Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Texas

4. Coleman Hawkins is such a rare player

I wasn’t overly impressed by the scoring ability of Coleman Hawkins against Texas. He had a middle-of-the-road game when it came to putting the ball in the hoop.

Hawkins would finish with nine points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 from three-point range. If you just look at the scoring, you would glaze over the impact Hawkins has on the Illinois basketball program.

I have never seen a 6-foot-10 player for Illinois move and be able to do everything on the basketball court like Hawkins. Yes, he only had nine points, but he also added seven rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. He is able to guard on the perimeter, and when someone tries to drive in the lane, Hawkins has the discipline to keep his arms straight up and block shots.

Another thing I love about Hawkins is the fact that he isn’t a stagnant player. This kid moves around the court and is always trying to make plays. He has the ability to bring the ball up the court like a point guard. Hawkins also has the vision of a ball distributor.

Early in the game, Hawkins was at the top of the key and made a skip pass in the lane to no one. It ended up being a turnover, but you could tell that Skyy Clark was supposed to be where that ball ended up.

Later on in the game, Illinois ran the same play with Hawkins at the top of the key again. This time, instead of Clark turning right and going into the motion rotation, he turned left into the lane. Hawkins hit him with the great skip pass from earlier, and this led to points.

Hawkins is a special player for this Illini program. He can literally play every position on the court. This isn’t just great for Illinois, but it is also exactly what NBA scouts are looking for in a player. Let’s enjoy what we are watching because I believe this is the last season we see Hawkins in Champaign.