WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary head men’s basketball coach Dane Fischer announced the signing of 6-10 forward Tai Hamilton (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Engineering Early College / 1 of 1 Academy) to a National Letter of Intent during the spring signing period on Wednesday.
“We are thrilled to welcome Tai to the William & Mary basketball program,” Fischer said. “Tai is an extremely athletic forward that has a ton of upside. He brings an excellent work ethic and academic pedigree and will be a tremendous addition to the William & Mary community.”
Hamilton joins point guard Jayden Lemond (Marietta, Ga./Blair Academy (N.J.), who signed with the Tribe in November, as members of the program’s incoming freshman class.
Hamilton was an under the radar prospect that arrived late to competitive basketball and only played his final two years of high school. He is a fluid, mobile 6-10 bigman who can impact the game on the glass and as a rim protector.
“Tai can run the floor as well as any front court player and has the ability to face up and finish around the rim,” Fischer said. “He is an excellent shot blocker and can rebound the ball on both ends of the floor.”
As a junior in 2021-22, he led the state of North Carolina in blocked shots at 4.6 per game. He led his Olympic team in rebounding at 7.7 per contest and shot 51% from the field.
Hamilton played AAU for Ace Elite in both 2021 and 2022. During the summer of 2022, he played in the Nike EYBL with Team United.
During the 2022-23 season, Hamilton played for 1 of 1 Academy and was selected to the Queen City All-Star Game.
The Tribe returns a trio of starters and eight letterwinners from the 2022-23 season. W&M’s 7.5-game improvement last season ranked second in the CAA and among the top 30 in the country. W&M, which ranked second in the CAA and 48th nationally in 3-point %, advanced to the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament behind a 73-51 win over Elon in March.
