Hawkins, Shannon returns mark big day for Illini
Illinois power forward Coleman Hawkins is withdrawing from the NBA draft and going back to school for his senior season, he informed ESPN on Wednesday.
“The reasoning behind returning is just feeling more comfortable with the start of my NBA journey,” Hawkins said. “I would have been a draft pick, but relating to the agreements, two-way deals– nothing is ensured with those. Having another year of school would permit me to have a better start to my NBA profession, hopefully getting a first-round, ensured contract.”
The return of Hawkins– one of the most flexible big males in college basketball who led Illinois in rebounding, helps and blocks– caps off an important day for the Illini, who also saw their leading scorer, Terrence Shannon Jr., announce his intention to go back to Champaign.Hawkins, previously the
No. 54 prospect in ESPN’s draft rankings, fascinated NBA teams with his capability to start his team’s offense at 6-foot-10 on one end, defend point guards on the other and knock down 3-pointers when running off the ball, offering him distinct flexibility for the modern game.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Scouts will want to see him discover more consistency with his outdoors shot(28%on 3-pointers)
, continue to include bulk to his 224-pound frame and end up being a more constant player on both ends of the floor to ultimately deserve being a first-round choice in 2024, which Hawkins states is his objective for next season.” NBA teams say they want me to be more aggressive,”Hawkins said.”Teams have actually pointed out self-confidence. Playing with amnesia
. Forgetting about missed shots and just play my game. I am an elite shooter, however I didn’t show that in 2015, so being more constant with that will be very important. “Hawkins, the Illini’s third-leading scorer, will once again pair up with Shannon, who moved from Texas Tech last summer, for a second season at Illinois, wishing to develop on in 2015’s project in which the team went 11-9 in the Big Ten and lost in the preliminary of the NCAA tournament.The team also returns starting center Dain Dainja, flexible wing Ty Rodgers, shooter Luke Goode, combo guard Sencire Harris and attracted a number of transfers in Southern Illinois’Marcus
Domask, Oregon’s Quincy Guerrier and Utah Valley’s Justin Harmon, together with four-star freshmen Amani Hansberry and Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn. “I expect much better dynamics and a much better understanding of how we play, “Hawkins stated.” We’ll come together more as a team. Last year we had a great deal of brand-new guys, freshmen and young men.
We have a better idea now of how to win. The objective is to compete for another Huge Ten title, which would be my third one in 4 years here, that’s my objective.” Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft professional and the creator and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private searching and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and global teams.