Came Here for a Reason

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang tells a story. He tells a story about Coleman Hawkins. He tells a story about Hawkins visiting him at home, and how they speak now and again, and how Hawkins turns to him and says, "Coach, I came here to do something special." And Tang nods his head. He knows. For all the many great attributes of Hawkins — "He's funny, he's caring, he's a terrific kid and he cares," Tang says — if there is one single flaw, Tang says, it's that Hawkins can care too much. But Hawkins knows full well about winning, and about being on league championship teams, and about making a dream or two come true.

Which is what Coleman envisions for K-State. The same K-State team that started out the season with a 6-5 record, the same K-State team that people counted out, the same K-State team that doubters mocked, passed an important Big 12 Conference-opening test in a 70-67 win over No. 16 Cincinnati at Bramlage Coliseum.

On a night that point guard Dug McDaniel emphatically proved himself as leader, the 6-foot-10, 235-pound Hawkins made an important statement in his first Big 12 game. His 20 points marked his most as a Wildcat. His 10 rebounds gave him his second double-double as a Wildcat. His three assists and four steals demonstrated once again the God-given versatility that can make him the most dangerous player on the floor.

"If we keep using him the right way," McDaniel says, "we'll go very far."

But at the moment, Hawkins is walking, yet almost literally floating, off the court at Bramlage. The final buzzer sounded just a minute ago, and the marching band blared "Wabash" and Tang joined the festivities in the student section, and K-State players began their walk around the arena, slapping hands with fans, and Hawkins has his arms jetting above his head, his head back, a wide-open smile, and the crowd is losing its mind cheering and applauding his gesture on his way toward the home locker room.

And that about summarizes the night for Hawkins: He was a star.

"It felt like," he says, "I got a little bit more trust from the fans now."

Hawkins entered the night averaging 9.2 points while leading the team with 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, and for all of his unselfishness in wanting to get his teammates involved, this Big 12 opener had to be his time to shine, to be more aggressive, to emerge as that primary scorer.

Mission accomplished.

"We stressed that to him the last few days, what we needed from him, so I was proud of him being aggressive the way he was aggressive," Tang says. "Now it'll open up other things for other people. That's what we need from him. I'm so very proud of Coleman."

Time and time again, we saw Hawkins' turnaround midrange floater that appears nearly unblockable, was saw him back down defenders, swivel and deliver a one-hander off the glass, saw him square-up and hit 3-pointers, we saw his skill as a dribbler and as a distributor inside the paint.

Once, he hit a beautiful step-back NBA 3-pointer over 6-foot-8 Simas Lukosius from up top for a 31-27 lead with 42 seconds remaining in the first half. He retreated down the court with a little wiggle, a little swag to his shoulders, and boasted a little grin, showing much confidence that this was a new night, a new game, and a new life in this powerful Big 12.

"It was pretty fun tonight," he says. "It felt good, especially when the shots are going in. It's amazing what five days off for Christmas will do. Clear your head, come back ready to play."

Of course, everybody was curious how this would turn out. K-State came off three losses to close its non-conference season. Hawkins scored 9, 16, and 6 points in losses at St. John's, against Drake (in Kansas City), and at Wichita State. A break, he believed, would do him — and the team — good.

"The break was great for us, but our mindset has just been being 0-0 coming into conference play," he says. "That's where we're going to try to make the most noise and play extremely hard no matter where the location is. Every night we step on the court, whether it's a road game or a hostile environment, preseason has prepared us for that, but conference play is where we can really put a stamp on things and come together as a team.

"Our non-conference doesn't define us."

On Monday in Bramlage, there was no hostility, only love. And Hawkins capped it by gesturing toward fans as he headed toward the locker room with his arms raised and wearing a smile the size of Topeka.

"I was happy to get a big win, and I was happy they supported us," he says. "They were great for us tonight. I just wanted to show them some love."

Now comes the turnaround, as K-State prepares for back-to-back road games at TCU and at Oklahoma State. Two more opportunities for Hawkins and the Wildcats to show their aggressiveness. Two more opportunities to show the college basketball world what the Wildcats are really about in 2024-25.

"It's good to get the first win, but it's cool being the hunters and not the hunted," Hawkins says. "I've been on teams that are supposed to be the best in the league and every night is the other team's Super Bowl. We're just going to go out and play hard against whoever we play, and we feel like we can beat anybody."

It all goes back to Tang's home. It all goes back to Tang sitting with Hawkins. And it all goes back to what Hawkins tells his head coach.

Hawkins came here for a reason.

He came here to do something special.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Coleman Hawkins

Dug McDaniel

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