Coleman Hawkins Is Changing The Narrative During Kansas State's Win Streak

Coleman Hawkins has seemingly redeemed himself over the Wildcats' last three games.

Iowa State Cyclones guard Keshon Gilbert (10) shoots the ball as Kansas State Wildcats' forward Coleman Hawkins (33) attempts to block during the second half in the Big-12 men’s basketball showdown at Hilton Coliseum on Feb 1, 2025 in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins was scrutinized amidst Kansas State's six-game losing streak.

But amidst Kansas State's dominant turn, the conversations are starting to shift. Hawkins is averaging 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.7 steals in his last three games. His scoring average has slowly increased, while his other statistics remain consistent.

.@KStateMBB's Coleman Hawkins (@colehawk23) is one of 5 Division I players to lead his team in rebounding, assists, blocks and steals.

He is the only player in Division I averaging at least 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game this season.

— KStateStatsInfo (@KStateStatsInfo) February 3, 2025

As one of the highest-paid players in college basketball, Hawkins was naturally under heavy criticism from fans and analysts. The disappointing start to the season had many pointing the finger at him amidst underwhelming performances. He and his teammates have redeemed themselves by playing the best basketball in the nation over the past week.

Coleman Hawkins is good at basketball pic.twitter.com/I4pwMEM1Zs

— Wildcat Frank (@WildcatFrank69) February 4, 2025

Kansas State dominated West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and No. 3 Iowa State in its last three games to end a six-game losing streak. While the team still needs to improve to make the postseason, the recent turnaround signals that things are trending in the right direction.

"Coleman Hawkins with another amazing performance," one user tweeted. "Continuing to perform at an elite level in conference play. He is 100% a pro with his unique skill set at 6’10."

Coleman Hawkins with another amazing performance.

Continuing to perform at an elite level in conference play.

He is 100% a pro with his unique skill set at 6’10. pic.twitter.com/XoBDvxgHrw

— Colemans Burner (@colemansburner) February 1, 2025

Hawkins invites the challenge of playing on the road, especially after ending Kansas State's 15-game road losing streak.

"I truly love playing on the road for games like this and moments like this," Hawkins said. "To see 14,000 people show up and 100 of them are cheering for us, to go in and beat somebody at their place, it's a really exciting feeling."

Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.