Live Link: https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/marquette/2024/07/11/marquette-big-man-caedin-hamilton-preps-for-high-expectations-in-2024-25/74331896007/

It's early July in the Al McGuire Center, four months from the start of college basketball season, yet Caedin Hamilton is working like he's preparing for the Big East tournament.

The 6-foot-10, 240-pound redshirt freshman is garnering a lot of attention from the Marquette coaching staff and his teammates.

He's been grinding over the past year and now, with the loss of big-man Oso Ighodaro to the NBA, MU will need someone to help fill the gaps.

Coach Shaka Smart said he believes Hamilton is ready.

"If we had a game right now," Smart said, "he'd be in our rotation, and he'd be a real factor."

Hamilton recognizes the added pressure and has met it halfway. Following a grueling 90-minute practice, he stuck around to work on his free throws.

At one point, Hamilton was the only player in the gym as he pushed through an individual ball-handling workout.

"You see him now," senior guard Kam Jones said. "I promise you, a year ago today he would not be doing this, being the last one in the gym working on his handle.

"Seeing his work ethic change over the year, his ability to keep pushing when things get hard. He still struggles with it. It takes time, but he's gotten 10-15 times better with how he handles adversity.

"He's gonna do a lot of good things for us."

Hailing from Santa Maria, California, Hamilton was a last-second commit to MU. He was planning a post-grad year at Williston Northampton, a prep school in Massachusetts, before accepting an MU scholarship for the class of 2023.

Smart presented Hamilton with two options: play at prep school, or take a redshirt year to learn under Ighodaro, a future NBA draft pick. He chose the latter.

"I feel like every day with him was a battle," Hamilton said. "He got me better every day. It was hard for me coming in as soon as school started. He would bully me.

"I'd never seen a big man dribble the ball like that, so he inspired me to start dribbling the ball. He basically inspired me to keep doing what I'm doing around here."

Because Hamilton hasn't played a real game yet, Smart struggled to draw an on-court comparison between the young big man and Ighodaro.

Off the court, though, the two share an endearing trait.

"One similarity is that they really care about others," Smart said. "Oso was about as other-oriented as any good player that I've ever coached. Caedin really cares about his teammates, but Caedin hasn't really yet reached the place of security in himself where out here on he court he can focus on other guys."

To achieve the "security" Smart mentioned, Hamilton has spent the past year working on all aspects of his game.

"I feel like it's going good," he said about his offseason progress. "I'm improving my shot, my three-point, my handle. Everything."

He's also spent time working alone with Jones as they develop their own guard-big rapport, similar to Tyler Kolek and Ighodaro.

Although Hamilton's game has improved drastically in the past year, Smart believes he's grown even more in another area.

"Mostly on the mental side," Smart said. "When he came in, he didn't have a lot of belief. He's grown a lot in that area. He's still not all the way to being a grown man yet. Like a lot of our guys, he still has plenty of maturing to do.

"But he's earned very quickly the trust of his teammates. They believe in him. He has a toughness to him and a pretty good swagger walking around the building for someone that hasn't played a game yet."

Though he's typically averse to player comparisons, Smart likened Hamilton's game to 17-year NBA veteran Zach Randolph.

Hamilton offered another, loftier comparison:

"DeMarcus Cousins. I say that 'cause, he can get it from the elbow and rip, or he can easily post up and do a hook. I feel like I can do that."

Said Smart: "I would take anything close to either one of those guys."