Coleman Hawkins urges fans not to panic about his slow start with K-State basketball
Coleman Hawkins understands why Kansas State basketball fans are disappointed with him.
The senior forward has not played up to expectations in his first four games with the Wildcats, and he is not hiding from that fact.
“If I’m being honest, I’m a little too hard on myself, but personally I would give myself an F,” Hawkins said on Tuesday after an uninspiring 74-56 victory over Mississippi Valley State. “I know some of the fans that were booing would probably give me an F, too. But it will only get better from here as long as everyone stays patient. I wouldn’t panic.”
Much was expected of Hawkins when he decided to finish his college basketball career at K-State after four productive seasons at Illinois. The Wildcats lured him to Manhattan with an NIL package worth $2 million, which makes him one of the highest-paid players in the country.
K-State coach Jerome Tang touted him as the final piece of a roster with enough talent to compete for a Big 12 championship.
In time, maybe that confidence will be proven true. But Hawkins has not delivered in his first four starts. So far, the 6-foot-10 big man is averaging 6.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in a K-State uniform. His scoring numbers have been much lower than expected. On Tuesday, he finished with just two points on 11 shots against the Delta Devils.
He deserves credit for playing hard and grabbing 13 rebounds in that game. But he has failed to reach double figures in all but one game this season.
His low numbers and high NIL deal have made him an easy target for critics.
Tang is quick to defend Hawkins, though.
“He shot the ball better this week than he had up to that point,” Tang said. “So him missing layups was all right. Well, not all right, but it didn’t bother me because he got us 13 rebounds and seven or more offensive rebounds. He hadn’t done that all year long, so it’s been a point of emphasis.
“He’s going to be all right. He still got assists for us. He still made good plays. He had more deflections than anybody else. So I’m OK with him. I’m glad he cares.”
Hawkins is confident that better days are on the horizon.
He took most of the summer off because of an injury, and he feels like that has contributed to his slow start. Playing games away from Bramlage Coliseum could also help him break out of his scoring slump. Hawkins has twice complained this season that the rims inside his home gym too tight for his liking.
K-State’s $2 million man also points out that he got off to a slow start for Illinois last year, and didn’t score more than nine points in a game until Dec. 9. As the season went on, he topped 20 points in four games and even reached 30 in a win over Iowa.
He is hoping for similar improvement this year.
“I’m putting too much pressure on myself to perform at a high level,” Hawkins said. “But I’m not too worried. I know I will pick things up.”