Coleman Hawkins’ college career is officially continuing. After entering his name in the NBA Draft this year and then entering the transfer portal as an insurance policy, Hawkins told The Athletic’s Shams Charania on Wednesday afternoon that he will return to school and transfer to a new program. The announcement comes as somewhat of a surprise for the Illini fan favorite, who only weeks ago doubled down on his intent to remain in the draft.
“I just feel like I’ve kind of outgrown college basketball,” said Hawkins at the NBA Combine on May 14.
Hawkins has completed multiple NBA team workouts since the NBA Combine concluded, including with the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks. He had told the media multiple times that he was looking for a team that would give him a guaranteed contract in order to stay in the draft. Ultimately, Hawkins likely did not hear what he wanted from NBA teams, and will now spend another year developing in college in order to improve his draft stock. Hawkins has already limited his school options, saying at the NBA Combine that he wouldn’t be open to joining programs in certain conferences.
“I would never play in the Big Ten again,” Hawkins said. “I wouldn’t play in the Big East.”
The 6-foot-10 forward recently completed his fourth season with the Illini and averaged 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds over 35 games, all of which he started. His combination of shooting, size, defensive IQ and ability to be an offensive facilitator will draw a very strong interest from multiple top college programs. Hawkins is expected to be one of the highest-paid NIL college basketball players during his final year of eligibility.
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