Education
A four-year starter at Booker High School in Sarasota, Florida, Hamilton was the state of Florida"s class 4A player of the year as a senior in 1999.
Hamilton accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for the Florida Gators men"s basketball team under coach Billy Donovan from 1999 to 2003. He played a combo guard role for the Gators, and helped lead the team to four consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament appearances. The Gators reached the finals of the 2000 National Collegiate Athletic Association Men"s Division I Basketball Tournament, before losing to Michigan State 76–89.
