Basketball
Kansas State basketball to entertain Illinois transfer Coleman Hawkins on weekend visit
Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang talks about recruiting
Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang talks about recruiting during a Catbacker Tour event last month in Manhattan.
Jerome Tang has one slot left to fill his 2024-25 Kansas State basketball roster.
He could be saving the biggest piece of the puzzle for last.
Coleman Hawkins, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound power forward who spent the past four years at Illinois, will be in Manhattan this weekend after cancelling a visit to Louisville, according to CBS Sports reporter Cameron Salerno.
Hawkins, who has one year of eligibility left, was Illinois’ third-leading scorer with 12.1 points per game and No. 3 rebounder at 6.1 boards in 2023-24 — while leading the Illini in both steals (1.5) and blocks (1.1). He started all 68 games over the past two seasons, averaging 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and a team-best 3.0 assists as a junior.
Landing Hawkins, one of the top remaining players in the portal, would be a major coup for Tang heading into his third season as Wildcats coach. While the current roster stands at 12 players, only three — forwards David N’Guessan, Taj Manning and Macaleab Rich — are back from a team that finished 19-15 overall, 8-10 in the Big 12 and lost in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.
Related: Jacob Pullen headlines 2024 Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame class
Related: Kansas State basketball adds junior college All-American forward to 2024-25 roster
Tang has added seven transfers from the portal and one from the junior college ranks. They include Michigan point guard Dug McDaniel, Illinois-Chicago guard CJ Jones, Villanova guard Brendan Hausen, Cal State Fullerton guard Max Jones, 6-11 Arkansas forward Baye Fall, versatile 6-9 Samford forward Achor Achor, Kentucky 7-footer Ugonna Onyenso and Ellsworth (Iowa) Community College forward Chimobi Ikegwuruka.
Hawkins is the type of do-it-all big man Tang has tried to lure to Manhattan since arriving two years ago. Not only can he score inside, and defend the rim, but he knocked down 36.9% (59 of 160) of his 3-point attempts last season.
Hawkins is the only player in Illinois history to register at least 900 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 blocks and 100 steals for his career.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
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