National champion says players have to block out NIL noise during March Madness to win

NCAA champion Rip Hamilton tells Fox News Digital that players have to block out outside noise and focus on basketball during March Madness to win.

The NCAA tournament is right around the corner, and teams all over the country are trying to figure out a winning recipe.

Richard "Rip" Hamilton, 48, helped propel UConn to a national title win in 1999 and was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. 

Hamilton also won an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

Hamilton said the key to going all the way is blocking out the noise, especially in the NIL era.

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Former Connecticut Huskies star Richard "Rip" Hamilton and other team members (not pictured) from the 1999 NCAA Championship team were honored o during halftime between the Huskies and the Cincinnati Bearcats at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., Feb. 24, 2019. (David Butler II/USA Today Sports)

"I think, No. 1, you got to be playing your best night in and night out, right? You just have to. You can't have no off nights. I think the biggest thing for myself and my teammates was you gotta block out all the outside noise," Hamilton told Fox News Digital in a recent interview with Red Baron.

"Because, during the NCAA tournament, every camera in your state is in your face. The bright lights are no brighter than it's ever been all season long. You got some kids that have potential to play in the NBA," Hamilton said. 

"We ain't got time to talk about kids getting paid now, but you got agents and everything else right now telling you that, ‘Hey, you got to play this. You got to do this. You got to do that out on the floor.’ Everything's about players' brand, name, image and likeness. So, you got to be able to block all