It’s not often where you have two point guards that can play equal minutes and both produce the way you want them to, especially in the Southern Conference.

That’s why freshman guard Austin Hamilton and sophomore guard Jack Isenbarger make a great, albeit surprising, duo for the Phoenix and head coach Matt Matheny.

“Austin has been a surprise in some ways,” Matheny said following Elon’s tough loss to Georgia Southern Jan. 5. “I didn’t realize that he’d be able to play as well as he’s played so far this early in his career. The South Carolina game stands out.”

In the South Carolina game Nov. 15, Hamilton’s first as a starter in college, he led the team with 32 minutes played and had 12 points, second for Elon.

“It was a great way to start my career and to start the season,” Hamilton said. “It’s a blessing. I’ve been dreaming of playing big teams like this for a while.”
Hamilton earned the start when Isenbarger, the starting point guard at the start of the season, was injured against the University of Massachusetts Nov. 11, and has stepped in and filled in ably. He’s second on the team with 10.7 points per game and tops with three assists per game.

“I’m just trying to play my role as the point guard here, whether it’s scoring, dishing the rock off,” he said. “I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help my team win.”

Hamilton also leads the team in minutes on the court (407) and minutes on ESPN’s SportsCenter. When the Phoenix defeated South Carolina 58-53 at home, it was the #10 play on the program’s Top 10 countdown the following day. The clip that was shown was a Hamilton jumper in the second half.

“That’s a dream come true,” he said. “I’ve always dreamed about being on SportsCenter, let alone my freshman year. It’s a blessing. I was speechless when that happened.”

Since Hamilton has stepped up to fill in at the point guard spot, Isenbarger has played well off the bench, giving the Phoenix a great deal of depth.

“I want to come into any game ready to play,” Isenbarger said. “Whether it’s starting or off the bench, I need to be ready to come in and produce, to give this team what I can offer.”

What Isenbarger has been offering is 9.8 points per game, third-best on the team, while averaging 24.9 minutes off the bench in just 12 games and one start. A key stat is that he has just 14 turnovers while playing that many minutes, despite what he calls an “aggressive” approach.

“I think with the amount of talent and depth we have, we have the luxury of doing different things,” he said. “I’m coming in and I want to attack. That’s the same for all of our guys. That’s our style.”
Matheny points to Hamilton’s emergence as opening up Isenbarger for more.

“It allows Jack to play off the ball more,” Matheny said. “(Jack) has the ability to play the point, but here (against Georgia Southern) he made five threes. There’s no question he gives us a great lift off the bench. I could very easily start him. He has told me, and he has shown me, that he’s willing to (come off the bench).”

With the Phoenix losing five in a row after starting the year 7-2, the pair of Isenbarger and Hamilton are going to need to lead a resurgence if Elon still plans to contend for a Southern Conference crown.

But one must remember the future as well. Considering that the two are still underclassmen, along with sophomore guard Sebastian Koch and freshman guard Kevin “Air Canada” Blake, Matheny and the Elon program look set at the guard position for the next few years.