Coleman Hawkins (basketball)

Hawkins grew up in Antelope, California and initially attended Antelope High School. He transferred to Prolific Prep in Napa, California after his sophomore year. As a senior, he averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game, leading his team to a 31–3 record. Hawkins was rated a three-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for Illinois over offers from Rutgers, San Diego State, Marquette, and USC. ==College career==

Illinois Hawkins played in 25 games, all coming off the bench, during his freshman season at Illinois and averaged 1.4 points per game. He played in all 33 of the Fighting Illini's games with 14 starts during his sophomore season, averaging 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Hawkins entered his junior season as Illinois's starting power forward. On November 29, 2022, Hawkins recorded a 15-point, 10-assist, 10-rebound triple-double in a 73–44 win against Syracuse. This was the fifth triple-double by any player in Illinois history. He averaged 9.9 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game on the season. After the end of the season, Hawkins declared for the 2023 NBA draft while maintaining his eligibility. He later withdrew from the draft and returned to Illinois for his senior season. Kansas State Following his senior season, Hawkins again declared for the draft, forgoing his fifth year of eligibility he received thanks to the COVID pandemic. He later withdrew from the draft, while still intending to leave Illinois. On June 14, 2024, it was announced that Hawkins would be transferring to Kansas State for his fifth and final year. In his final year of eligibility, Hawkins was named Third-team All-Big 12 (2025). ==Professional career==

In 2025, Hawkins played for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Summer League. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Denver Nuggets on October 8 but was waived a day later. Hawkins ultimately landed with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. ==Career statistics==

Hawkins's father, Rodney Hawkins, played college basketball at San Diego State. His great uncle, Tom Hawkins, was an All-American basketball player at Notre Dame and played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for ten seasons. Hawkins is the youngest of nine children and three of his older sisters played basketball in college. ==References==