Top UNC Basketball Transfer Target: Carolina Blue 'Makes My Eyes Pop'
![UNC basketball transfer target Coleman Hawkins UNC basketball transfer target Coleman Hawkins](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5099,h_2868,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_tar_heels/01hxmb2htsz1hszrwch7.jpg)
Coleman Hawkins remains an early NBA Draft entrant following his steady development across four years at Illinois, where the 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward landed All-Big Ten Third Team honors as a senior this past season. But should he decide to withdraw his name by the May 29 deadline and employ his extra year of college eligibility, it's becoming more and more evident that UNC basketball would be in the mix for his services.
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It's no secret the Tar Heels have significant roles up for grabs in the post in light of Harrison Ingram's status as an early draft entrant and Armando Bacot's exhausted eligibility. And there's no doubt Hawkins, fresh off averaging 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks for a Fighting Illini bunch that finished 29-9 overall and reached the Elite Eight, has the all-around skillset that UNC desires down low.
Meanwhile, Hawkins sure seems keen on the idea of potentially suiting up for the Tar Heels.
On Friday, the former three-star prep, now a four-star transfer sitting No. 24 overall on the 247Sports portal rankings, engaged in debate on social media about whether Carolina blue is "a good look" on him or not after encountering a post containing photoshopped graphics of him in a Tar Heel jersey:
Oh wow 🤣 https://t.co/Wi6WpdxJqv
— Coleman Hawkins (@colehawk23) May 10, 2024
An Illinois fan opined in the comments that it isn't a good look, to which the 22-year-old Hawkins hilariously disagreed: "Really Kevin? I thought it made my eyes pop a little bit more."
Really Kevin ? I thought it made my eyes pop a little bit more https://t.co/4tJPmBsiSH
— Coleman Hawkins (@colehawk23) May 11, 2024
No 247Sports insiders have entered a prediction for the Coleman Hawkins sweepstakes. Again, some expect to him to remain in the NBA Draft as a projected second-rounder.
However, CBS Sports' Matt Norlander noted earlier this week that he believes Hawkins is more likely to return to college, naming UNC, Arkansas, Louisville, and Kansas State as the suitors to watch.
As things stand, former sharpshooting Belmont wing Cade Tyson, a rising junior, is the Tar Heels' only addition through the transfer portal this offseason. UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis and his gang have three open scholarships, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will look to fill all of them.
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Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI for more UNC basketball news.