Every evening the Breakers don't have a game–when many of the team might be home with their families or out with friends–the 18-year-old is back in the gym until 10pm, putting up shot after shot. It may sound like some madef or-movies cliché vigil on the free-throw line, but the reality is that Hampton is never alone. His father Rod (a former college basketballer), mother Markita and even kid brother Ryan, never miss a game or a training session. As an apprenticeship, there is a near-Jedi level of intensity, not to mention destiny. “The first time Dad put a ball in my hand, I knew what I wanted to be,” he says. “As long as I can remember, I've wanted to be where the LeBron's and the Kobe's were, and I'd do anything it took to get there. ”He's not the first kid to dream of dominating the court like Kobe Bryant. But in Hampton's case, it's not a dream; it's a well-crafted plan. The 1.96 (6'5") Point Guard arrived in Auckland as one of the most talked-about NBA prospects ever, touted as a top-ten draft pick for 2020. So, no wonder he made headlines in the United States after eschewing not only a raft of top college offers but also his final year of high school to play a season with the Breakers in the NBL.“ I only did three years of high school. I finished but didn't do a senior year, so I could have been in high school this year playing basketball, but that wasn't something I wanted to do. Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, Memphis are great colleges; they were recruiting me all though high school, but I didn't feel it was the right fit for me.“ My goal has always been to play NBA. I've never wanted to stay four years in College. You do miss those things, but my best friend is at the University of Kansas, so all the college I need, I get through him.” The college route is a time-honoured tradition for the NBA, but four years of NCAA Basketball didn't fit with Hampton's schedule.“ It was a logistical decision; it just didn't match up with the way I wanted to play basketball. This level and type of basketball, and the way I'm being coached; I like that better. Getting experience playing against pros, you can't ask for better than that. This is better than college.