"Trent was in there": Illinois transfer Coleman Hawkins applauds Trent Frazier’s party-practice balance

Coleman Hawkins withdrew early from the 2024 NBA draft but parted ways with Illinois. The forward entered the transfer portal to commit to Jerome Tang's Kansas State Wildcats. Nevertheless, Hawkins became a program celebrity in his four years with the Fighting Illini.

With that, when he was asked about fellow Illini star Trent Frazier, the final-year player spoke highly of Frazier.

"I feel like Trent was always humble," Hawkins said. "He was a great player to play with. He came in and practiced hard every day. He was a good leader. And off the court, he was like a funny, cool dude."

Hawkins highlighted his ex-teammate's regular visits to Green Street in Champaign for a night out.

"Trent was in there. He's good at being able to stay out and then come to practice the next day like nothing happened."

Frazier was in the middle of his college basketball journey when he became teammates with Coleman Hawkins in 2020. He was the program's third-best scorer during their two years together while Hawkins was looking for ways to lodge significant minutes.

Coleman Hawkins' Illini coach played a huge role in his transfer portal choice

With his next step being the NBA, Coleman Hawkins aimed to be in an opportunistic situation for his final year of eligibility. Despite that, the Wildcats needed a huge pitch-in from former assistant coach Brad Underwood to land the commitment, who is also the coach of Illinois.

Hawkins posted his career-best season last season behind averages of 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds on 45.1% shooting. Moreover, he played a huge role in Illini’s Elite Eight run. However, understanding the gravity of Hawkins’ situation, Underwood sold the idea of being part of the Wildcats to his forward.

"He had nothing negative to say, really,” Hawkins said on Sleepers Media Podcast. “He just put in a good word. So, he was pretty positive about everything. He told me about Aggieville. He told me that's where his wife is from. And yeah, he didn't have anything negative to say.

“I even told him like, ‘Dang coach, you tryna sell me on you old school or what?’ and we just kinda laughed it off. He was nothing but positive about us sharing information about K State for sure,” he followed.

Underwood's endorsement and unique approach made choosing Kansas State easier for Coleman Hawkins. He's likely to play a vital role for the Wildcats next season and get significant minutes throughout the season.