Jerome Tang still has a spot to fill on his 2024-25 Kansas State basketball roster.
He could be saving the biggest piece of the puzzle for last.
Coleman Hawkins, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound power forward who spent the last four years at Illinois, will be in Manhattan this weekend after canceling a visit to Louisville, according to CBS Sports reporter Cameron Salerno.
Hawkins, who has a year of eligibility remaining, was Illinois’ third-leading scorer with 12.1 points per game and third-leading rebounder with 6.1 rebounds in 2023-24 — while leading the Illini in steals (1.5 ) and locks (1,1). He started all 68 games the past two seasons, averaging 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and a team-high 3.0 assists as a junior.
Illinois transfer Coleman Hawkins will no longer visit Louisville and will instead visit Kansas State this weekend, according to sources. Hawkins is one of the top transfers available. pic.twitter.com/nzRasUMt6i
-Cameron Salerno (@cameronsalerno1) June 7, 2024
Landing Hawkins, one of the top remaining players in the portal, would be a huge coup for Tang in his third season as head coach of the Wildcats. Although the current roster is 12 players, only three — forwards David N’Guessan, Taj Manning and Macaleab Rich — are back from a team that finished 19-15 overall, 8-10 in the Big 12 and lost in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.
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Tang added seven transfers from the portal and one from the junior college ranks. They include Michigan guard Dug McDaniel, Illinois-Chicago guard C.J. Jones, Villanova guard Brendan Hausen, Cal State Fullerton guard Max Jones, 6-11 Arkansas forward Baye Fall, versatile Samford forward of 6-9 Achor Achor, Kentucky 7-foot forward Ugonna Onyenso and Ellsworth (Iowa) Community College forward Chimobi Ikegwuruka.
Hawkins is the kind of big, jack-of-all-trades man Tang has tried to attract to Manhattan since he arrived two years ago. Not only can he score inside and defend the rim, but he also connected on 36.9% (59 of 160) of his 3-point attempts last season.
Hawkins is the only player in Illinois history to record at least 900 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 blocks and 100 steals in his career.
Arne Green lives in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett Network. He can be contacted at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared in the Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State Basketball will welcome Illinois transfer Coleman Hawkins
