KC Sumner guard to join Jayhawks

By Gary Bedore     Nov 9, 2000

Jeff Hawkins is a future Kansas University men’s basketball player.

Hawkins, a 5-foot-11 senior point guard out of Kansas City Sumner, on Wednesday verbally committed to KU’s team.

Hawkins will red-shirt next season, then receive a scholarship the following four years.

“I look at it as a positive,” said Hawkins, who averaged 17.7 points and 3.7 steals his junior year for Class 4A state champion Sumner. “I still get to practice with the team next year, get stronger and get a feel for college. There’s only one negative, I don’t get to play in the games.”

Hawkins would have received a scholarship this year, but his scholarship went to Aaron Miles, 6-1 of Portland.

“I had a meeting with coach Williams in his office after the first exhibition game. He said if Miles doesn’t come, I am on scholarship. If Miles comes, I’m on scholarship after my red-shirt year.

“We will be in different classes. If Aaron Miles stays four years, I still would have a year as a starter,” Hawkins said. “I will practice my hardest against him every day and it’ll make me a better player.”

Hawkins is the kind of person Williams wants in his program. He’s a good student and has qualified academically.

“Coach Williams told me it’s a good situation when the head coach likes you and I guess he likes me,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins made just one other campus visit first semester to Indiana State.

“Some people are saying, ‘You should go somewhere else and get the scholarship the first year.’ A lot of people don’t understand. They were not sitting in the room like I was. I think Roy Williams is a great guy.”

Hawkins will room with Leavenworth High’s Wayne Simien at KU. Simien is a signee in this recruiting class.

“I told Wayne about this after the first game. I told him not to tell anybody,” Hawkins said. “He was pretty happy for me.

What does Hawkins bring to the table?

“I still have a lot of room for improvement,” he said. “I will work on driving and hitting the boards more. I can always get better and that’s my goal,” Hawkins said.

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