K-State forward Coleman Hawkins is playing with a more severe injury than many assume
Coleman Hawkins is dealing with a more significant injury than anyone inside the Kansas State men’s basketball team has mentioned before.
The senior forward revealed on Friday that he fractured the tibia in his right leg nearly three weeks ago during a road game against Utah.
That setback forced him to miss the next three games, but he was able to return to the starting lineup earlier this week with a brace on his right knee. Despite playing with a bone fracture, he scored nine points, grabbed eight rebounds, and sent out three assists to help the Wildcats defeat the Cincinnati Bearcats 54-49.
He was not at full strength, but he managed to stay on the floor for 34 minutes.
“I want to play and I want to tough it out and try to finish the season as strong as we can,” Hawkins said afterward. “Regardless of the brace, I’m going to go out and play as hard as I can.”
No one should question his toughness after that performance.
Hawkins is on track to remain in the rotation when K-State hosts Iowa State on Saturday. But he is still not anywhere close to 100% healthy.
“I don’t think so,” Hawkins said. “I fractured my tibia, so there’s a little fracture in there and it was super swollen when it happened. When there is any kind of a bone break or a crack it takes about four-to-six weeks to heal. Luckily for me, the swelling has gone down, which has allowed me to be a little more mobile. I still feel a few clicks here and there when I hyper extend. That is when it gets me the most. But in about two weeks or so I should be 100%.”
In hindsight, it makes sense that K-State basketball coach Jerome Tang was in no rush to get Hawkins back on the court.
“He could shut it down and nobody would say anything about it,” Tang said last week. “He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Hawkins began his college basketball career at Illinois but spent this season with K-State on a NIL deal that was worth $2 million.
K-State fans have been slow to warm up to him, as he is averaging 10.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. But maybe they will respect him for playing hurt at the end of they year.
“It’s been a different type of season for me,” Hawkins said. “I feel like it’s been a learning lesson for me. I’ve been able to try to remain as positive as possible through a lot of stuff that’s been thrown around. It’s just been a unique one for me, something I haven’t really dealt with in my college career. It’s one that went by pretty fast. I think I will be able to learn from this season and move on and grow from it as a person and a basketball player.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 2:51 PM with the headline "K-State forward Coleman Hawkins is playing with a more severe injury than many assume."