Latest news with #ColemanHawkins
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
John Calipari gets 100% real on ‘expectation' that comes with lucrative NIL numbers
The post John Calipari gets 100% real on 'expectation' that comes with lucrative NIL numbers appeared first on ClutchPoints. The NIL era has accelerated recruiting into becoming a bidding war on what schools offer the most money in NIL. The numbers circulating in college basketball recently have been massive, and one of the game's best recruiters, Arkansas' John Calipari, recently spoke up about how that shapes the expectations for transfers and recruits who come into their new schools. Advertisement As one of the best recruiters in college basketball and potentially all college sports, Calipari has firsthand experience with NIL. While NIL has not changed Calipari's status as an elite recruiter, it has emboldened him even more, bringing in top recruits at Kentucky and Arkansas. However, big-time players come with big-time money, and Calipari admitted that he and his staff tread lightly even more now due to that aspect of recruiting. Calipari was on an episode of Golic & Golic on FanDuel Sports Network this week and elaborated on how they navigate this new landscape. 'Did you see the interview with the Kansas State player (Coleman Hawkins) after last year's season, where he cried? Cried. 'They paid me $2 million and I couldn't live up to it.' There's one thing about being the star on any team,' Calipari said. 'You guys did it, that star makes the most and, wow, but the most is expected from them. So, some guys in college basketball this year are making between $ 3 million and $5 million. Teams are spending 20 million on rosters. Now there's an expectation. You better win a national title, or you better be a guy, Calipari said. 'If one of you paid a college player four million, would you expect that $4 million player to drag us to the Final Four?' Advertisement In some cases, the risk might not outweigh the reward when programs like Arkansas basketball offer millions of dollars to recruits. Calipari continued to elaborate on how this is impacting the current recruiting landscape. 'That's different than a seasoned professional dealing with it. So, trying to keep that away from what we do, but social media brings it right back,' Calipari said. 'This guy's making $3 million, and this is the best he is. So, you know, it's — I think we gotta protect our kids, but some of it, you can't. You want to be paid a lot. You're now a professional. You need to perform.' Thanks to the House settlement being approved, some NIL numbers should be curbed, and at least the field in college sports should be leveled. However, this new era of recruiting is a bidding war, and Calipari and other coaches need to adapt to navigating the potential expectations that come with that. Related: Fans debate possible NBA-like change in college hoops Related: LSU's Flau'jae Johnson gets brutally honest on Angel Reese relationship: 'We're not friends'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas State turning heads with $2.5M NIL power play
When a 6-foot-5 Serbian guard lands $2.5 million to play college ball, it's not just a signing—it's a statement. Kansas State basketball has turned heads once again with its aggressive NIL strategy, securing international standout Andrej Kostic with a reported deal worth $2.5 million. The move not only eclipses the Wildcats' previous record set by Coleman Hawkins last season, but also cements K-State as a serious player in the escalating arms race of college basketball recruiting. Advertisement A New NIL Era at Kansas State Kostic, who averaged 15.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in Serbia's U18 league for Dynamic Balkan Bet, enters the Big 12 spotlight under an even brighter microscope than Hawkins did. Hawkins' $2 million NIL deal in 2024 drew national attention—and criticism—especially when K-State's performance didn't meet inflated expectations. 'If I could go back, man, I'd definitely do some things differently,' Hawkins admitted in March. The pressure, both internal and external, weighed heavily on him. Kansas State Wildcats' guard Brendan Hausen (11) and forward Coleman Hawkins (33) celebrates after winning 61-80 over Iowa State in the Big-12 men's basketball showdown at Hilton Coliseum on Feb 1, 2025 in Ames, Iowa.© Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images But the narrative may shift with Kostic. As the NCAA prepares for a potential revenue-sharing model capped at $20.5 million per school, $2.5 million no longer feels like an outlier. Players like Texas Tech's JT Toppin are reportedly landing NIL deals upwards of $4 million. In this new financial landscape, Kostic's price tag reflects not extravagance, but market value. Advertisement Jerome Tang's High-Stakes Blueprint Head coach Jerome Tang isn't just building a team—he's investing in a future. Kostic joins a high-upside recruiting class that includes Akron's Nate Johnson and Monmouth's Abdi Bashir. The message is clear: Kansas State is willing to pay for potential. And with the Big 12 growing more competitive, paying to win is becoming a necessity, not a luxury. Still, the challenge remains—can Kostic perform under the weight of a multi-million dollar spotlight? As NIL reshapes college sports, K-State fans should ask not if the deal was too much—but whether the program has finally embraced the cost of contention. Related: South Carolina QB turns heads with latest NIL deal Related: Proposed bill could force huge pay cuts for most FBS football coaches
Washington Post
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
After lucrative NIL deal, tearful KSU star says outside noise ‘affected my play'
Speaking through tears after Kansas State's defeat Wednesday in the Big 12 men's basketball tournament, senior forward Coleman Hawkins said he regretted 'letting people talk about me and affect my play' all year. His comments came after the 10th-seeded Wildcats lost 70-56 to No. 7 Baylor in the second round of the conference tournament, effectively ending their season with a 16-17 record.
Fox News
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins breaks down in tears discussing NIL backlash: 'I let a lot of people down'
The name, image, and likeness (NIL) system in college athletics has been welcomed by student-athletes who have been able to cash in on brand partnerships, some of whom are making millions fresh out of high school. Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins, though, is showing a different side of that system when athletes don't meet expectations despite those millions. The Wildcats fell to the Baylor Bears, 70-56, in the Big 12 tournament, and the loss ended the team's 2024-25 campaign. Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang said in his postgame comments that the team was unlikely to accept a bid to a consolation tournament — the NIT or the new College Basketball Crown tournament in Las Vegas. Hawkins, a transfer from the Illinois Fighting Illini, was supposed to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament, something he handled well last season with an Elite Eight appearance. He also declared for the NBA Draft but returned to college and reportedly got paid $2 million to transfer to Kansas State. But the 23-year-old Hawkins didn't have the same season he had with Illinois last year, averaging 10.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, while shooting 40.1% from the field and 30.3% from three-point territory. Hawkins averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists, while shooting 45.1% from the field last season. With Kansas State not meeting expectations this season, Hawkins showed a brutal side of being a top-paid player. "These guys haven't experienced some of the things I've experienced," Hawkins said through tears, referencing the backlash he's gotten from fans this season. "I really wanted to come in and impact the program. I'm sorry for crying, but, s---, this s--- hurts. "I feel like I let a lot of people down. I feel like I did a poor job of letting people talk about me. It affected my play. It was happening all year. I wish I could just go back and block out everything, not for myself, but for the team, so we could have a more successful year. This is a learned lesson for me, and I wish the best for the future of this program." Hawkins finished his fifth year of college, meaning his playing days at this level are done. He will now look ahead to potential professional opportunities, which could be declaring for the NBA Draft yet again. But Hawkins' emotions and, more importantly, the vitriol and backlash he received, is the reality of this pay-to-play system that the NCAA and every college sport are still trying to navigate. Much like professionals who sign big-money contracts, expectations go through the roof when the dollar amount is made public. Fans expect the players to play up to their contract, and when that doesn't happen, the backlash can be brutal. Hawkins noted that going through that since the beginning of the season and blocking it out wasn't easy. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins tearfully admits NIL backlash affected his play after season-ending loss
Warning: This article contains graphic language. All in all, NIL has been a pretty good deal for athletes like Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins. Getting paid millions of dollars to do what their equivalents were doing for free not even five years ago, with effectively free transfers between programs if a higher bid comes in, shouldn't have many downsides. Hawkins, however, personified what can go wrong in a single postgame interview on Wednesday. The interview came after Kansas State lost 70-56 to Baylor in the Big 12 tournament, effectively ending their season. Head coach Jerome Tang said after the game the program is unlikely to accept a bid in a consolation tournament. That leaves the Wildcats, and Hawkins, with no more opportunities to redeem their season. Kansas State entered the year with a moderate amount of hype, receiving votes in the preseason AP poll after landing Hawkins, who left Illinois initially for the NBA Draft then opted to return to college and transfer to Manhattan. NIL was behind the decision, of course. Hawkins was reportedly paid $2 million, tied with Washington's Great Osobor for the largest known payment to a college basketball player last cycle. In return for that money, Kansas State was expected to receive a legit NBA prospect who earned third-team All-Big Ten honors and helped lead the Illini to the Elite Eight last season. What they ended up getting was an inconsistent player who saw a significant step back in efficiency. Hawkins finished his season with five points on 2-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds on Wednesday, with the loss pushing Kansas State's record to 16-17. Hawkins was borderline inconsolable after the game, breaking into tears multiple times as he laid out the reality of NIL: more money, more expectations, more backlash. The 23-year-old admitted the criticism he received affected his play during the season. K-State senior Coleman Hawkins spoke through tears for a minute and a half after the loss to Baylor"These guys haven't experienced some of the things I experienced. I really wanted to come in an impact the program. I'm sorry for crying, but shit, this shit hurts" — Landon Reinhardt (@landonian87) March 13, 2025 Hawkins: "These guys haven't experienced some of the things I've experienced. I really wanted to come in and impact the program. I'm sorry for crying, but s***, this s*** hurts. "I feel like I let a lot of people down. I feel like I did a poor job of letting people talk about me. It affected my play. It was happening all year. I wish I could just go back and block out everything, not for myself, but for the team so we could have a more successful year. This is a learned lesson for me and I wish the best for the future of this program." At the end of the day, these players are human even if they're getting paid. It's easy to criticize a supposed greed or lack of loyalty, but not many people would turn down legitimately life-changing money (not every player gets a big NBA signing bonus or long career) just to change schools for a year. Hawkins clearly felt the vitriol for not just him, but players like him. And it's almost a given that college players these days are going to see what is said about them on social media. As he indicated, there's a lesson to be learned from watching Hawkins' interview and it's not leave money on the table or refuse to transfer. It's that you shouldn't be doing this unless you're able to tune the noise out.
