Staying True to Himself

By: D. Scott Fritchen

On a steamy Thursday afternoon in June, the day after the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, Coleman Hawkins steps out of the Kansas State basketball locker room and walks up a flight of stairs to the coaches' offices in the Ice Family Basketball Center. He attempts to punch a numerical code into the door lock pad to gain access to the long hallway leading to a spacious conference room.

He is denied. Twice.

"Shoot," he says. "I can't open the door."

Hawkins has been at Kansas State for less than 48 hours. K-State director of basketball operations Bailey Bachamp comes to the rescue, and Hawkins cranks open the heavy wood door and enters the coolness of the hallway, glancing briefly at a large can't-miss mural of K-State basketball greats upon a wall across from the conference room.

Hawkins is every bit of 6-foot-10 and wears tan slides, purple basketball shorts, and a gray T-shirt that across the chest reads "MHK" in white accompanied by a white Powercat. He slides into a black leather chair at the head of a conference table, which is adjacent to a wall-sized dry-erase board dripping with diagrams, slash marks, and Xs and Os. At the moment, he is a 22-year-old man-child inside Santa's workshop.

"Who is Coleman Hawkins?" he says, repeating a visitor's inquiry. "I feel like Coleman Hawkins is an individual who's very considerate of others, who isn't selfish, who always thinks about people first, and as a basketball player, he's an unselfish teammate who likes to get his teammates involved, likes to win, and is very competitive. He just wants to get better, dreams of being a better person and basketball player, and ultimately wants to accomplish as much as he can."

Hawkins is thoughtful and genuine and thorough. On the court, when healthy, he's a forward who can play virtually all areas on the floor, and who plays stellar defense. He was the last and best home run signee for K-State head coach Jerome Tang and staff, as the top remaining transfer and No. 21 overall transfer in the 2024 cycle committed to the Wildcats on June 14. His arrival comes after four impactful NCAA Tournament seasons at Illinois, where he became the first player in Illinois history to record 900 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 100 blocks in a career.

He and roommate Terrence Shannon Jr., (the 27^th overall pick in the NBA Draft), helped the Illini to the Elite Eight this past March. Hawkins was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection by The Associated Press after averaging 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 36.9% from 3-point range (59-of-160). All this despite playing with a left knee injury that nagged him throughout the season. Hawkins, who says he is currently at 220 pounds, adds that he is at 70% health right now as he sits inside the conference room and looks at his left knee, which should gain some relief from a platelet-rich plasma injection on July 9.

"That's probably an uncomfortable place to get a needle in your leg, right on the quad tendon," he says. "Right now, I feel like I'm at about 70% health, but after that shot and proper rehab and proper time off, I feel like I'll be at 100% quickly and I'll be at 100% before the season. I haven't been at 100% since my junior year.

"I'm super excited to see what that's like because I'll feel like a new person."

Hawkins put off NBA aspirations for a year in part because of the knee. He worked out for the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings and interviewed with the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks before opting to return to the college game.

"Really, I would've been drafted probably second round and worst-case scenario second round as a two-way," he says. "With my knee not being 100%, a lot of teams, they weren't worried because it was very common, but everyone was questioning how I'd get through summer league. Once you get drafted, you get right back to work. So, with my knee not being healthy, how would I go from doing all those workouts and flying in and out of the city and doing the 10-15 workouts and hearing my name get called and then fly to the city and start practicing and do summer league, and take a little break, and then you have to play a full season, you know?

"On that two-way, nothing is guaranteed. I felt like it wasn't a comfortable spot for me to truly start my NBA journey. We're talking worst-case scenario, too. I would've felt more comfortable if teams would've said, 'Look, we have you in this range and we're looking to give you a guaranteed contract,' but a lot of teams were saying they were looking at a two-way for me. I didn't want to put myself at a disadvantage with my knee."

When healthy, watch out.

"Basically, he's an All-Big 12 level player," says ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, who adds that he called four or five of Hawkins' games while at Illinois. "He's got great versatility for a big guy and can play both inside and outside. He's an excellent defender. He's capable of guarding all bigs in the Big 12 and some guards. He's one of the most versatile players in the league next year. He was an All-Big Ten player, and I expect him to be at that level for the Wildcats."

Exactly what can K-State and the Big 12 expect from Hawkins?

"Man, everything," says Jeff Goodman, co-founder of Field of 68, who spent time with Hawkins this past year. "That's the beauty of Coleman. He's entertaining everywhere. He can be that versatile big that NBA teams are looking for right now. He can do everything well. He can step out and make shots from 3. He can score around the basket. He can defend multiple guys. He has great energy.

"At times, he has to harness that energy, but Tang is the perfect guy because Tang has crazy energy, too. They might be a match made in heaven with their personalities."

Tang gave Hawkins a big hug when native of Sacramento, California, stepped out of a U-Haul in front of his new apartment adjacent to the basketball training facility after an eight-hour trek from Champaign, Illinois. From Hawkins' U-Haul emerged tub after tub of size-14 shoes. Hawkins says that he owns 50 pairs of basketball shoes (Kobe 5s and 6s are his favorites) and 50 pairs of "walk-around" shoes (Air Jordan 11 Retro Bred are his favorite).

"Once I got to college, I paid my rent with my scholarship check and whatever other money I had went toward shoes," Hawkins says. "Now I have the opportunity to go back and buy some shoes that I missed out on when I was younger, and I've taken advantage of that opportunity. I've always been a big fan of shoes. Just never had the true opportunity to purchase them."

Now through NIL, that isn't a problem. Hawkins might purchase elite shoes for life. And he'll score some baskets along the way.

"If he has the type of season I think he's capable of having," Tang says, "I think he can be a top-20 pick in the draft."

Hawkins sits inside the conference room incredulous over some of the selections in the first round of the NBA Draft while pondering his own prospects of walking across the state a year from now.

"Some questionable things, but I respect everyone who got drafted," he says. "Really, the way I look at it, if there was no such thing as NIL, I probably would've done it two years ago. I'm super grateful to be in those conversations, but I'm excited to see where I end up this next year and how everything plays out.

"I feel like I'm in a great situation to put me into an even better position for next year."

K-State Men's Basketball season tickets for the 2024-25 season are currently available, with prices starting at less than $18 per game. Fans can purchase now to see the Wildcats all year including matchups against KU, Iowa State, Houston, and conference newcomer Arizona by clicking here or calling 1-800-221-CATS.

Tang was associate head coach at Baylor the first time he saw Hawkins play basketball. Hawkins, a true freshman, had three rebounds and one block in five minutes as the Illini fell to Baylor, 82-69, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on December 2, 2020. Hawkins, a three-star recruit ranked No. 142 by Rivals and No. 156 by 247Sports, averaged 6.3 minutes in 25 appearances his freshman season.

"He played about five minutes against us, and I just remember the scouting report and watching him move at his size and I was like, 'Man,'" Tang says. "In our game, just the way he moved, and how hard he played, I thought, 'This young fella is going to be really good.'"

Shannon Jr. proved to be Hawkins' indirect tie to K-State. K-State associate coach Ulric Maligi coached Shannon Jr. when both were at Texas Tech. Maligi stayed in contact with the former Third Team All-Big 12 selection, who transferred to Illinois after three years with the Red Raiders.

"The relationship was there," Tang says. "Terrence always spoke highly of us."

Hawkins says that after he entered the transfer portal, Shannon Jr. began a group chat to acquaint Maligi and Hawkins.

"I didn't think anything of it," Hawkins says. "Terrence introduced me. Kind of everything played out with the draft, and I entered the portal as a safety net, and K-State became an actual serious interest and a serious spot to land. It was Terrence, him and Coach U came together, and Coach U introduced himself through Terrence. The rest is history."

Multiple schools showed interest in Hawkins.

"Since I'm here now, I'll say that UNC was actually one of those schools I was very interested in going to," Hawkins says. "They were at the top of the list for me as well, and they ended up getting a recruit and things didn't play out, so this was definitely an opportunity. Then Louisville visit got passed up. Obviously, things happened there. I came on my K-State visit and there were some other schools lined up, but I ended up cancelling the visit and rocking out here because I felt comfortable with everything and felt that they had a great blueprint and layout for what it takes to be successful.

"I think a lot of schools, I mean, from the start, a lot of schools were reaching out still and then I made it clear I didn't want to play in the Big East or the Big Ten again. That's when schools started fading out."

Meanwhile, purple-and-white shined as Hawkins and his father, Rodney, visited K-State just weeks ago.

"It was just a great 24-hour visit of showing him what a wonderful town we have, the facilities, and we had a family dinner at the house, and he could see how comfortable the players are around us as a staff," Tang says. "You could just feel that family environment. Obviously, the fans did their things, and they took off. We have the best fans, man. They're so engaging and so supportive and attentive. This is a terrific place to recruit to. If we make the playing field level and obviously NIL is a part of this thing, we can get the very best players in America, and they'll want to be here because it's such a terrific place."

Tang told Hawkins he didn't want to "pigeonhole" him into a position because, as Tang puts it, "He can play pretty much any position on the floor."

"I like to play big," Tang adds. "I just felt like we hadn't been a great defensive rebounding team in my two years here and size is going to help with that, and he can score, but he's not just a scorer. He makes people around him better and that's what I want him to do.

"Then there's his leadership. I think he's won four Big Ten championships and has been to an Elite Eight, so he's bringing that winner's mentality. His personality is really, really special. You just hear about how much his teammates love him and how he gets along with them. You could just get that sense being around him. He's also got a terrific IQ. He understands the game, so talking basketball with him was really refreshing."

Hawkins smiles while recalling sliding on the K-State jersey for the first time for a photoshoot during his visit.

"They definitely have some nice jerseys," Hawkins says. "I looked a lot better in purple than I expected. It was great. It was honestly kind of weird being in a different jersey and different colors, but I thought I looked pretty good in it."

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood once wore K-State colors, too, while playing under legendary Jack Hartman. Underwood also served on K-State coaching staffs under Bob Huggins and Frank Martin.

"Coach Underwood told me they had great facilities and a great coaching staff," Hawkins says. "He told me a little bit about Aggieville. He told me that the fans are going to love me. He had all great things to say, and he said his experience was great at K-State, too."

Tang hoped that Hawkins would commit to experiencing K-State basketball as well.

"I let him know he didn't need to worry or panic," Hawkins says. "Finally, I told him, 'Look Coach, you don't have to worry. I'll be coming here next year.' He was like, 'Wait, what?' I caught him off guard. It was kind of a funny story. I said, 'Coach, you don't have to worry.'"

Hawkins dreams. But basketball wasn't his first love. Although he was the tallest in his class, he grew up playing quarterback. But he soon caught the basketball bug. His father played college basketball at San Diego State (1987-88). His three older sisters all played college basketball as well: Ashley at Evansville (2015-17), Taylor at Wiley (Texas) (2017-18), and Bailey at Newman (Kansas) (2020-21) and Westcliff (California) (2022). Hawkins was the No. 4-ranked player in Northern California by Prep Hoops after helping Prolific Prep to a 31-3 record his senior season.

"I watched Kobe Bryant and wanted to play like Kevin Durant, seeing how fast paced and competitive professional basketball is," he says. "I went to Kings games when I was younger and although they weren't very good the opposing teams were good. It was always a fun thing to do and then it became a sense of reality late in high school, my senior year, so the NBA is definitely an amazing thing to strive for, and it'd be an amazing accomplishment."

Now it's seemingly within his reach.

"Look at what a guy like Terrence Shannon did in his fifth year," Goodman says. "He turned himself into a guaranteed first-round pick. That's the blueprint. Take another step. That's what Shannon did this past year. Work on the stuff you need to work on. Get healthy, number one, and figure out with the staff how they're going to approach it and get back to 100%. I think if Coleman is 100%, man, he's tough because he's switchable, he's so tough to defend, and again, he's a guy who you could put in there in any spot. He's more a natural four than anything else, but he can play some five and he's going to play some three at Kansas State, you know that."

Adds Fraschilla: "He's always stood out quite frankly as a potential NBA prospect and he's continuing to get better. I think he fits the culture that Jerome Tang has built so far in two years with his toughness and defense, and yet he's capable of getting 20 on any given night. I'd expect him to have a great season and be one of those five-year guys who hears his name called next year and potentially in the first round depending upon how his final season goes."

Last season, he became the first player in Illinois history to record 900 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 100 blocks in a career. He had a career-high 30 points and a game-high five assists and five steals against Iowa. He was the first Big Ten player since 2007 to record a stat line of a least 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, six steals and one block against Michigan. He had five 20-point games.

Ask Hawkins what he's proudest about in his career, and he goes back to the early days when he averaged just 6.3 minutes per game.

"What am I proudest of?" he says. "Sticking with Illinois for four years. Really early in my career, I was getting hammered on Twitter with fans talking crazy, reporters talking crazy, and for being someone who wasn't really talked about in our recruiting class, I ended up being a guy that people couldn't stop talking about. I think that's the biggest thing, is staying true to myself, and just being myself, and ultimately it worked out for me, and I'm a part of history, and I'm a part of something that can be talked about for a long time at Illinois.

"I feel like I've always been a patient guy and I'm not rushing to get to the NBA because that's not the goal. The goal is to get there and stay, not get there and in two years play overseas because I couldn't stay in the league. It's truly being patient and not really being like everybody else in chasing the one goal of getting there. I'm just patient."

Along the way, Hawkins could become one of the best players in the Big 12. But he isn't content.

"It feels good, but it isn't something I want to be satisfied about," he says. "I'd rather be one of the best players in the country. I know what the Big 12 is, and I know it's a monster basketball conference, so that's good to hear, but I don't want to get too hung up on that, especially early right now, because I'm going to have to play and play well."

Most importantly, though, he is secure in being himself.

"Really, it's just about me being me, and being me will put me past what people say, the negative things, and staying true to myself has led me to success," he says. "Standing on my principles and things like that have been great for me. I'm going to continue to do that. I'm going to continue to be respectful and continue to think about other people and just have fun with it. If they're hating on you for having fun, they're just haters.

"I'm always going to stay true to myself and that's just how I'm going to live."

Hawkins rises from his chair and heads down the hallway. For now, everything is new. The latest and greatest addition to a talented K-State roster might not yet know the code to enter the building, but he's learning each day, and he's on a mission.

Come basketball season, he intends on busting through doors in the Big 12.

And he will not be denied.

K-State Sports Extra will be off on Friday for the 4^th of July, but stay tuned next week for coverage from Las Vegas for Big 12 Media Days.

Kansas State University Athletics

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