academics,” she said. “He’s matured a lot and knows what it takes.”
But until then, he still has to do his daily chores and even make that phone call to mom when he needs a ride.
”It’s good as long as he hasn’t become a star with us,” Karen said. “He’ll still be just Jordan to us.”
If he can find some time, maybe next year he will be just Jordan with a driver’s license.
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