John Hamilton is in his sixth season as an assistant coach with the Transylvania men’s
basketball team for the 2024-25 season.
Hamilton’s first campaign with the Pioneers witnessed Transylvania return to the NCAA
Tournament for the first time in seven seasons as he helped the program achieve a 19-
9 overall record and a sweep of the HCAC regular season and conference tournament
Titles.
In the latest chapter of his journey with the Pioneers during the 2023-24 season, under Hamilton’s guidance, the Pioneers achieved their best record since the 2012-13 season, finishing 19-7 and further solidifying the program's trajectory of success. Hamilton worked closely with senior guard Jaylan Green, who earned HCAC First Team honors for the second consecutive season. Hamilton’s ability to connect with players and build strong relationships has been a cornerstone of the program’s achievements.
During the 2022-23 season, Hamilton's mentorship shone brightly as Junior Guard Jaylan Green garnered well-deserved recognition, earning a place on the HCAC First Team. In addition, sophomore Guard Colby Napier's outstanding progress and contributions did not go unnoticed, securing him a position on the HCAC Honorable Mention list.
In his third season with the program, 2021-22, Hamilton helped lead the Pioneers to a
16-9 record, also mentoring the HCAC Newcomer of the Year, Hunter Penn, along with
senior Zach Larimore who earned First Team honors.
A former Division III basketball player with an array of coaching experience, Hamilton
came to the Pioneers most recently from Midway University in Midway, Kentucky, where
he spent the 2018-19 season as an assistant coach for their men’s basketball program.
“I am beyond blessed to have this opportunity to be a part of the men’s basketball
program at Transylvania University,” Hamilton said. “I am grateful to head coach
Brian Lane for giving me this opportunity. I am looking forward to joining this winning
culture and helping this program improve every day.”
At Midway, Hamilton assisted in all facets of the men’s basketball program, including
practice and in-game management, developing scouting reports, recruiting,
overseeing practices, and helping guide the academic progress of student-athletes. Two
players under Hamilton’s guidance earned All-Conference honors. In Hamilton’s tenure
at Midway, the Eagles saw a 10-game improvement from two years prior.
Prior to his time at Midway, Hamilton served as an assistant coach at Division III
Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport, Louisiana for the 2017-2018 season
under his former collegiate coach, Chris Dorsey. Along with Dorsey, Hamilton helped
the Gents finish as the regular season runner-up in the Southern Collegiate Athletic
Conference and a runner-up in the SCAC Tournament. With Hamilton on the staff,
Centenary led the conference in scoring defense and second in the conference in both
field goal and three-point field goal defense.
While at Centenary, Hamilton spearheaded the process of creating and managing an
online national recruiting database for the men’s basketball program.
Hamilton began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Central Community
College in Columbus Nebraska, where he helped guide the Raiders to an 18-14 record
in 2016-17, and clinched the NJCAA Region 9 Championship.
In addition to his collegiate coaching stints, Hamilton has been involved with a number
of other leadership and coaching endeavors intersecting with the game of basketball.
From 2015 through 2017, Hamilton was a Director of Operations Intern and Youth
Mentor with The Young Vets, mentoring student-athletes and directing player
development. Over the years, Hamilton has also worked as a basketball camp
counselor at the University of Kentucky and Valparaiso University.
As a student-athlete, Hamilton competed at Lyndon State College in Lyndonville,
Vermont from 2014 through 2016. At Lyndon State, Hamilton played under Dorsey,
whom he would later join with again for his coaching duties at Centenary. Hamilton
graduated from Lyndon State in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice.
