Colemand Hawkins has been a productive four-year contributor within the entrance courtroom for the Illinois Preventing Illini. After testing the NBA Draft waters every of the final two years, Hawkins is prepared for the subsequent step of his carer, but it surely doesn’t contain turning professional or returning to the Illini.
Hawkins has dedicated to Kansas State within the switch portal, in accordance with NBA insider Shams Charania. Hawkins is signing a $2 million cope with Kansas State’s NIL collective, which is consider to be the richest deal for a switch within the historical past of the portal.
Sources: Illinois switch Coleman Hawkins – a 6-foot-10 F – has dedicated to play for Kansas State in what’s believed to be essentially the most profitable faculty basketball NIL deal ($2 million) negotiated from a collective by Nate Conley of Court docket XIV and Aaron Turner of Verus Basketball.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 14, 2024
This isn’t the primary $2 million deal we’ve seen the switch portal this yr, and the place the quantity formally is available in — if it’s ever made public — will decide that. Regardless, the bar has been set for switch portal cash in 2024, and it’s solely going up from right here.
The Washington Huskies additionally agreed to a $2 million cope with former Utah State ahead Nice Osobor via their NIL collective earlier this offseason. It’s exceptional the way in which the numbers proceed to rise. Indiana’s $1 million deal to huge man Oumar Ballo set the bar earlier within the offseason. Arkansas adopted it by signing Florida Atlantic switch Johnell Davis to a $1 million deal.
Hawkins has seemingly come out forward by delaying his choice. It’s straightforward to know why Kansas State thought he was so worthwhile. Hawkins is likely one of the finest floor-spacing huge males in faculty basketball. At 6’10, he he hit 36.9 p.c of his three-pointers on 160 makes an attempt this season. He ended the yr averaging 12.1 factors, 6.1 rebounds, and a pair of.7 assists per sport. Hawkins is probably not the kind of extremely bodily huge man we’re used to seeing in faculty basketball, however his skill to open up driving lanes for his teammates, deal with the ball on the perimeter, and make some reside dribble passing reads makes him a lot extra worthwhile than his numbers would possibly in any other case point out.
Kansas State has hit the portal arduous this offseason, within the course of possible spending an enormous sum of money. The Wildcats have additionally introduced in former Kentucky huge man Ugonna Onyenso, former Michigan guard Dug McDaniel, Arkansas’ Baye Fall, Samford’s Achor Achor, Villanova’s Brendan Hausen, UIC’s CJ Jones, and JUCO All-American Mobi Ikegwuruka.
Kansas State went 19-15 and missed the match final season. In 2023, the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight behind the loaded switch class. After preventing off suitors for head coach Jerome Tang all offseason, the Wildcats have paid up and are able to play ball.
