John Hamilton is in his Seventh season as an assistant coach with the Transylvania men’s basketball team for the 2025-26 season.
Hamilton’s first campaign with the Pioneers (2019-2020) saw Transylvania return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven seasons as he helped the program achieve a 19-9 overall record and a sweep of the HCAC regular season and conference tournament Titles.
During the 2023-24 season, under Hamilton’s guidance, the Pioneers achieved their best record since the 2012-13 season, finishing 19-6 against Division III opponents and further solidifying the program's trajectory of success. Hamilton worked closely with senior guard Jaylan Green, who earned HCAC First Team honors for the second consecutive season. Hamilton’s ability to connect with players and build strong relationships has been a cornerstone of the program’s achievements.
Hamilton's mentorship shone brightly during the 2022-23 season, as Junior Guard Jaylan Green garnered well-deserved recognition, earning a place on the HCAC First Team. In addition, sophomore Guard Colby Napier's outstanding progress and contributions did not go unnoticed, securing him a position on the HCAC Honorable Mention list.
In his third season with the program, 2021-22, Hamilton helped lead the Pioneers to a 16-9 record, also mentoring the HCAC Newcomer of the Year, Hunter Penn, along with senior Zach Larimore, who earned First Team honors.
A former Division III basketball player with an array of coaching experience, Hamilton came to the Pioneers most recently from Midway University in Midway, Kentucky, where he spent the 2018-19 season as an assistant coach for their men’s basketball program.
“I am blessed to have this opportunity to be a part of the men’s basketball team program at Transylvania University,” Hamilton said. “I am grateful to the head coach Brian Lane for giving me this opportunity. I am looking forward to joining this winning
culture and helping this program improve every day.”
At Midway, Hamilton assisted in all facets of the men’s basketball program, including practice and in-game management, developing scouting reports, recruiting, overseeing practices and helping guide the academic progress of student-athletes. Two
players under Hamilton’s guidance earned All-Conference honors. In Hamilton’s tenure At Midway, the Eagles saw a 10-game improvement from two years prior.
Before his time at Midway, Hamilton served as an assistant coach at a Division III Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport, Louisiana, for the 2017-2018 season under his former collegiate coach, Chris Dorsey. Along with Dorsey, Hamilton helped
The Gents finish as the regular season runner-up in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and a runner-up in the SCAC Tournament. With Hamilton on the staff, we Centenary led the conference in scoring defense and was second in the conference in both categories, field goal and three-point field goal defense. While at Centenary, Hamilton spearheaded the process of creating and managing an online national recruiting database for the men’s basketball program.
Hamilton began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Central Community College in Columbus, Nebraska, where he helped guide the Raiders to an 18-14 record in 2016-17, and clinched the NJCAA Region 9 Championship.
In addition to his collegiate coaching stints, Hamilton has been involved in several other leadership and coaching endeavors that intersect with the game of basketball. From 2015 through 2017, Hamilton was a Director of Operations Intern and Youth
Mentor with The Young Vets, mentoring student-athletes and directing players development. Over the years, Hamilton has also worked as a basketball camp counselor at the University of Kentucky and Valparaiso University.
As a student-athlete, Hamilton competed at Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vermont from 2014 through 2016. At Lyndon State, Hamilton played under Dorsey, whom he would later join again for his coaching duties at Centenary. Hamilton
graduated from Lyndon State College in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, and received his Master of Business Administration degree from Midway University in 2023.
