Ashley Hamilton - LMU Lion

[lmulond]

As we approach Ashley's last home game for LMU,I want to take the time to say thank you on his and my family's behalf for all the support he has received from the LMU fans over the 5 years he's been here.

Recruited by Bill Bayno, he never got to work with him in terms of player development. In recruiting him, Bayno promised to develop him into a point forward; a concept way beyond Max Good. All Max Good saw in Ashley was a big strong body. I remember asking Ashley if he wanted to transfer after Bayno left. My thoughts back then were Ashley would not have come to LMU if Max Good was recruiting him. He came to LMU because of Bayno and no other reason. He was being recruited by Kansas, visited ST John's, UCSB and refused to visit Davidson and Valpo because he wanted to come to LMU and Bayno.
In this his last redshirt senior season, he had an opportunity to go to one of the biggest basketball programs in the country. He agonized about it long and hard, got assurances from Coach Good that the system would be built around him and so decided to stay for his last year of eligibility.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to a large number of people but I want to single out Coach Scholl and Levy especially.


Unfortunately, neither my wife Theodora or myself will be on hand today to walk out with Ashley on senior night but we will be there in spirit walking out with our boy of whom we are so proud of.

He loves LMU and will remain a lion for life as will the rest of our family. He will leave LMU with two degrees, plenty of friends, fantastic memories and the self-assigned title of “The Mayor”. As he embarks on the next stage of his life/career, do keep him in your thoughts and prayers and remember Ashley Hamilton, LMU Lion.

Thank you
Franklyn Hamilton

Go Lions

[LIONS90045]

Beautifully expressed lmulond. I agree Ashley has made major contributions to the program and is a joy to watch on the court.
Best wishes to Ashley and family.
(Lmulond - I had no clue who you were but now it makes total sense.)

[ALioninWinter]

Lmulond - thanks for the message. Ashley can always look with pride upon the 5 years he spent representing LMU. He was a gentleman who always gave his all. I'm glad he has earned two degrees while playing for the Lions. Those degrees will serve him well. It sounds like he had the maturity to examine the whole university experience and not base his decisions on just basketball. That maturity, too, will serve him well.

I believe Max did try to make Ashley a focus of his offense. Unfortunately, he had neither the supporting players nor the coaching acumen to make that a success. I watched team after team sag their defense to stop Ashley. He's a big, strong guy; but there isn't much anyone can do with 2 and 3 defenders draped on them.

[golions1444]

Thanks for everything Ashley...

Went through some tough times with the program but i will remember his performances when we beat gonzaga, and a #1 sportscenter top play!

best of luck in the future.

[golions]

Mr. Hamilton - your letter of appreciation will never get lost on any of us. Your words of gratitude speaks volumes about yourself, your family and Ashley.

Ashley left everything he had on the floor last night and though we didn't win on the scoreboard, Asjley has won at LMU. 2 degrees is a lot to be proud of and as you said, the Mayor will be a Lion for Life!

[thx4leavinjimlynam]

Thank you for the insight, Mr. Hamilton. I often wonder how things may have been different had Mr. Bayno been able to handle the pressure of the situation. That said, the program has had four winning records since 1992, and Ashley can proudly say he was a big part of two of those seasons!

Thanks for sticking with LMU, Ashley, and best of luck in the future.

[LIONS90045]

You are the first to use the term"The Mayor" on the board although I've heard it numerous times from game announcers. The Mayor left it all on the court in his last game at Gersten.
It seemed like he was trying to will a win against all odds.
The Lions, led by "The Mayor" on offense with help from Ireland. almost pulled off an amazing upset.
Ashley is to be praised for his leadership and inside (and outside) offense he brought to the team in his tenure here.
I have a sneaky feeling we might pull off a few upsets in Vegas, thanks in large part to Ashley's play!
Go Lions!

[lmulond]

Just watched the last few seconds of his College career. So very proud of Ashley Hamilton, LMU Lion, warrior

[ALioninWinter]

lmulond - glad you were able to watch Ashley. Too bad you couldn't have been in Vegas to watch your boy. You can be proud of his effort and success. He may not have had big numbers tonight, but he was still giving it his all in a very physical effort. I suspect he has a few bruises to lick after the last four days. Thanks for your support.

[slblions08]

Thanks to Ashley for representing our program with class, work ethic and professionalism. With two degrees he has a future after basketball, but something tells me that he'll land somewhere playing ball, hopefully back in Europe so you can see him play more often. Hopefully he can get healthy with some professional training. Ashley will always be a part of the LMU family, and hopefully he will be around to mentor young players, even if its by phone or messages. Good luck!

[LIONS90045]

We're going to miss Ashley!
Best Wishes to him.

[colfax]

Thanks for coming in today!

[uncurselmu]

I wasn't sure where to throw this but I thought it was worth mentioning that Ashley Hamilton did indeed make the GB roster. They play today. In their exhibition game Ashley tweaked his ankle in the first quarter and left. Let's hope he can stay healthy.

www.gbbasketball.com/news/3484.php#.U-ejSoBdUnI

[ALioninWinter]

The fact that he was hurt in the first quarter shows he either a starter or part of the initial rotation. That's great. It's too bad he has been so beset with injuries his entire career. They've really set him back. Here's to hoping today's tweak was just that ... merely a minor tweak.

[LIONS90045]

Thanks for the update
Go Ashley !