The Desert Vista High School basketball program is one of the most talented teams in the state - one team filled with several division-I prospects. While two other prospects on the team have the spotlight, Brandon Clarke and Quincy Taylor, 6-foot-3, 210-pound rising junior guard DJ Hamilton has emerged this spring and summer as another member of the team that will soon begin to receivesome college exposure as well.
Hamilton was an unknown prospect before the club season, after a subpar sophomore season on a very talented team. Hamilton averaged modest numbers on the season but developed as a player and gained maturity. As a result, Hamilton prepared himself for a big post-season and has carried his development as a player onto the club season.
In the spring, Hamilton emerged in a big game where he led his club team to a big victory over Arizona Power Black 16U and then a tournament championship at this year's Southwest Showcase Main Event - the top club tournament in the state to begin the club season in Arizona. Hamilton proved that he could come up big in a big game, and compete at a high level against the state's best players. The contest between the Arizona Magic Elite 16U-Passion and the Arizona Power Black 16U included possibly 10 different division-I prospects and Hamilton was among the top performers in the game.
Hamilton has continued his strong play from the spring into this summer. Fresh off a strong performance in Dallas, Texas last week in the Great American Shootout (GASO) where he led his club team to another tournament championship this club season, Hamilton has now emerged as one of the top prospects in the 2016 class - a class that is absolutely loaded with talented prospects.
At 6-3 in heigth, Hamilton is now big of stature but he has excellent versatility as a player, able to score around the basket and from the perimeter. He possesses a very nice mid-range game and is able to make plays off the dribble for himself and others. A left-handed shooter, Hamilton also has good range on his shot and is a threat to score almost anywhere on the floor. He has decieving quickness off the dribble for his size, although he still needs to add a little more athleticism and quickness to fully reach his maximum potential as a player.
Hamilton is a nice talent now that should only continue to improve a great deal over the next two years of high school, but he is developing quickly and should become a nice prospect by next spring and summer, when it really counts for him.
Hamilton will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada this week to take part in the Fab 48 with his club program.
