The Northgate Virtual Sentinel

Hamilton takes skills to college level

Friday, June 04, 2010 By Ronnie La Cour

The success started when Courtney Hamilton first started playing basketball in the third grade for the Walnut Creek Rec League. Hamilton has always been one of the best players of her age growing up, playing with the best competition she could find. In elementary school Hamilton played for St. John Vianney in the CYO basketball league, and then took her talents to AAU. She played for teams such as the East Bay Panthers, Orinda Magic, and Cal Stars. Basically she played it all. One thing that Hamilton says has helped her very much throughout her career is the inspiration and support she receives from the people around her. “The two people who have inspired me and encouraged me throughout my basketball experiences are my brother, Cameron and my cousin Jordon. My brother has always believed in my abilities and encouraged me to play basketball. While I have always wanted to be like my Jordon because to me he is the best point guard I know, so I have tried to follow in his footsteps,” the grateful Hamilton said. From the start of high school, she was right in the varsity mix from the get-go. Hamilton is a four year varsity letterman and has started every year she has been on the team. Leadership on the court was big for Hamilton and her teammates. She has been a great communicator throughout her entire Northgate career with her coaches and teammates. “As a leader, I showed confidence, calmness, belief, and encouraged my teammates. I just knew that we were going to have a great team this season even when everyone else doubted are skills,” said Hamilton. Hamilton has collected countless awards over the years at Northgate and her AAU teams. These honors include: 2007 all League Honorable Mention, 2008 All League Second Team, 2009 All League First Team, 2010 DVAL All League MVP, ESPN – Max Preps All State Div II, Captain of the DVAL Championship Broncos team, MVP at the Sonoma Tournament, Player of the week in the CC Times, MVP at the Walnut Creek Classic, and All Tournament at the West Coast Jamboree. There are many more awards that she has achieved over the years that stand out in her career. One thing that is so impressive about Hamilton’s achievements is that she has been achieving the award of scholar athlete every year she has been at Northgate. While lighting it up on the court, she has been keeping it cool in the classrooms as well. Courtney will be taking her skills to the big stage of Chico State in the fall of 2010. The coach at Chico followed Hamilton closely throughout the season and liked what he saw. Hamilton will be playing on scholarship for the Wildcats, and credits much of her ability to the phenomenal coaching around her. “I worked with Coach Bucklew, Coach Sopak, and Mr. Ahn to sign the letter of intent, which meant a lot for them to be at my signing because without them I wouldn't have gotten this far,” Hamilton said. The effort that Hamilton has put in is unmatched to many high school athletes. Staying late after practice to shoot, the long, hard, and tedious hours of hard-work all paid off in the end.