Mississippi State basketball freshman Kimani Hamilton enters transfer portal

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State basketball has its first transfer action of the offseason. Freshman forward Kimani Hamilton has entered the portal, he announced via social media Tuesday.

Hamilton was a three-star prospect out of Clinton High School, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He was the 2021-22 Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year.

In his lone season at MSU, Hamilton averaged 2.6 points and one rebound across the 12 games he played. He played 6.9 minutes per game and didn't record a start. His best game came in a Jan. 3 loss at Tennessee in which Hamilton scored a career-high nine points in eight minutes.

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Hamilton, who was recruited by former coach Ben Howland, is an MSU legacy with his father Tang Hamilton having played at Mississippi State from 1998-2001.

Tang Hamilton averaged 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in his career at MSU before signing as an undrafted player with the Miami Heat.

After one season (2001-02) with the Heat, Tang Hamilton spent the next decade bouncing around international teams and the NBA's development tiers.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State basketball's Kimani Hamilton enters transfer portal