Isaac Hamilton of Dream Vision Elite CA 17U shoots during a game against New Heights NYC 17U Blue at the adidas Super 64 AAU tournament at Rancho High School in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 25, 2012.
Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012 | 3:51 p.m.
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Isaac Hamilton, a top 15 recruit in the class of 2013, said he has UNLV in his top three and will attend the Rebels’ season opener Monday night against Northern Arizona with his younger brother Daniel, a four-star recruit in the class of 2014.
The Hamiltons are on campus for Isaac Hamilton’s official visit this weekend, taking in parts of two practices and staying to watch their cousin, NAU freshman Blake Lawrence, take on the Rebels in the Thomas & Mack Center at 7 p.m.
“It’s the best of both worlds,” Isaac Hamilton said of seeing Lawrence play at UNLV.
Isaac Hamilton, who’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, said UNLV still is in contention with Baylor and UTEP, and although he’ll wait to sign until April, he might make a decision before then. The Rebels’ style is one of the biggest reasons he’s in Las Vegas, the same city in which he scored 50 points while playing for Dream Vision this summer.
“They play a run-and-gun-type offense, and I’d love to play in a situation like that,” Isaac Hamilton said. “I can get in, and that’s who I am, a scorer. But at the next level I look at myself as a point guard, so in this case I’d say I’m a scoring point guard, but I can distribute still, so that’s what I like about this situation.”
Isaac Hamilton said the UNLV coaching staff has told him that in the absence next season of senior guards Justin Hawkins and Anthony Marshall, he and juco transfer commit Jelan Kendrick could be running the offense. Kendrick, a 6-foot-6 former McDonald’s All-American, is playing this season at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa after starting his career at Memphis before going to Ole Miss. Kendrick likes to play some point guard, which would put him in the rotation with current freshmen Katin Reinhardt, Daquan Cook and Isaac Hamilton, should he commit to UNLV.
Although the Hamiltons say they’re not necessarily a package deal, Daniel Hamilton, who’s 6-6 and 180 pounds, said it would be hard to not follow his brother. Another school would have to offer a tremendous opportunity, he said, adding that he has the same top three schools but plans to make unofficial visits to Louisville and Kansas.
This has been a big week for UNLV on the recruiting front, with Jermaine Lawrence, a five-star 6-9 forward out of New Jersey in the class of 2013, trimming his list Thursday to four: UNLV, St. John’s, Syracuse and Cincinnati.
The nearly sold-out crowd at Monday’s game likely will pay special attention to its highly regarded guests. Isaac Hamilton said the trip has been very positive and that the NAU game is a chance for UNLV to leave a lasting impression.
“I’m expecting it to be really rowdy, crowded and exciting,” Isaac Hamilton said.
Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.
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