It's Official: Carter-Williams is Going Pro

A Hamilton native who burst onto the NCAA Division 1 basketball scene this past year has decided he will enter this year's NBA draft.

Michael Carter-Williams, who just six years ago called the gymnasium at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School his home court, will enter the NBA draft this June. The announcement was made on Wednesday by Carter-Williams' coach at Syracuse University, Jim Boeheim. Carter-Williams is a sophomore point guard at the school and played a key role for the team this season, helping them to the Final Four of the March Madness tournament. "Michael has informed me of his intention to enter the NBA Draft," said Boeheim in the Wednesday afternoon announcement. "He's coming off a tremendous season and we appreciate all he's done for Syracuse basketball. We wish Michael the best of luck as he pursues a pro career." For Carter-Williams, that success came …

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Local Basketball Star to Play Key Role in Final Four Showdown Saturday Night

The second of two Final Four college basketball games on Saturday night will include Hamilton native Michael Carter-Williams.

Michael Carter-Williams, the college sophomore point guard from Hamilton who has attracted the attention of NBA scouts from several teams this season, will play on his biggest stage yet Saturday night. Carter-Williams, wearing No. 1 on his uniform, had a breakout season this year and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the start of the March Madness tournament. Basketball experts are saying he will play a key role as the Syracuse Orange take on the Michigan Wolverines in the second game in Saturday's Final Four of the men's March Madness basketball tournament on Saturday night in Atlanta. Gametime is scheduled for 8:49 p.m. and the game will air nationally on CBS - locally WBZ-TV channel 4. Carter-Williams' personal story will …

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Top 10: Basketball Star's House Fire, Car Crash and Real Estate Activity

Here are the top 10 most-read stories on Hamilton-Wenham Patch last month.

What have they been reading in the two towns in March? Here's a look back at the top 10 most read stories on Hamilton-Wenham Patch for March: 1. Syracuse Basketball Star Leads Team to Victory While His Mother's Hamilton House Burns 2. Firefighters Ordered Out of the Building at Hamilton House Fire 3. Three Alarm Fire Reported at Cutler Road Home 4. Sports Illustrated Cover Features Hamilton Player 5. Dozens of Firefighters Focused on Fire as Basketball Star Played Strong Defense 6. 'One of my Best' Sends MCW and 'Cuse into Final Four 7. Driver Crashes, Snaps Pole for Second Time in a Year 8. Wenham Man Faces Rape Charges for Alleged Sexual Acts During Massage 9. Wenham Deck House and Hamilton Ranch Among Recent Home Sales 10. Expressing …

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'One of my Best' Sends MCW and 'Cuse into Final Four

With 12 points from Michael Carter-Williams, the Syracuse Orange are headed to March Madness' Final Four.

Exactly a week after his Hamilton home was seriuouly damaged by a fire, Michael Carter-Williams and the Syracuse Orange basketball team bought their ticket to the Final Four on Saturday afternoon. Syracuse, the No. 4 seed, defeated No. 3 Marquette 55-39 in Washington, D.C.. "I think the game was one of my best," Carter-Williams said in an interview with CBS Sports after the game. He thanked the hard work of his teammates, including C.J. Fair. "I was just trying to do the little things," Carter-Williams said. While the fire that damaged his family's Hamilton home last Saturday night was not mentioned specifically, he said his playing and the team's winning has made his family happy. "The way you reacted was something special," commentator …

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Carter-Williams Leads 'Cuse in Toppling No. 1 Seed

The sophomore point guard from Hamilton did not to let a devastating house fire a few days earlier bother him as him topped Syracuse scorers in Thursday night's Sweet 16 game.

Michael Carter-Williams played like a Sports Illustrated coverboy on Thursday night and not like someone who was dogged by the thoughts that his family's home had been seriously damaged by fire five night earlier. Carter-Williams, of Hamilton, was Syracuse University's top scorer with 24 points on Thursday to help the Orange become the first team to knock out a No.1 seed from the March Madness tournament. Syracuse defeated Indiana 61-50. What a difference a year makes. Last year, as a freshman, Carter-Williams and the Orange came to the TD Garden in Boston for their Sweet 16 matchup. But Carter-Williams didn't get in the game. Instead, on Thursday night he had 24 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, an assist and a block. He went 3-for-6 from …

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Helping Hands Reach Out to Family as They Search for Hamilton Housing

Donations are coming in to help the family whose house was badly damaged in a fire on Saturday night.

The Zegarowski family is looking for a home to rent in Hamilton as donations continue to come in to help the family whose fire was badly damaged in a fire on Saturday night. The three-alarm fire significantly damaged the family's home at 261 Cutler Road in Hamilton and left it uninhabitable. "Mandy is like my daughter," said Shirley Berry, who said she has helped other families after a house fire but it is more personal this time. "I have known her since she was a baby." Her daughter, Tracie, is the godmother of the Zegarowski's oldest son, Syracuse basketball star Michael Carter-Williams and Mandy Carter-Zegarowski, the mother of the family, is the godmother to Tracie's daughter Summer. Berry, a member of the Ipswich Board of Selectmen, …

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Dozens of Firefighters Focused on Fire as Basketball Star Played Strong Defense

The cause of Saturday night's fire has been determined to be accidental.

As many as 50 firefighters battled a three-alarm fire Saturday night at the home of Michael Carter-Williams, only to find out later than the sophomore guard was helping the Syracuse Orange into the Sweet 16 of the March Madness tournament. In the end, the fire at 261 Cutler Road ended up generating one of the largest responses to a house fire in Hamilton in several years, according to Hamilton Fire Department Deputy Chief Kirby Brand. "It's been a while since we've had a three-alarm fire in Hamilton," Brand said. Nobody was injured in the fire. Brand said it was not until after the fire that he realized that Carter-Williams was on the court in a Round of 32 matchup with the University of California in San Diego while he was directing teams…

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Home Catches Fire as Basketball Star Helps Team into Sweet 16

A three-alarm fire damaged a Cutler Road home on Saturday night in Hamilton.

Sports Illustrated Cover Features Hamilton Player

One of four Sports Illustrated covers this week features a college basketball player from Hamilton.

The newest cover of Sports Illustrated features Hamilton native Michael Carter-Williams as he heads into March Madness with the Syracuse University men's basketball team. Carter-Williams told The Post-Standard of Syracuse that being on the magazine's cover is an "unforgettable experience." There were four different covers used for the sports weekly across the nation in the week headed into the NCAA tournament. Carter-Williams is on the cover used in the northeast. "It was a fun experience that I'll never forget," he told the Post-Standard. Carter-Williams is a sophomore point guard for the team, which played its first tournament game late on Thursday night in San Diego. He played basketball his freshman year at Hamilton-Wenham Regional …

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