Coleman Hawkins (basketball)

Coleman Hawkins (born December 10, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Kansas State Wildcats of the Big 12 Conference. He previously played for the Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big Ten Conference.

Early life and high school career
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
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. 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.

Personal life
Hawkins' 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.