Mississippi State landed a coveted small forward from the Class of 2022 on Wednesday when four-star small forward Kimani Hamilton announced his commitment to the Bulldogs live on CBS Sports HQ. Hamilton chose Mississippi State over Alabama to give the program its third commitment of the class, which bumps from 83rd nationally to 46th.
“It’s the coaching staff. Just how much love they showed me,” said Hamilton of Mississippi State. “It was real close, it was a very hard decision, but I feel like I made the right choice.”
Hamilton is ranked as the No. 2 player in Mississippi, the No. 25 small forward and the No. 87 overall player in the class by 247Sports. He joins three-star guard Riley Kugel and junior college prospect Jaykwon Walton in Mississippi State’s 2022 class. The 6-foot-8 recruit from Clinton, Mississippi, averaged 16.2 points and 8.1 rebounds for a state championship-winning Clinton High School team last season.
As a late-bloomer, Hamilton climbed the recruiting rankings in recent months after a strong performance on the AAU circuit with Team Thad. “Hamilton is a plus athlete with length who is one of the more versatile defenders in the class,” 247Sports national basketball director Eric Bossi wrote in May. “He can be moved around on the offensive end, plays above the rim and makes open shots.”
