Illini Announce Signing of 3-star PF Coleman Hawkins
After Coleman Hawkins showcased his skills to the Champaign area public the previous evening, he officially became the second member of Illinois’ 2020 recruiting class.
University of Illinois head coach Brad Underwood announced Saturday the signing of Hawkins to a National Letter-of-Intent. Hawkins signed his NLI Saturday afternoon at Papa Del's Pizza Factory in downtown Champaign.
Before officially signing with the Illini, Coleman treated Champaign to a show Friday night with 17 points and 10 rebounds as his Prolific Prep squad defeated St. Louis Christian Academy 107-82 at Champaign Centennial High School.
Hawkins, who is 6-foot-10 and 200 pounds, is in his second season at Prolific Prep where he’s averaging 12.4 points and 4.8 rebounds. He’s seen as a stretch forward prospect that will be able to preserve’s Underwood’s pace and space philosophy along with being able to step out and hit 3-point shots.
"We are excited to welcome Coleman Hawkins to the Illini family," Underwood said. "He is an extremely skilled, versatile player who will be a great fit in our system. He can stretch the floor with his shooting and passes it really well. But what excites us the most is how he can impact the game on the defensive end. His length and ability to cover will allow him to guard virtually any position on the court."
Hawkins’ father, Rodney, played college basketball at San Diego State in 1987-88 and has three older sisters with college basketball experience including Ashley, at Evansville from 2015-17.
Hawkins is ranked the No. 34 power forward by Rivals and No. 36 by 247Sports. He is among the top 25 recruits from the state of California, including No. 3 in Northern California by Prep Hoops, and is ranked No. 197 overall by 247Sports and No. 212 in the 247Sports Composite. He played for Dream Vision on the AAU circuit, averaging 7.5 points and four rebounds in the Adidas Gauntlet series.
Hawkins joins four-star point guard Andre Curbelo, who signed Wednesday, in the Illini’s 2020 recruiting class.
Illinois is expected to hear the commitment decision of Chicago Morgan Park guard Adam Miller, who is originally from Peoria, Thursday as the four-star guard announced on Twitter he’s narrowed down his choices to Illinois, Louisville and Arizona.