Venson Hamilton

Shad Venson Hamilton made his mark on basketball courts here in Rutherford County, in Americas Heartland, and even overseas. The Forest City native played at East High School before finishing his prep career at the prestigious Oak Hill Academy in 1995. The seven foot tall Hamilton attended the University of Nebraska and made an immediate impact for the Cornhuskers at the center position. He set several program records that still stand today. Hamilton holds the school record for most blocked shots in a career at 241, and the most rebounds, 1,080, breaking the old mark by more than 300 boards.

Hamilton filled almost every column on the stat sheet at Nebraska, shooting 52.7 percent from the field for his career while scoring 1,416 career points. He also dished out 164 assists, and compiled

186 steals in his college career. For those exploits, Hamilton was named BIG XII Player of the Year as a senior in 1999 and was also selected to the conference's All-Defensive team that season. Following his college career with the Cornhuskers, Hamilton was selected in the Second Round of the 1999 NBA Draft (50* overall pick) by the Houston Rockets. He also began playing overseas during the 1999 season, the beginning of a productive 15 year professional career. Career highlights include winning a Spanish League Player of the Year and the League Championship with club Tenerife during the 2002-03 season. He also won a Spanish League Title and Player of the Year for club Bilbao Berri the next season.

Hamilton's best seasons were arguably 2005-09 when he played Center for Real Madrid. During his tenure with the most prestigious club in the Spanish League, Hamilton won Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006. During the 06-07 campaign, Hamilton led Real Madrid to a Euro Cup Title (the best team in all of European basketball) and was named as the best defensive player in all of Europe for his efforts. Hamilton left Real Madrid after the 2009 season and played for several more clubs before his retirement in 2014. He is a member of the East Rutherford Athletic Hall of Fame.