Seven-footers don’t grow on trees for the LSU basketball program.
While the PMAC has been home to the outsized personalities of big men Shaquille O’Neal and Glen “Big Baby” Davis and the electrifying athleticism of power forwards Stromile Swift and Tyrus Thomas, LSU hasn’t had a scholarship player over 7 feet tall since Geert Hammink in the mid-1990s.
Enter Iowa State junior transfer Justin Hamilton, a 7-foot, 265-pound center who, after sitting out the 2010-11 campaign, will soon bring his post presence to a Tiger roster short on size.
In addition to LSU’s impressive history of big men, LSU coach Trent Johnson also tabbed Hamilton as the likely starter at center and “a guy we hope to potentially run an offense there.”
While Hamilton said he is still getting used to Louisiana’s balmy weather and “crazy” culture more than a year after transferring, he emphasized the adjustment period on the basketball court is finished.
“The NCAA Tournament is the goal,” Hamilton said, breaking from his usual monotone. “We’re excited, and I’m excited because we know that isn’t out of reach. How could I not be ready for that?”
 
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Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]