By ADAM ZAGORIA
Coleman Hawkins, the 6-foot-10, 205-pound forward from Prolific Prep (CA), committed to Illinois on Saturday, he told ZAGSBLOG.
Ranked the No. 38 power forward in the Class of 2020 by 247Sports.com, Hawkins visited Illinois Sept. 13. He also considered Rutgers, San Diego State. He cancelled visits to Marquette and USC.
“I’ll be attending the University of Illinois,” he said by phone. “I recently did my official visit and from the moment I got there, I felt super welcome. When I got off the plane, somebody asked, ‘Are you Coleman Hawkins?’ Plenty of love.
“The coaching staff is really cool. I felt really connected with them. The players are just super cool to hang out with, and no one was big time or anything. The players welcomed you, the fans welcome you. There’s plenty of activity going on on campus. The Big Ten is a great conference to play in,”
Hawkins is the first commit for head coach Brad Underwood and his staff for 2020.
They want me to “make plays for other people, push the ball up the floor, shoot threes, stretch out the defense. The length that we’ll have will be great.
Prolific Prep director Philippe Doherty said Hawkins has “as high a ceiling as any power forward in the country because his two best skills are in high demand these days with the game of basketball.
“He can really shoot and is a very good passer,” he added. “Couple those skills with his 6-foot-10 height and his game translates to both the college level and pro level.
“If Coleman continues to get stronger then there won’t be a program in the country that would not want him. The icing on the cake for Coleman is his family. He has two very intelligent and focused parents who are very supportive and have raised him extremely well. It also helps he has three older sisters who all played college basketball.
Said Hawkins: “I am a great team player. I make good passes. I can stretch the floor and shoot threes. I’m long so I can guard multiple positions and I’m a good shot blocker and a decent rebounder.”
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