Colemand Hawkins has been a productive four-year contributor within the entrance court docket for the Illinois Combating Illini. After testing the NBA Draft waters every of the final two years, Hawkins is prepared for the following step of his carer, nevertheless it doesn’t contain turning professional or returning to the Illini.
Hawkins has dedicated to Kansas State within the switch portal, based on NBA insider Shams Charania. Hawkins is signing a $2 million cope with Kansas State’s NIL collective, which is imagine 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 12 months, 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 by means of their NIL collective earlier this offseason. It’s exceptional the way in which the numbers proceed to rise. Indiana’s $1 million deal to massive 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 determination. It’s simple to grasp why Kansas State thought he was so useful. Hawkins is without doubt one of the finest floor-spacing massive males in faculty basketball. At 6’10, he he hit 36.9 % of his three-pointers on 160 makes an attempt this season. He ended the 12 months averaging 12.1 factors, 6.1 rebounds, and a pair of.7 assists per recreation. Hawkins might not be the kind of extremely bodily massive man we’re used to seeing in faculty basketball, however his potential to open up driving lanes for his teammates, deal with the ball on the perimeter, and make some dwell dribble passing reads makes him a lot extra useful than his numbers may in any other case point out.
Kansas State has hit the portal laborious this offseason, within the course of possible spending an enormous sum of money. The Wildcats have additionally introduced in former Kentucky massive 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 event final season. In 2023, the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight behind the loaded switch class. After combating off suitors for head coach Jerome Tang all offseason, the Wildcats have paid up and are able to play ball.
