Illinois Basketball: Evaluating the non-conference for Coleman Hawkins

After year one with the Illinois basketball team, I wasn’t sure what Coleman Hawkins’ role would be with the program this season.

Hawkins didn’t start a game as an Illini freshman, and he was only receiving 6.3 minutes per game. It was hard to gauge what his role would be, but you could tell Hawkins had the ability to be a good player sometime in the future.

Brad Underwood went into this season and had a clear game plan. He wanted to use Hawkins because of his size and athletic ability. So far, it has been a good move to give Hawkins more minutes. I plan on seeing him even more in Big Ten play.

Illinois basketball will continue using Hawkins at the No. 4 spot.

Hawkins is Learning

While Hawkins had received more minutes this season, it hasn’t always been an easy road. He has started 10 games but has struggled at times.

Hawkins started hot with three-straight double-digit scoring outings but has since cooled down. Over the past six games, he hasn’t hit double-digits and has seen a minutes reduction. This is all about the learning process, though.

I would imagine Hawkins will start getting used to the speed of the game. Underwood seems to be spoon-feeding Hawkins now with the minutes he receives. While the non-conference was a struggle, look for Hawkins to be ready for the Big Ten Tournament.

Hustle

Even when a player struggles, I want to see them hustle on the court. I want to see the player give it his all despite the chips being down.

Hawkins manages to do that for the Illini. He hasn’t played well but is still throwing his body all around the court. This has helped the program win games.

I also believe Hawkins’ hustle is the main reason he is still getting decent minutes. He is a turnover machine right now, but Hawkins is such a weapon, Underwood can’t keep him off the court.

Overall

I would say Hawkins’ non-conference is about what I expected coming into the season. I thought there was a decent chance he would see more playing time this year and he has.

Hawkins just needs to play a little more efficiently so he can keep earning more minutes. I love his shot and his length, but he is a little wild at times. Needless to say, the future is so bright with this kid.