Hawkins Named Preseason Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Year

The senior transfer is the first Wildcat to earn the preseason honor.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (K-State Athletics) – Kansas State senior transfer Coleman Hawkins has been named the Preseason Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Year by the league coaches, as the Big 12 announced its annual preseason poll and all-conference teams on Thursday (Oct. 10).

Hawkins, who earned All-Big Ten honors at Illinois in 2023-24, was selected for the preseason honor alongside Baylor’s Jeremy Roach. Hawkins was also named to the preseason All-Big 12 Second Team by the league coaches, joining Baylor’s Norchad Omier and Roach, Iowa State’s Keshon Gilbert and Kansas’ Dajuan Harris.

Hunter Dickinson of preseason favorite Kansas was named the Preseason Player of the Year, while Baylor’s V.J. Edgecombe was tabbed as the Freshman of the Year. Dickinson was joined on the Preseason All-Big 12 First Team by Arizona’s Caleb Love, Houston’s L.J. Cryer and J’Wan Roberts and Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey.

K-State was picked eighth in the new 16-team preseason poll with 133 points, just two points behind seventh-place Texas Tech and 17 points ahead of ninth-place BYU.

Kansas was picked first with 215 points and nine first-place votes followed by closely by reigning champion Houston (211, five first-place votes), third-place Iowa State (194, one first-place vote), fourth-place Baylor (185) and fifth-place Arizona (179 points, one first-place vote).

The rest of the preseason poll included Cincinnati in sixth with 140 followed by Texas Tech, K-State, BYU, TCU, UCF, Arizona State, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Colorado and Utah.

Hawkins is the first Wildcat to be selected as the Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and the fourth to be chosen for a preseason player honor, joining Michael Beasley (2007-08 Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year), Jacob Pullen (2010-11 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year) and Dean Wade (2018-19 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year).

Hawkins is also the first Wildcat to earn selection to one of the main preseason all-conference teams by the league coaches since Barry Brown Jr. and Dean Wade in 2018-19. He is one of eight players in school history to be chosen for preseason all-conference honors dating to Manny Dies in 1998-99. Others include Pullen and Curtis Kelly in 2010-11, Rodney McGruder in 2012-13 and Marcus Foster in 2014-15.

Arthur Kaluma and Tylor Perry were honorable mention preseason All-Big 12 picks in 2023-24.

Hawkins was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2023-24 after averaging a career-high 12.1 points per game for the Fighting Illini while posting career-bests for field goal percentage (45.1), 3-point field goal percentage (36.9) and free throw percentage (79.2). He is the only player in Illinois history with at least 900 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 blocks and 100 steals.

K-State will tip off the season at 7 p.m., CT on Tuesday, Nov. 5 against New Orleans, while the lone exhibition is set for 7 p.m., CT on Tuesday, Oct. 29. All of home game times are set and can be viewed by clicking on this link.

Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are currently available, with prices starting at less than $18 per game. Fans can purchase now to see the Wildcats all year by visiting www.kstatesports.com/tickets or calling (800) 221.CATS.