Ole Miss assistant Ronnie Hamilton joins Matt McMahon's LSU staff
LSU is hiring Ole Miss assistant coach Ronnie Hamilton to complete Matt McMahon’s first staff in Baton Rouge, according to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman on Friday.
Hamilton wrapped up his fourth year as assistant coach for the Rebels, having been hired by head coach Kermit Davis in March 2018. Hamilton has been alongside Davis for the past seven seasons, three at Ole Miss and four at Middle Tennessee.
Working with the guards, Hamilton’s guidance has led to the growth of several Rebels. In his three seasons in Oxford, a Rebel has been named All-SEC four times. Devontae Shuler was the latest First Team All-SEC guard, leading the Rebels in scoring as a senior. Breein Tyree earned first team all-conference honors in back-to-back seasons (2018-19, 2019-20), while Terence Davis (Sacramento Kings) collected All-SEC accolades during his senior campaign (2018-19).
A top recruiter, Ronnie Hamilton made an immediate impact as Ole Miss’ 2019 class ranked top-20 nationwide, one of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in school history. The 2020 class and the 2021 class featured the top two rated recruits Ole Miss has ever signed.
Hamilton helped the Rebels return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four seasons. Ole Miss exceeded expectations after being picked to finish last in the SEC, posting a 20-13 (10-8 SEC) record. That earned a berth to March Madness.
In his first season, Hamilton helped mentor the highest scoring duo in the SEC in all-conference guards Tyree and Terence Davis. Devontae Shuler (56) and Terence Davis (54) became the first pair of Rebels to tally at least 54 steals in the same season.
Ronnie Hamilton familiar with Louisiana from prior stop
Hamilton was at Middle Tennessee for four seasons, assisting the program in one of the best runs in school history. He helped produce a stretch in which the Blue Raiders earned three straight Conference USA championships. The team recorded two NCAA Tournament upsets over No. 2 seed Michigan State (2016) and No. 5 seed Minnesota (2017) and won a school-record 31 games (2016).
Before arriving at Middle Tennessee, Hamilton was familiar with Conference USA due to stints at Houston and Tulane. The Oxford, North Carolina, native joined the Blue Raider coaching staff after a two-year stop at Houston.
Ronnie Hamilton joins Cody Toppert and Casey Long as assistants for LSU’s staff. McMahon’s staff has to replace a roster that entered the transfer portal after the season.
