Every Day Guys Exclusive | ‘I Just Wanted to be Different’: Hawkins’ Legacy Grows in Fourth Year With Program

He was known as Taylor, Ashley, and Bailey’s little brother, and for good reason. All three of his older sisters dominated every time they stepped foot on the court, starred on every team they played on, and earned opportunities to eventually compete at the college level.

He could always be found in the stands during their competitions, and he took advantage of any opportunity to shoot hoops during each stoppage in play. At every break, whether it was during halftime, a timeout, or before their games started, he would be “that one little kid running around trying to find a ball on the court to shoot with.”

He would frequently beg someone to play him in the backyard, but after growing accustomed to losing to his sisters when they competed one-on-one, it motivated him to get better.

Now, after years of being in his sisters’ shadows, he has made a name for himself. 

He’s a two-time Big Ten champion. He’s a Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year preseason watch list honoree. He’s one of four players in program history to record a triple-double.

He is Coleman Hawkins.

“They had a big impact on me, and I wanted to be just like them,” Hawkins said. “To see them go off to college, get a scholarship, get out of the city we're from, and just be different from everybody else was something that I really liked. They had a lot of influence on me.”

The youngest of four siblings, Hawkins began his basketball journey at a young age and followed in the footsteps of his father and his three older sisters, all of whom also played at the college level. It was in first grade that he remembers taking the sport seriously for the first time, and the rest is history.

“I've been playing for as long as I remember. I had a basketball hoop in my backyard. I would have a game every weekend, and that's when it became just a love for the game,” Hawkins said. “I grew up watching my sisters play. I knew my dad played. I loved the competitiveness of it. I always wanted to play. When I went to school, I was always playing during recess and playing with my friends. It’s just always been an interest of mine.”

Though basketball was always his clear favorite, Hawkins also tried playing soccer and baseball growing up, but he did not really like either sport. 

He lasted a year in soccer. He could kick the ball far, but he admittedly was not the most talented. 

When it came to baseball, however, he only lasted a couple days before calling it quits. He simply found the sport to be “super boring,” and he could not make the commitment to continue playing while not enjoying his time on the baseball diamond.

Football was a different story, though. Playing through his freshman year of high school, when he took the field at the quarterback position, Hawkins fell in love with the sport, and he blames his height – and early-morning practices – for bringing his football career to an end.

“I think about playing football all the time,” Hawkins said. “I love watching football. I love the Bears. Every time I watch it, I'm like, ‘Man, I miss playing football. It was so fun.’ When I got to high school, I got to play quarterback, and I thought I was pretty solid. If I was shorter, I think I would have definitely taken football more seriously.”

Instead, Hawkins focused solely on basketball starting his sophomore year of high school, which came at the same time as a significant realization: He was good enough to become the fourth kid in his family to play college hoops.

“It really hit me when my team started to recruit me to be on their AAU team,” Hawkins said. “That was when it really kind of hit me that there was a separation between me and everybody else I've known. I had the size and skill, and I was like, ‘I can do this at the Division-I level.’”

Oozing with confidence, Hawkins remembers hiring a social media guy to come film one of his high-school games. A sophomore on a team full of seniors, his teammates made fun of him, but it ultimately led to the next step in his basketball journey.

After the person he hired wrote an article and tagged Prolific Prep, a basketball academy in Northern California, Hawkins received interest from the school, and he ended up transferring there ahead of his junior season.

“It was definitely a big step for me, but it was a great experience and I got a great understanding of basketball,” Hawkins said. “I didn't think regular high school was going to do anything for me. That was what the jump was and that was what the goal was for Prolific Prep, which was to make me better, and I definitely think it did. I think it helped a lot.”

Leaving behind friends, family, and familiarity and moving about an hour from home to attend Prolific Prep, Hawkins adjusted fairly quickly to his new surroundings. While the distance grew between him and his best friend, Jaden Henderson, the pair stayed connected while continuing to embark on their respective basketball paths.

After the pair first connected in the summer before high school, they quickly grew close. Once Hawkins moved away, their friendship remained strong. Henderson continued to be one of Hawkins’ biggest supporters even though they no longer saw each other every day.

“The day we started hanging out and playing basketball together, I knew he was going to do big things with basketball based on how serious he took it,” Henderson said. “On the court, he would be super serious. It would just be a different Coleman: locked in, taking the game seriously, and making sure teammates were doing what they were supposed to be doing. It was kind of like a light switch once that ball got tipped up, which was pretty cool and good to see because you knew he took the game seriously.

“I knew that he would blow up. The potential he had, staying humble, and never being too high, that was always good to see. When he made that move to Prolific, I knew it was the best situation for him because he was getting better on the basketball court – strength-wise and weight room-wise – and playing with the best competition at a high level. I just wanted the best for him.”

While Prolific Prep served as his basketball program and academy, Hawkins continued his studies at Napa Christian, a small K-12 school with about 150 students. While the academic experience mirrored that of a normal high school, he was able to go to the gym and work out during his allotted lunch period, and he had access to a team house located right behind the school. Once the school day ended, Hawkins and his Prolific Prep teammates would then head to practice.

His senior year, Hawkins’ Prolific Prep squad finished its COVID-19-shortened campaign with a 31-3 record and was ranked as high as seventh in the nation by MaxPreps and ninth by ESPN. During that same season, his team actually made the trip to Champaign, where he recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Traveling all over the country during his time at Prolific Prep, Hawkins received offers from school from coast to coast. He ultimately chose Illinois, a school at which he felt most comfortable and connected. 

“I fell in love with the coaching staff and the culture of the guys. The guys were all connected,” Hawkins said. “The facilities, the atmosphere on campus, everything. In the airport, people were showing me love who were on the way to Champaign, and I was just a recruit. People were taking pictures with me as a recruit and little things like that. I knew the fan base was great. They showed a lot of love, so it was a little bit of everything.

“I just wanted to be different. I feel like a lot of people stay home a lot, and I wanted to get out and explore.”

Hawkins immediately joined a winning program, as the Fighting Illini secured a Big Ten Tournament title during his freshman season in 2021 despite the Sacramento native never cracking the starting lineup.

The following season, he made 14 starts and played a bigger role in Illinois’ road to a regular-season conference championship.

“That was very special,” Hawkins said. “The fans showed a lot of love. Knowing what our teams were capable of doing and having the power of winning was very special because we were a very powerful team in a great conference, so it meant a lot. 

“That experience has helped me a lot today. In drills and practice, I very rarely make mistakes. It was good to have that experience, especially with the older guys and guys like Ayo, Giorgi, Kofi, Trent. Those guys were great with their leadership.”

Playing in and starting all 33 games as a junior, Hawkins helped guide the Illini to their third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. But, after the best season of his collegiate career – which included 32.5 minutes, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game, all of which were both career-high and team-best marks – in 2022-23, he decided to test the NBA waters and pursue opportunities at the professional level.

Seeing his best friend’s journey, albeit mostly from afar, culminate in the opportunity to enter the NBA draft, Henderson could not have been prouder of Hawkins’ journey from Sacramento to the bright lights of the NBA.

“I was just so proud after seeing the ups and downs he had gone through during his college career,” Henderson said. “I know he was praying about it, seeing what was best for him and his family, what the best move was, and just keeping his head down and trying to stay focused.”

Growing up watching the NBA and hoping to eventually reach a point where he could compete among and against the best players in the world, Hawkins initially felt content with bringing his college career to a close after three years and chasing his dreams in professional basketball.

“Knowing who I played against and seeing the guys who had gone and declared, I felt comfortable with it,” Hawkins said. “I knew what I was capable of, who was in the draft, and the steps that needed to be taken. With the characteristics I had, I felt like I could be a pro.”

Hawkins eventually opted to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Champaign for his senior season, and he immediately earned national recognition by being one of 20 players named to the 2024 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award preseason watch list.

While he has strengthened his offensive abilities this offseason, Hawkins has become one of the top defenders not only in the Big Ten, but in the nation. Despite taking on a defensive identity for the Illini, he has not always been fond of that part of the game.

“In high school, I hated playing defense. I just liked the offense a lot, and I hated guarding people,” Hawkins said. “When I was mad, I liked guarding people, but I didn't really take pride in it. I think it's become more fun for me now, getting stops and getting steals, because it's a big part of the game at this level. I definitely have taken strides on defense, and it's definitely been something that I take pride in now.”

Developing his defensive identity on the court, Hawkins has also developed his identity off the court. He frequently attends local youth sporting events and stops to take photos and sign autographs any time someone asks.

After looking up to his sisters growing up, Hawkins has now become a role model in the local community, a position he does not take lightly. Hoping to inspire the next generation in any way he can, he loves giving back to those who always have his back.

“I think it's good to show support to the fans who are real ones and show support every night when you go out and play. It's about being someone who's trustworthy in the community and someone who gives back,” Hawkins said. “When I go to an event, people are greeted by you. You're not at an event to look like a celebrity; you're at an event to actually show support. I think it's very big for me to be able to give back and show that I care about a town and a place that shows me a bunch of love.

“As I'm getting older, people look at me now a lot more because I have a platform. I've experienced guys who blow people off or think they're too big time for this and that, but I have a feel and a consideration for people. I have an understanding of what people want, what people want to see, and what people care about. I don't view myself as anything bigger than anyone else. I just enjoy knowing the feeling that people look up to me.”

From watching his sisters on the sideline to playing in some of the most famous basketball arenas in the world, Hawkins has gone full circle over the course of his four-year career at Illinois. Whether he decides to pursue his NBA dreams in 2024 or 2025, he has cemented his legacy in Champaign.

He is Coleman Hawkins, a name he hopes Illini fans remember for years to come.

“I just want to be remembered as a guy who's appreciated,” Hawkins said. “I want to be a guy who people can remember like, ‘Oh, I remember meeting Coleman. He was a really good person.’ Basketball-wise, I just want to be a guy who people can be like, ‘I don't think we appreciated him while he was here, but looking back on it, he was a really big help for us.’”