Can’t Measure Heart

The rise of Logan Hamama

By Steve Stein

Logan Hamama has a message for young Chaldean basketball players dreaming of starting for their high school team—or even playing in college.

“I’m very proud to be a Chaldean who started for one of the top five high school boys basketball programs in the state and will be playing college basketball,” he said. “If you put in the time and effort and put your faith in God, of course, you can achieve your goals.”

Despite being the shortest player on the Birmingham Brother Rice High School basketball team this past season at 5-foot-9, Hamama earned the starting point guard role and became the Warriors’ top defender. He regularly faced off against taller, future college players—and made life difficult for them.

He wasn’t intimidated, thanks in part to the intense practices and off-season workouts he endured alongside his talented teammates.

“To help my defense, I also watched a lot of film so I could study opposing players’ tendencies,” he said. “I felt I could guard anyone.”

Hamama’s stats weren’t flashy—he averaged 3.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game—but he was highly efficient. He shot 45% from two-point range, 41% from three, and 85% from the free-throw line. He also ranked third on the team in plus-minus at +12.8, a metric that compares points scored and allowed when a player is on the floor.

His final points in a Brother Rice uniform were a fitting reminder of his value. With 5.4 seconds left in a Division 1 regional semifinal game, he calmly sank two free throws after being intentionally fouled, trimming U-D Jesuit’s lead to one. Brother Rice ultimately lost 60-58.

His senior-year heroics are even more impressive considering how far he came. Hamama saw little action as a sophomore and was a rotation player as a junior.

Brother Rice head coach Rick Palmer, now in his seventh season, didn’t hold back his admiration.

“I’m more proud of Logan than anyone in the program since I’ve been here,” Palmer said. “He never stopped working on the court or in the weight room. He never stopped believing he could start, even when he wasn’t getting playing time. What he gave up in size, he made up in strength.”

While Hamama climbed the ranks, Brother Rice enjoyed the best three-year run in program history, going 64-12. That includes a 22-3 record this past season and a second-place finish (6-1) in the Catholic League Central Division behind U-D Jesuit (7-0), the only team to beat them in regular-season league play.

Next up for Hamama: the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he’ll continue his basketball career.

Playing in college is a dream come true for Hamama. “I felt like family when I visited there, and I was the only high school guard point guard they recruited, so I have an opportunity to earn some playing time right away,” he said.

Since the season ended, Hamama has added 10 pounds of muscle, going from 160 to 170 pounds through daily workouts at a Sylvan Lake gym.

Palmer is confident Hamama will thrive at the college level.

“Logan doesn’t have the genetics of a typical college player,” he said. “But you can’t measure the size of someone’s heart. Most college players didn’t go through what he did to reach that level.”

What also can’t be measured is Hamama’s love for the game.

“Playing basketball is my favorite thing to do. It’s my happy place,” he said.

That wasn’t always the case. Between his sophomore and junior years, he over-trained and developed knee pain that forced him to take a break. But he learned from the experience.

“I worked just as hard going into my senior year, but I prioritized recovery,” he said. “That helped me stay healthy all season.”

Hamama credits a strong support system—including coaches, mentors, teammates and, most of all, family—for his growth.

His father, Nate, was his first coach and remains his “best coach.” His mother, Heather, played a pivotal role as well.

“The summer before my junior year, my mom dropped me off at gyms all over the area because I wasn’t old enough to drive,” he said. “Places like Oakland Community College, Macomb Community College, Henry Ford High School and Warren Lincoln. “I played against different top-level guys at those gyms to see how I compared to them. That helped me a lot with my confidence and with experiencing different environments.”

She also made sure he was fed. “Besides driving me, my mom made me food during because I was so hungry all the time. She doesn’t get enough credit.”

Logan is the youngest of three siblings in the Hamama family, who live in Bloomfield Hills. His sister Lauren, 22, is a Michigan State University graduate and a physician assistant student at the University of Detroit Mercy. Brooke, 20, is a senior at MSU. Neither played competitive sports.

But Logan did—and now he’ll keep doing it in college, fueled by faith, family and a heart you can’t measure.