Locked In

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Coleman Hawkins isn't ready to hang it up at Kansas State. The senior transfer from Sacramento, California, who has been a part of the 2024 Elite Eight team and four Big Ten Championships with the Fighting Illini, has played on big stages before. He believes the Wildcats have what it takes to do some damage in the Big 12 Tournament.

"My message to the guys at the start of this game was if there's any team in the country that can do it, it's us," Hawkins said inside the locker room following the 10^th-seeded Wildcats' 71-66 win over No. 15-seed Arizona State on Tuesday. "We have a tall task ahead of us, and we can be anybody in this league when we're locked in and ready to compete. We can truly beat anybody.

"Five games in five days are a lot, but when you go out and put that aside and just go out and play as hard as you can, you can accomplish anything, especially in March."

The 6-foot-10, 235-pound Hawkins accomplished plenty in his first Big 12 Tournament game, pouring in a season-high 26 points and adding eight rebounds as the Wildcats, 16-16, moved to a meeting against No. 7-seed Baylor at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Hawkins scored 19 points in the first half, starting off his night by hitting his first three 3-pointers, and proved to be a menace to Arizona State, 13-19, which played valiantly in battling back from a 14-point deficit to make things close down the stretch.

"I mean, when you go out and feel like any shot you shoot is going in, it's fun," said Hawkins, whose career high is 30 points last season against Iowa. "Of course, you get the crowd going. It's just fun to be locked in. It felt great. I feel like I really could've done it all year, but I was in my head a little too much with things going around social media, things like that, but I mean, that's the type of player I am, and I did it all last year, too.

"If you think it's a fluke, you can watch the tape. I feel like that's what I can do on a nightly basis. Tonight, I just went out and did it without hesitation."

Hawkins entered averaging 10.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.3 blocks this season. He has now scored in double figures in 16 games, including 11 of 18 games against Big 12 opponents. His previous season high was 20 points against then-No. 16 Cincinnati on December 30.

He shot 10-of-17 from the floor, including 4-of-9 on 3-point attempts, added two assists, one steal and two blocks against the Sun Devils.

Hawkins had his big night without wearing the protective knee brace on his right knee, which he had worn since returning from a bruised knee that shelved him for three games.

"I didn't do shootaround yesterday in it, and it was bothering me in the Iowa State game (on Saturday)," he said. "I didn't say anything to my trainer and I just kind of came in here and put on my leg sleeve, and he said, 'No brace tonight?' I said, 'No, I'm not.' He felt comfortable with it. Three weeks out (from the injury) and I feel fine.

"Just ice it and get it right, and I should be able to play tomorrow fine and the rest of the way."

Hawkins led three other teammates in double figures. Point guard Dug McDaniel scored 14 points and added five assists, guard Max Jones had 10 points and eight rebounds, and guard Brendan Hausen had 10 points as well.

McDaniel, a junior transfer from Michigan, said that he knew Hawkins had a big performance in him.

"Man, I mean, I played against him two years at Michigan, so I know what he's capable of," McDaniel said. "I didn't know when it was going to be, but it came at the right time, that game that we needed him to have."

Hawkins appears plenty eager to face Baylor, which beat K-State, 70-62, in Waco, Texas, on January 22. In that game, VJ Edgecombe showed why he was one of the nation's best freshmen by scoring a game-high 30 points in helping the Bears to overcome a 12-point second-half deficit for the victory.

Hawkins had eight points, nine rebounds and a team-high seven assists in 30 minutes of action in the contest.

"We could've beat them," Hawkins said. "They have a roster full of great players. We just have to do what we didn't do in that second half."

Hawkins has revenge on his mind.

"Just beating another team that we lost a game to that we felt like we should've won, that should prove that we're getting over these humps," he said. "We'll use that as motivation. After that, it's Texas Tech, and not to look ahead, but that's another opportunity to beat somebody we feel like we should've beat. Just another test to show we can get over these humps."

Asked where his fire comes from, Hawkins replied, "Just knowing that the season before just wasn't what we planned on."

"We can beat anybody in the country, I feel like," he continued. "Trying to make a statement, really. That's a good key for us. Just having the opportunity to win basketball games as well. Who wouldn't want to do that? That'll keep us motivated."

It assuredly keeps Hawkins hungry for more.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Brendan Hausen

Coleman Hawkins

Max Jones

Dug McDaniel

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