The NBA Finals have not started yet but it is time for 28 other teams to start preparing for next season. The lottery was held on May 17th, the final deadline for early entry withdrawal is June 1st, and the draft will take place on June 23rd. We will spend the rest of this month interviewing as many members of this year’s draft class as possible. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel commences our coverage by chatting with Bryce Hamilton about scoring 45 PTS in a game and what it would mean to him to get drafted.
In the 2018 CIF-SS D-1 title game as a senior at Pasadena High School you scored 22 PTS in a loss to Chino Hills: where does 2020 lottery pick Onyeka Okongwu (38 PTS/14 REB/3 BLK) rank among the greatest players that you have ever faced? Big O is definitely in my top-5 when it comes to the greatest players I have ever faced. He was so dominant in high school on both ends of the floor and nobody could mess with him!
What made you choose UNLV? I was being recruited the hardest by UNLV compared to all of the other schools. I took a visit down there and it just felt like home and seemed like the best fit for me.
You appeared in all 31 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? Just being able to find a way to get onto the floor. It is not easy to play as a freshman so I had to do other things that stood out besides scoring in order to get onto the court.
You had 3 different head coaches during your time in Vegas (Marvin Menzies/TJ Otzelberger/Kevin Kruger): how were you able to stick it out for the past 4 years despite all of that change? It was very tough to stay at UNLV with all of the coaching changes. I just tried to control what I could control and think positively about the situation, which helped me during my 4 years here.
Last January you scored a career-high 45 PTS/8-14 3PM in a win at Colorado State: was it just 1 of those situations where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Yeah. It was a game where we were down a couple of starters so I knew that I had to step it up a bit to help our team win. When I started to see the ball go in, I gained more confidence as the game continued.
You ended up leading the conference with 21.8 PPG: what is the secret to being a great scorer? I put in so much work during the offseason (and also in-season) to have an all-around offensive game. I think the secret is just staying in the gym and believing in the work that you have put in when it is game time.
You were named 1st-team all-conference twice in the past 3 years: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It meant a lot to get 1st-team all-conference. It would not have happened if our team had not done well in conference so I credit my teammates/coaches for pushing me to get better every day, especially last year. Our conference was very good with really talented players on every team.
Last spring you declared for the NBA draft: why did you decide to return last year, and are you definitely going pro this year? I decided to return last year because I knew the time was not right to stay in the draft: I needed 1 more year to develop my game and prove that I am an NBA player. Going through that process definitely helped me because I got so much better approaching my senior season. This year I feel like the time is right to go pro and prove that I belong and am here to stay.
Your father Kevin played for Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins at UTEP, and your brother Blake and cousins Isaac/Daniel/Jordan all play pro basketball overseas: who is the best athlete in the family? I will have to go with myself as the best athlete in the family. My brother/cousins have all accomplished a lot in their pro careers but being the youngest I was able to watch them, learn a lot from them, and apply it to my own game.
What would it mean to you to get drafted, and what is the plan if you do not get drafted? It would mean a lot to me to get drafted. It is something that I always dreamed of as a kid and I know that it would be a great feeling. If I do not get drafted then the plan does not change at all. My goal is to make the NBA and I will keep working until I get there. Everyone has different paths to get into the league so it will just be extra motivation if I do not get drafted.