‘I missed playing’: Why Coleman Hawkins rushed back from injury to help Kansas State
Jerome Tang wanted to clarify one thing for Coleman Hawkins after he injured his right knee nearly three weeks ago.
He didn’t have to play another basketball game in a Kansas State uniform.
If the senior forward wanted to let his body heal and start preparing for his professional career rather than push himself to play at less than 100% as the Wildcats close out a mediocre season, he had permission to do so.
“He could shut it down and nobody would say anything about it,” Tang said earlier this week. “He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Hawkins appreciated those words from his head coach. But he had other plans.
That much was clear when Hawkins wore a brace on his right knee and played through pain during Kansas State’s 54-49 victory over Cincinnati on Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena.
Hawkins returned to the starting lineup and played a whopping 34 minutes after missing the previous games.
“I didn’t try to think too much about having a knee brace on,” Hawkins said on K-State radio afterward. “There were definitely some times where I felt limited, but that is what’s going to have to come with it. I want to play and I want to tough it out and try to finish the season as strong as we can. Regardless of the brace, I’m going to go out and play as hard as I can.”
Hawkins was so determined to get on the floor against Cincinnati that he insisted on playing his usual minutes.
He wanted no part of a minutes count. He was all in for his team.
“If I’m going to play, I’m going to play,” Hawkins said. “I don’t want to hear anything about a minute restriction. I don’t want coaches to keep asking, ‘How’s it feeling?’ I just want to go out and play, because otherwise that’s just more distractions. And that’s what I did tonight.”
K-State fans have been slow to warm up to Hawkins this season. At times, they have viewed him as an overpaid rental player ever since he transferred in from Illinois on a NIL contract that is worth $2 million. But everyone in EMAW nation had to tip their hats to Hawkins for what he accomplished against the Bearcats.
He scored nine points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists when his team badly needed him to make an impact. The Wildcats would not have won that game without him. Now that he is back in the lineup, there is hope that K-State (15-15, 9-10 Big 12) can finish out the season on a high note.
“It was great to have Coleman back,” Tang said. “It’s going to take a little bit to get him adjusted back to it, but it’s great to have him back.”
Hawkins understands why some might question his decision to finish out the season while he deals with an injury. Some may say K-State’s final games don’t matter, because the Wildcats are no longer in the mix for an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.
But these games matter to him.
“We want to finish out the best we can,” Hawkins said, “and make a push in the conference tournament and try to win it.”
Hawkins began pushing himself to get back on the court immediately after he suffered his injury during a road game against Utah.
His hard work is paying off.
“People don’t realize that when you’re hurt you do way more than the people who are playing,” Hawkins said. “I wasn’t just out there chilling. I was doing rehab all day. I was literally at the gym all day. On top of that, I was trying to get shots up. It was not very fun. But I missed playing. It’s a lot more fun when you come back and you get rewarded like this.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 9:56 AM with the headline "‘I missed playing’: Why Coleman Hawkins rushed back from injury to help Kansas State."