BILLY Singleton has tipped James Hamilton to roll back the years and rediscover the form that made him a Chester Jets legend.
Versatile veteran Hamilton - a former assistant coach at Chester and skipper of the 2002 'JetWash' team - has played three games for Jets since rejoining them at the end last month.
The 34-year-old from Michigan is easing his way back into action having decided to return to the BBL following a short break - and Jets head coach Singleton says it is only a matter of time before Hamilton is back to his best.
Singleton said: 'He is a solid veteran and James will get better the more he plays. He knows the game real well and once he really hits his stride, he will be as good as he always was.'
Having tasted defeat in his opening match at Scottish Rocks, Hamilton featured in last weekend's winning double header against Birmingham Bullets and Milton Keynes Lions.
He played 27 minutes against the Lions at the Northgate Arena and helped himself to nine points and 10 defensive rebounds, while at Birmingham he weighed in with 12 points in his 26 minutes on court.
Hamilton's experience will be vital to Jets this weekend when they play a triple-header, entertaining Sheffield Sharks tonight before a trip to Brighton Bears tomorrow and a return fixture against Nick Nurse's men on Sunday.
It is the sort of packed fixture schedule Jets would have struggled to cope with in the time between Jamal Brown's departure in January and the arrival of Hamilton.
Singleton said: 'Myself, Shawn Myers and Phil Gilbert had been playing 40 minutes a game, but with Hamilton in, Phil's down to 32 minutes, I'm down to 32 minutes and Shawn's at about 33 minutes per game.
'Being a player down for so many games was taking its toll on the team. We were down a player for nearly two months.'
As for this weekend's games, Singleton added: 'They are three games we really need to win and the guys are really focused.'
The Jets and the Bears are in the thick of the fight to finish in one of the BBL's eight play-off places, while Sheffield are fourth in the table.
The Sharks will tonight be without head coach Peter Scantlebury, who has left to take charge of England's Commonwealth Games team in Melbourne, Australia. Ex-Jet Delme Herriman is in the England squad.
Newcastle head coach Fabulous Flournoy and London forward Lynard Stewart have been named as the BBL's coach and player of the month for February.
