Class of 2020 Coleman Hawkins taking big steps
RANKINGS: 2019 Rivals150 | 2019 Team rankings | 2019 Position rankings
If the latter part of junior forward Coleman Hawkins junior season is any indication, he is on his way to seeing his stock soar.
A native of Sacramento, Calif., Hawkins is a former Rivals150 member in the class of 2020 who has 6-foot-9 size and the ability to stretch defenses with his jump shooting. But, inconsistency over the summer and early part of the season caused him to drop in the rankings. Lately, though, Hawkins has been thriving at Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep and has really taken his game to an entirely new level.
"I've been working harder in practice and getting more touches with the ball so i can be comfortable making more plays," Hawkins said. "My teammates are starting find me more and (my success) has got a lot to do with my teammates. They trust me more and I've been hitting shots more.
"I feel like the little things about my move have been helping me out. They've taught me how to rebound more, get more physical, it's a battle every day in practice. My shooting has been better and it has been great playing with better players and putting in work with better players."
Hawkins listed offers from Washington State, Detroit, Illinois, USC, Rutgers, San Diego State and Arizona among others and he's done some early exploration of his recruitment.
"I've been on a lot of unofficial visits," said Hawkins. "I've been to almost every school in California. Illinois, I've been on an unofficial visit there and I'm really looking forward to getting out there and traveling and visiting other schools.
"(Illinois) was cool. I've got family in Chicago, so I was out in the area and the coaches called me up and told me they wanted me to visit and check out campus, so we drove down there and it was real cool."
This spring and summer, Hawkins will play his grassroots ball with Dream Vision on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit. Should he continue his play from the latter part of his junior year, he will move right back into the national rankings and attract more high major offers. He has a good feel of what he can do on the next level and is willing to leave the West Coast for the right place.
"I can see myself as a stretch four," said Hawkins. "Maybe I can play a little bit at the three. I'll play wherever the coach needs me.
"For me it's about the fit. I don't mind traveling for school. I'm a guy who could get out of my comfort zone. I live with a host family right now, so staying away from home, I don't have a problem with that."