UConn announces major honor for Richard 'Rip' Hamilton

He was known as "Rip" Hamilton because of the way he made basketball nets rip with his silky-smooth mid-range jumper. 

Richard Hamilton is perhaps best known today for the run he had with the Detroit Pistons, which culminated in the 2004 NBA championship. He was one of the most deadly mid-range shooters in the NBA during his time, but especially from 2002 to 2010 when he was a part of Detroit's dominant run in the Eastern Conference. 

Watching him curl off a screen to drain a jumper from the elbow was a thing of beauty.

The unique skill set NBA fans found out about when Hamilton was with the Pistons was a well-known fact for those who followed his time in college, though. A member of the UConn Huskies in the late '90s, Hamilton became a living legend for the program. UConn announced that the Huskies will retire Hamilton's No. 32 jersey at halftime of their game against Villanova on Feb. 24. 

He played three seasons before being drafted into the NBA, scoring 2,036 career points for the Huskies, averaging 19.8 points per game. He was a two-time All-American and was named the Big East Player of the Year in both 1998 and 1999. Hamilton was also an integral part of UConn's first championship run in 1999. Over six NCAA Tournament games, he averaged 24.2 point per game.

He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1999 Final Four as well as the Most Outstanding Player of the West Regional. 

The Huskies were a 9.5-point underdog heading into the championship game against Duke. Hamilton scored 27 points to lead UConn to the 77-74 championship game victory. 

He still owns UConn's records for most points scored in the NCAA Tournament with 235 and most points scored in a single NCAA Tournament with 145.

Hamilton is only the second Husky ever to have his number hung at Gampel Pavilion. The other? Ray Allen, who received the honor in 2019.