Stevie Ray Hamer, a stellar basketball player at the University of Tennessee and Middleton High School in the 1990s, will be the guest speaker at the induction ceremony for the Jackson-Madison County Sports Hall of Fame, April 22.
The event will be held at 6:30 p.m., at the Carl Perkins Civic Center.
Hamer is presently the Athletics Discovery Coordinator at the University of Tennessee, where he was a four-year starter and twice earned All-Southeastern Conference honors.
A 7-foot, 245-pound center, he averaged 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds during his UT career in 1992-96. He ranks 21st on the Vols’ all-time scoring list with 1,418 points and ranks 11th in both rebounds and blocked shots.
His senior season in 1995-96 he was an All-SEC and all-tournament pick, averaging 18.2 points and 9.4 rebounds. The Boston Celtics made him the 38th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, and he played one season.
Hamer honed his basketball talents at Middleton High School in West Tennessee, where he helped lead the Tigers to the 1992 Class A state championship. He was the Most Valuable Player in the state tournament and was named Class A Mr. Basketball.
“Those were fantastic days,” Hamer said of his time at Middleton, playing for coach Larry Smalley. “We lost in the state semifinals my junior year, and we were determined to bond together and do something special as seniors at state.”
Hamer is the youngest of six boys born to Robert and Gracie Hamer, who have been married 71 years. He was raised in Grand Junction, west of Middleton and southwest of Bolivar.
Prior to taking the UT job in December 2019, Hamer served as a teacher, coach and director of athletics at Apostolic Christian School in Knoxville for more than a decade. He coached the ACS Eagles to three consecutive NACSC Basketball National Championships.
In 2020 Hamer was inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame. He and his wife Cher have three children – Isabella, Malachi and Penelope.
“God has blessed me with a wonderful wife and family,” Hamer said. “For a boy from a small community like Grand Junction, with a population of about 300, I’ve had a great life.”
A table for eight for the event is $500. For reservations, call Beth Sedberry (731) 616-8558.
(PHOTO: Stevie Hamer)
