CORVALLIS, OR. – Alton Hamilton took the Cascade Conference by storm this season and elevated his game in all aspects. The sophomore was voted the 2025 Cascade Conference Player of the Year to highlight a still young career. Hamilton and MaCarhy Morris were voted First-Team All-Cascade Conference and John Lustig earned All-CCC Honorable Mention honors.
“Grateful that these three individuals were recognized for their work and production on the court,” coach Austin Johnson said. “We are grateful for everything they have done and are doing for our program and community. All three are very deserving and have continued to work on growing and improving their game and winning mindset. We stress to our players that if the focus is on team success, then the individual success and recognition will follow and this is further proof of that. While these are great individual awards, they have been pushed every day by an incredible collection of teammates.”
Hamilton is the only player to average a double-double in the CCC this season. He leads the conference in rebounding with 10.3 boards per game and is second in scoring with 17.4 points per game. He is second in blocked shots (31) and ranks in the top 10 in field goal percentage (.561).
The sophomore from Fontana, Calif., leads the Warriors in assists this season with 79 and has 21 steals. Hamilton went 11-for-11 from the free throw line in the CCC title game on Monday to improve his free throw percentage to .763. He was voted the CCC Freshman of the Year last season and earned four Player of the Week honors this season. He was twice named Offensive Player of the week and twice named Defensive Player of the Week. Hamilton was also named to the Small College Basketball Bevo Francis Top-100 Watch List.
“Alton earned the Player of the Year award with his consistent production,” Johnson said. “Night in and night out he was schemed for more than any player in our league. To go from a solid complementary player last year to the focal point of everything we do offensively this year is no easy adjustment, but Alton handled it great. He took a huge step in his passing ability which allowed him to attack double teams and also get his teammates easy shots. His rebounding was at an elite level and he was efficient as a scorer in every way. Beyond the stats and tangible accomplishments, the greatest asset of Alton is his ability to never get too high or too low with how he was defended. His ability to stay in the moment allowed him to play at a high level and allowed our team to have a special season. Alton is as good of a teammate as you’ll find and always quick to find ways to spotlight his teammates in encouraging ways. What’s exciting too is his best basketball is still in front of him.”
Morris returned to the court after an injury sidelined him early into his freshman season. He exploded onto the scene with nearly 15 points per game in his first full season and handled the ball at a high level as the LC State point guard. Through the regular season and conference tournament, the Long Beach, Calif., native is averaging 14.8 points per game which ranks 10th in the CCC. He leads the Warriors in 3-point field goal percentage at .411 which ranks seventh in the conference. Morris is shooting .476 from the field and has 72 assists and 20 steals under his belt this season. He was voted the CCC Offensive Player of the Week once this season.
“MaCarhy was outstanding this year in his first full season as a college player,” Johnson said. “He handled the adversity of last year in a winning way. Coming back from last year’s injury he hit the ground running and has been incredibly efficient as a complete scorer. At the point guard spot, he gave us a big offensive punch that was consistent throughout the year. His consistency for a first-year player playing in big, pressure packed moments was incredibly impressive. As the season went on, MaCarhy continued to improve as a defender and distributor which made him an even tougher matchup and had an even greater hand in us winning at such a high level. MaCarhy has stayed coachable and has grown a ton since the start of the year. Super excited for him to be recognized for all of his effort and hard work.”
Lustig has been one of LC State’s key factors down the stretch and is one of the most efficient scorers in the CCC. He has scored in double-digits in the last seven games and scored 20 points in four of them. He ranks in the top 20 of the conference in both scoring (12.7) and rebounding (5.6) and is fifth in field goal percentage at a clip of .601. The native of Colfax, Wash., leads LC State in steals with 24 and is second in assists (77). The junior scored the 1,000th point of his career during the conference tournament and was named the CCC Offensive Player of the Week once. Lustig was the 2022-23 CCC Freshman of the Year.
“John has had an incredible season thus far,” Johnson said. “His efficiency has been remarkable and he has stepped up to be without a doubt one of the better perimeter defenders in our league. He puts his body on the line every game and is asked to do a lot of different things for us, many which don’t show up in the box score. Ultimately John cares about one thing and that’s winning. It’s easy to see in his competitive preparation and mindset. So many times this year he seemed to ice the game with a big stop or big bucket. He sets a very high standard for his teammates with his effort and ability to be coached. Love going to battle with him and he embodies what it means to be an LC State Warrior in so many ways.”
