Below is an article reprinted from the Salt Lake Tribune on their blog
Prep Sports:
The recruiting trail
After a couple calls to some trusted experts on the local hoops scene, I learned that it is not going to be a fabulous crop, but that there could be some hidden gems out there.
For instance, Lone Peak's 6-foot-9 center, Justin Hamilton, is said to have had a phenomenal summer. His stock is rising, and it doesn't hurt that some recruiters believe he could grow another inch or two.
Hamilton played sparingly for Lone Peak's varsity as a junior, scoring only a few points at that level. He mostly played for the junior varsity. He has played for the club team Salt Lake Metro this summer.
The recruiting Web site scouthoops.com has Hamilton as the No. 3 center in the West, up from No. 6 at the start of the summer. He's the fourth Metro player to receive top-10 center recognition by scouthoops.com in the last five years.
He's also smart and studious, with a reported grade point average in the 3.8 range.
Hamilton told the site he has received interest from Utah, Weber State, Portland, Oregon, San Diego UC-Davis and Washington State, but only UC-Davis has offered a scholarship at this point. He's been on unofficial visits to Weber State and Utah State.
Hamilton could benefit from the attention that will be paid to the state's top junior, Tyler Haws, who happens to be his teammate at Lone Peak. Haws, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, will see heavy recruitment unless he commits early.
Another center to watch is Bountiful's Ben Aird, although interest in the Braves' three-year starter has slowed a tad, sources say.
Perhaps the best center prospect in the state is Sky View 7-footer Jordan Stone, who verbally committed to Utah State in the spring, according to a reliable source.
Judge's 6-9 Noel Hollingsworth and Olympus' 6-10 Elliott Bullock also get high marks, along with Hamilton and Aird, according to the Web site intermountainhoops.com.
