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The Troup boys basketball team is a family affair this season. The Tigers’ head coach Vacher Hammett has welcomed his son Vakiel Garrett-Hammett to the squad. The junior forward transferred in from Lafayette Christian School during the summer and has fit right into the squad.

“It definitely boosts us talent-wise, it gives us another athletic guard/forward,” Hammett said. “The guys welcomed him with open arms, and they know he’s a valuable part of the team that can help us get to where we need to get to.

“He wanted to do it. I was kind of hesitant. His mom and sisters were very hesitant. Throughout our basketball family, they mainly played in private school, and they wanted the best for him, but he wanted a challenge.”

Going from a small private Christian school to a much larger public school was daunting, yet exhilarating for Garrett-Hammett. He had some built-in chemistry with the team having played with many of them in travel ball and that helped make the transition easier for him.

“It was a lot different, a lot different at first,” Garrett-Hammett said. “I knew most of the guys so it was cool to have them here when I got here. The guys have really helped me out.”

Hammett felt a general uneasiness about bringing his son in this year. However, the Tigers enjoyed a highly successful first season under Hammett in the 2023-24 season, finishing as region runner-up and making their first playoff appearance since 2020.  

Hammett was not worried about internal chemistry getting messed up with his son in the mix, but he was worried about the outside perception. That was quickly put to bed with Garrett-Hammett’s start to life on the court at Troup High. 

“Other parents and kids could look at it in a different way and say ‘oh, he’s showing favoritism.’ So for me, as his dad and coach, it was a lot of pressure.  And the good thing about it is he’s shown that he can play. So you know, naysayers, or whoever you know, if you know sports and you play sports, you know he can play. So that took a lot of pressure, you know, off me, and probably off him too,” Hammett said.

Whether in the starting lineup or off the bench, Garrett-Hammett is making an impact. The nerves are gone, and now he is just playing basketball. 

“I was a little nervous for the first game, but once we started warming up I got tuned in and just started playing and it felt like another game,” Garrett-Hammett added. “The public school game is fast though, you just keep going all game.”

A growth spurt and hitting the public school weight room have certainly helped Garrett-Hammett adjust to life on the court at Troup High. 

The Hammetts are a basketball family through and through. Vacher was a standout at LaGrange High in his younger years, and his three daughters went on to play college basketball—one still plays overseas, while another is still enjoying life on the college hardwood.

All that knowledge from his father and older sisters is now being passed on to Garrett-Hammett.

“I tried to go to every game I could, but they would always leave me at the school,” Garrett-Hammett said. “Each of them had a different type of playing style, but all of them were good. I’ve just tried to take bits and pieces of their games.”

“Our biggest critics are the wife and sisters,” Hammett added as the two shared a hearty laugh. 

The reunion of Vacher and Vakiel on the court makes it feel like the good ole days again. It was not so long ago that the former was coaching the latter in parks and rec basketball.

“In those early years, I coached him in travel basketball and some parks and rec, so it feels the same as it did then, the only difference is I have to hear more at home after a game now,” Hammett said, laughing.