Illinois' Coleman Hawkins Shows He Can Bring The Intangibles, Too

Coleman Hawkins was the Illinois Fighting Illini's third-leading scorer this season but can also do the dirty work

Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins had better offensive games throughout his career. 

On Friday, he was struggling in just about every facet. So he decided to impact the game in other ways. 

Hawkins turned into an intangibles player when the Illini needed it most. It helped them complete a 10-point, second-half comeback against Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament. 

"I think that shows who he is," Illini forward Ty Johnson said. "Like coach said earlier, he didn't have the best first half. But he stayed with us and we withstood. That's what our team is about, stepping up and helping our brothers ... He won the game for us. He had that big rebound. He had a big defensive play on Battle. That's what it's about, older guys, very mature. I think that speaks a lot about Coleman itself." 

In the last five minutes, Hawkins had two blocks and four rebounds, including three offensive. He also drew an offensive foul. 

“Those were winning plays, and those are plays that you have to make this time of year," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. "There’s no doubt those were the decisive moments in this game. For a senior to step up and do that says a lot, especially not on his best night. But Coleman wanted to keep playing here.”

The Illini play Nebraska today in the semifinals at the Target Center. The winner will play either Wisconsin or Purdue in the championship Sunday. 

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Illini Now. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com