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The NCAA tournament is right around the corner, and teams across the country are trying to figure out the winning recipe.
Richard “Rip” Hamilton, 48, helped propel UConn to a national title win in 1999 and was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Hamilton also won an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.
Hamilton said the key to going all the way was blocking out the noise, especially in the NIL era.
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Former Connecticut Huskies star Richard “Rip” Hamilton and other team members (not pictured) from the 1999 NCAA Championship team were honored on the field during halftime between the Huskies and the Cincinnati Bearcats at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, on February 24, 2019. (David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports)
“I think number one, you have to play your best night in and night out, right? You just have to. You can’t have any off nights. I think the biggest thing for myself and my teammates was you have to block out all that outside noise,” Hamilton told Pakinomist Digital in a recent interview with Red Baron.
“Because during the NCAA tournament, every camera in your state is in your face. The bright lights are no brighter than they’ve ever been all season long. You’ve got some kids that have potential to play in the NBA,” Hamilton said. “We don’t have time to talk about kids that have to be paid now, but you have agents and everything else right now telling you that hey, you have to play this, you have to do this, you have to do it out on the floor. It’s all about the players’ brand, name, image and likeness. So you have to be able to block all that to come out and do one thing. It’s just one thing.
“Because if you jump, you go out there and win as a group, you win as a team, you get all the individual accolades.”
Former UConn Huskies player Richard “Rip” Hamilton addresses the crowd after his number is retired during the game between the Villanova Wildcats and the UConn Huskies at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut on February 24, 2024. (Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Hamilton is second on UConn’s all-time scoring list, and during UConn’s championship run, he averaged 24.2 points per game. match. The three-time All-Star said his alma mater is the best university in college basketball and believes this year’s team has a chance to win it all.
“We’re the best university in college basketball, period. Men’s and women’s. Give the women a shout-out, too,” Hamilton said. “Dan Hurley has done an outstanding job with this group. I mean, if you watch their style of play, the way we play, the way we get up and down the floor on both ends of the floor and we compete every night. Every game is our championship game. I think that’s what makes us special. We don’t really have any nights off, so it’s not something we have to start when we have to prepare and we have to do something when the tournament is going to be made. different than what we’ve been doing all season.’
“I like our chances, man. We’ve got a great, great group of guys. We play together. We do it as one. And we’ve got probably the best leader in college basketball, and that’s Dan Hurley.”
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Richard Hamilton (32) of the Connecticut Huskies looks on during the game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the MCI Center. The Huskies defeated the Hoyas 78-71 in Washington, District of Columbia, on January 25, 1999. (Jamie Squire / Staff)
Hurley led UConn to national title wins in 2023 and 2024. But while Hamilton’s UConn team will likely be one of the heavy favorites this season, Hamilton said his favorite part of March Madness is watching the underdogs.
“I think my favorite part about it is probably seeing all the underdogs, right? I think people have been watching college basketball all season and everybody has their projected team that’s going to get there. But you just never know,” Hamilton said.
“I mean, it’s one game. It’s not like the NBA Finals, where, hey, if you have a bad night, you come out the next night and redeem yourself. In college basketball, man, it’s one and done. So you’ve got to be prepared. You’ve got to get out there. You’ve got to be ready to go. But also, the fans, like all the fans around the world, winning on the weekend for five national championships, championships. I think it’s probably the most exciting time of the year in terms of basketball.”
Many college basketball fans happen to get “sick” and call in off work so they can relax at home and watch the tournament action unfold. Hamilton spoke about the Red Baron’s campaign to be a professional fan and get paid to watch the games at home.
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Detroit Pistons’ Richard Hamilton (32) is in action against San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) during the NBA Finals in Auburn Hills, Michigan on June 14, 2005. (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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“You’re going to sit on your couch, you’re going to hang out, you’re going to eat some Red Baron pizza,” Hamilton said.
Four people can apply to become a pro fan and sit on the couch and eat pizza on Red Baron’s website, where the pay is $100 an hour, as long as they sign up by March 12. The skills required for the professional fan application are an elite couch presence with an appetite to eat.
“This time of year, guys usually come and try to raise money from everybody to join everybody’s group. This is a great opportunity for guys to come out, kick it, hang out, sit on the couch, eat pizza and make $100,” Hamilton said.
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