[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16950]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING RICHARD ``RIP'' HAMILTON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM GERLACH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 21, 2004

  Mr. GERLACH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Richard ``Rip'' 
Hamilton for his distinguished career in professional basketball and 
for the contributions he made to the 2004 NBA Championship team, the 
Detroit Pistons.
  Rip Hamilton first made his mark in basketball when he was a high 
school student at the Coatesville Area High School in Chester County, 
Pennsylvania. During his senior year, he was voted to the First Team 
All-State Basketball team and participated in the McDonalds All-
American game before his graduation in 1996.
  Upon graduation from Coatesville Area High School, Rip continued to 
pursue his passion for basketball at University of Connecticut. At 
UCONN, Rip finished 2nd in career scoring and was the only Connecticut 
player to score at least 700 points per season twice in his career, and 
500 points in his first three seasons. Rip spent three years at UCONN 
perfecting his game and, in 1999 after scoring 27 points in the 
Huskies' 77-74 championship win over Duke, Rip was voted the most 
valuable player of the Final Four. That same year, Rip was also voted 
1st Team All-American by the AP and he was also awarded the Big East 
Conference and ECAC Player of the Year.
  After three years playing basketball for UCONN, Rip was the 7th 
overall draft pick for the NBA. Rip then began his professional 
basketball career with the Washington Wizards. He spent three years 
with the Wizards and made his NBA debut scoring ten points against the 
Atlanta Hawks on November 2, 1999. On April 13, 2000, he registered a 
career-high 26 points against the Chicago Bulls. He set or tied career 
highs in every major statistical category except blocks in the 2000-
2001 season. Then in 2001, he was acquired by the Detroit Pistons where 
he became one of their star players as the shooting guard. Rip has been 
with the Pistons for two years now and helped lead his new team to the 
2004 NBA Championship with a 100-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in 
game five of the NBA Finals.
  Not only is Rip Hamilton an outstanding basketball player, he is also 
known for giving back to his community. Each year, Rip sponsors the 
``Rip City Day'' in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. It is a citywide 
celebration with food and entertainment for everyone. Rip also annually 
sponsors basketball camps throughout Chester County, Pennsylvania to 
give high school students the same opportunities he was given during 
his childhood.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in recognizing an 
outstanding citizen and athlete who exemplifies the dedication and hard 
work it takes to reach the pinnacle of his sport.

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