Coleman Hawkins has repeatedly expressed that he has no hard feelings toward the Illinois basketball program or fans.

Even though he transferred to Kansas State in the offseason, Hawkins will always have a special place in his heart for the Illini, which he recently talked about during an appearance on the Sleepers podcast.

“I’m glad I stayed at Illinois for four years,” Hawkins said. “People can hate me and say there’s no loyalty. But I graduated. I graduated from Illinois. I’m still going to support Illinois.”

Hawkins considered entering the NBA draft after completing his final season at Illinois. After withdrawing, he became one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal, and was eligible for another year due to the NCAA’s Covid-19 exemption.

Although returning for another year with the Illini was never in the cards, he said it was simply time to move on. Regardless, Hawkins was one of the most popular players in the program’s history, helping the Illini reach the Elite Eight last year.

“At the end of the day, it was a business decision,” Hawkins said. “If I were a college coach, I’m sure no one would criticize him. College coaches do that all the time. Eventually, I grew out of it.”

Shandel Richardson is the editor of Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. He can be reached at [email protected]

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