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Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang already believed he had a winning hand, but he wanted a full house.
On Friday he got it by landing 6-foot-10 former Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins, who announced that he will complete his college career next season at K-State.
With the addition of Hawkins, widely regarded as the top remaining player in the transfer portal, Tang finally has a full 13-man roster heading into the 2024-25 season. Hawkins averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals last year for the Illini.
K-State went hard after Hawkins after he withdrew from the NBA Draft, and apparently won him over during a campus visit earlier this week. He originally had a trip to Louisville planned but chose Manhattan instead.
The decision proved to be a lucrative one for Hawkins, who according to reporter Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, got a $2 million NIL deal from Wildcats. K-State had assured Tang earlier this year when he was courted by Arkansas for its coaching vacancy, that it would commit to a bump in NIL funding.
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Former Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins (33) has committed to finish his career next season at Kansas State. The addition of Hawkins completes the Wildcats’ 13-man roster for 2024-25.
The month of June proved to be a fruitful one for Tang and the Wildcats, who 10 days earlier landed former Kentucky 7-footer Ugonna Onyenso after he also withdrew from the draft. Those two, along with versatile 6-9 forward Achor Achor from Samford, 6-11 Arkansas transfer Baye Fall, and returning super-senior forward Davin N’Guessan, should provide a major frontcourt upgrade over last year.
Last month during a Catbacker event in Manhattan, Tang still had two spots to fill, indicating that they would determine whether the Wildcats were a good team or a great one.
“Obviously when you have 11,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kansas-state-basketball-nabs-illinois-172806206.html
Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal
Publish date : 2024-06-14 17:28:06
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