Northern Illinois Transfer Owen Hamilton Commits To Wisconsin Badgers

Former Northern Illinois Center Owen Hamilton announced via Twitter on Tuesday afternoon that he will be leaving the Huskies’ program to fulfill his dreams of playing in Madison.

The 7-foot 255-pound big man is a Prescott, WI native and claimed upon transferring that “as a kid, I always dreamed of being a Wisconsin Badger and playing at the Kohl Center”.

In his first and only season with the Huskies, Hamilton was involved sparingly. Though the freshman found the court in 27 of Northern Illinois’ 32 games last season, he averaged only 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds in 6.8 minutes per game.

Hamilton did make the most of his limited playing time however. The center converted 22-34 shots from the field for a respectable 64.7 field goal percentage. His season was highlighted by an eight-point and eight-rebound performance against Rockford University on November 26 in which he went 4-5 from the floor.

Hamilton made a name for himself and put himself on the recruiting map during his senior year at Prescott High School. The big man averaged 25.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game over the course of the season en route to Division III All-State honors.

In addition to Northern Illinois, Hamilton received scholarship offers from a number of Division I programs including Army, Oakland, UTEP, Utah State, and Vermont.

Hamilton will be forced to sit next season as a result of NCAA transfer rules. The center will have three years of eligibility remaining thereafter.