In a game where the sole focus is on those who score, Utah Flash forward Brian Hamilton would like to offer this friendly reminder: The best offense can be good defense.

Want proof?

In a recent home game against the Idaho Stampede, Hamilton intercepted a pass at halfcourt after the Stampede tried to start a fastbreak. He stopped the other team from scoring an easy two points and then whipped a pass to teammate Kevin Kruger, who sank a 3-pointer for a five-point turnaround.

Defense pays dividends.

Later in the quarter he jumped up and took away a cross-court pass that was headed for the corner for his second steal of the game.

Then in the fourth quarter he stepped in front of a pass near the sideline and started down court where he fed Morris Almond for layup.

Another game, another three steals.

Hamilton, a 6-6, forward, leads in D-League in total steals and is averaging 2.3 per game, which begs the question: can a player who focuses on defense, make the jump from the D-League to the NBA?

“We’ve had a whole lot of (NBA) personnel guys who have seen us multiple times and have called us about him,” said Utah Flash coach Brad Jones. “They all have been impressed with how hard he plays. That’s his niche right there. They love his aggressiveness and how much he’s developed into a good defensive player.

“Hopefully he’ll get one of those teams to take a chance on him. If not this year, I’m sure he’ll get a chance to play with an (NBA) summer league team,” Jones said. “He’s done well for himself.”

The NBA has plenty of scorers, but there is and always has been a demand for players who will focus on defense. It is the quickest way Hamilton can separate his resume from the others in the slush pile.

“What do I bring to the table? I bring great energy, as much as I can give. To be able to hold down one of the hardest players on the court and get steals. Basically, try to help the team win,” Hamilton said. “My style hasn’t changed since the beginning. I’m defensive minded first. I like to try and do things in spurts. If I think we’re low on energy, I try to pick up the tempo and energy.”

Hamilton, 25, from Houston, Texas, finished up his college career in 2005 at Louisiana-Lafayette where he averaged 13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds as a senior. He played with USBL Pennsylvania Valley Dawgs in 2005, averaging 12.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 10 games and was on track to play in the D-League in 2006.

He was one of roughly 130 players who showed up for an open tryout with the D-League’s Austin Toros. He made the cut, but an untimely knee injury left him less than one hundred percent and he wasn’t invited to fall camp with the Toros. He had knee surgery in 2006 and spent the 2006-07 season playing in a league in Mexico.

Hoping to get his name mentioned in the NBA circles, Hamilton showed up at Open Court in Lehi in September. He was among a host of hopefuls looking for a spot with the team.

“I pretty much had knowledge of what it would be like. When I first came out of college, I went and tried out for the Austin Toros, I just didn’t get invited back to training camp,” Hamilton said. “I felt pretty confident coming up here. Coming to a tryout, you’ve already got to have your confidence before you get here. You’ve got to check yourself when you get here.”

What impressed Jones and the rest of the Utah Flash staff was the energy he played with.

“Back when he made our team from the tryouts one of the things that we really liked about him was that he played really, really, hard,” Jones said. “Early on he used to be a good energy guy and was good off the ball. Well now he’s become a guy who can guard on the ball.

“In fact, he’s guarded anywhere from a one to a four, and to his credit, that’s cool because he found something of a niche. He was an energy guy and knew that’s what he had to do,” Jones said. “He’s studied the game and improved himself to where now he’s a more complete defensive player for us.”

The Flash knows they got lucky with Hamilton. Finding a player who is good enough to be a starter from an open tryout is a bit like actually winning a prize at the McDonald’s Monopoly game, but that’s what the D-League is all about — keeping dreams alive.

“If you would have told me that at the tryout that we’d have someone come who we didn’t know would end up being a starter for us, I would have said (with a laugh) that the odds are probably not good,” Jones said. “So for a guy to come and not only make our team, before you know it he was a starter.

“Here’s one, how good of coach am I? I didn’t even play him in the first game of the year and by like the fourth or fifth game he was starting for us,” Jones said. “So it’s been very much a surprise.”

Just because Hamilton is making a mark on defense, don’t make the mistake of thinking he has no offensive skills. In a game against the LA D-Fenders, he scored 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Against Anaheim he scored 17 points and was 8-for-8 from the field.

In 44 games with the Flash, Hamilton is averaging 10.7 points per game. He’s shooting .521 from the field, 5.4 rebounds per game.

He can score and has done so when the Flash has needed him to, but that is not his calling card. He brings other things to the table and now he is hoping they’re NBA scouts who will take notice.

“This season is a step up for me. I wanted to get in the D-League and get my name back again and get some feelers back out there again,” Hamilton said. “People might have heard of me or seen me in college. I want to try to reiterate what they thought of me or maybe hopefully better what they thought of me.”