JAMES Hamilton is relishing playing the part of the ‘bad cop’ as he shares this season’s Jets captaincy with Calvin Davis.
While Davis is expected to quietly lead by example as the ‘good cop’, Hamilton’s style of captaincy is altogether different.
“I think Calvin is more of a non-vocal captain, whereas I’m more of a vocal, outspoken person,” said the 37-year-old from Michigan. “Calvin’s more of a ‘do as I do’ kind of person.
“He’s going to go out there and lead by example, while I’m going to shout and scream and yell. Good cop, bad cop – that kind of thing.
“We’ve had joint captaincies in the past and it’s always been pretty successful so it should be good.”
Hamilton’s association with the Jets stretches back 10 years. He has seen it all in that time – from the all-time high of captaining the legendary ‘JetWash’ team in 2002, to the ultimate low point which saw the club almost fold due to a funding crisis two years ago.
These days Hamilton is nicknamed ‘The Ambassador’, as he plays a key role in the club’s community work and spends much of his time visiting schools, spreading the Jets gospel across Cheshire.
“I think I spend more time out in the community than I do out on the basketball court,” he said. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve slowed down on the basketball court and done more in the community. This year I’m going to try to balance the two and see how that works.”
Hamilton is also the ‘go-to’ man for new signings. He helps them settle in the area and is on hand to answer any of their questions – no matter how obscure.
“I’m the daddy, the grandfather Jet, so I’ve taken them around and shown them what Chester has to offer,” he said. “I have experience in that field. They come to me with questions like where do I go to get my hair cut, where do I go to get my food? I just point them in the right direction.”
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s testing first match at Newcastle Eagles, Hamilton said: “It’s a good test of where we’re at and where we need to get to. If you lose the game by 20 points, obviously you need to make some changes. If you win the game, you’re doing the right things and you keep doing the right things. It’s a good measuring tool for us.”
