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UNC Greensboro graduate transfer Eric Hamilton signed an aid agreement to solidify his commitment to Pitt and officially join the team on Monday, per a release from the school. Hamilton announced his commitment to the team last Thursday, addressing Pitt’s dire need to bolster its frontcourt.
”Eric is an experienced post player with a winning mentality,” Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said in a statement. “We like his athleticism and believe he has the tools to be an impact player in our program. He has shown the instincts, strength and effort level to be a high-volume rebounder.”
As Capel alluded to, wherever Hamilton has gone, teams have won. At Wichita State, where he initially committed, he was part of a team that went 57-14 between 2015 and 2017, winning two Missouri Valley Conference titles in that span. He took part in 47 of those contests, averaging 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds over 5.5 minutes per game. He then moved onto UNC Greensboro, where he played a larger role on a team that went 29-7. With the Spartans, he averaged 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds and started seven games.
At Pitt, the hope is that the 6’9”, 250-pound power forward will give the team the boost it needs to return to its winning ways after three straight years of losing seasons. And for his part, Hamilton believes that he just might be the Panthers’ missing link.
“Pitt reminded me of a situation that I had in high school which was a team that wasn’t really good previously and they were trying to make improvements but just needed an extra push, another player,” Hamilton told Mike Vukovcan of Pittsburgh Sports Now. “I was experienced, and I grinded and did what was asked of me and helped my team make it to the states for the first time and made history. I’m going to try and bring that same thing here.”
Hamilton is Capel’s fifth recruit of the 2019 cycle, and he joins a class that also consists of Justin Champagnie, Karim Coulibaly, Gerald Drumgoole and Ryan Murphy. Pitt has two open scholarships remaining.