Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels have shifted their focus to some new targets in the college basketball transfer portal. After missing out on some big targets, the Tar Heels now have to hope they can land at least one more player as they have two starters to place.
Among the new targets is former Illinois standout Coleman Hawkins.
The forward is currently testing the 2024 NBA Draft waters, participating in the combine in Chicago. As Hawkins is excelling this week, one has to wonder about his status. But a local columnist believes UNC and Hawkins are far apart anyway.
Art Chansky of Chapelboro wrote on Hawkins’ and the NIL era, saying the Tar Heels would avoid that:
He is leaving a return to college open but is apparently looking for the same kind of guarantee that a first-round NBA contract provides. His father, a former college player long before NIL came onto the scene, has advised him that his next move should be a “business decision.”
Hawkins has backed off that somewhat by saying, “Even if I did go back to school . . . I would never share that information because it’s kind of selfish. . . . for your teammates knowing what you made. I wouldn’t have those conversations with my teammates and want anyone to know what I did make.”
So you can see why, no matter how much better the Tar Heels would be with Hawkins, that’s not the kind of business decision UNC makes. Hubert Davis counts on the exposure and success playing for one of the biggest college brands resulting in more NIL money and/or a better NBA contract down the road.
It’s an interesting take. And we really don’t even know what type of deal Hawkins would want in the NIL space.
Even so, the chance to land a talent like Hawkins at a position of need is important. But like Chansky put out, would UNC go that route?
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