UTCs Dontay Hampton brings the ball down court in the game against Warren Wilson during a November game at McKenzie Arena.Dontay Hampton’s rehabilitation from reconstructive knee surgery is not 100 percent complete.
But he’s been cleared to play.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior guard has been smiling almost every minute since learning his first game of the basketball season will be Thursday at The Citadel.
“It feels fresh and I’m ready to get out there with my teammates and start playing,” Hampton said Monday. “I feel very good. I’m not going to do anything risky, but I’m going to play freely.”
Hampton, who prepped locally at Arts & Sciences, began his college career as a UTC walk-on instead of accepting a scholarship offer from other schools, so he could remain close to his brother Malik and the rest of their family. Hampton has played a fatherly role to the current 10th-grader since Malik’s father died.