Hawkins a golden addition to 49ers

Shawn Hawkins

 

By Michael Bower
Online Forty-Niner
Sports Editor

The men's basketball team needed to find an impact player, and it seems junior transfer Shawn Hawkins is going to be the man to fill that role after he scored a game-high 21 points during the 49ers' 78-43 win Friday in The Pyramid, making him this week's Nugget in the Rough.

The 6-foot-6 forward was 9-of-17 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line. He also grabbed six rebounds during the 49ers' drubbing of UC San Diego.

Hawkins, a transfer from Columbus State College where he averaged 23.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2002-2003, said he doesn't care about how many points he scores as long as the team wins.

"This is a team thing," he said. "We have to be able to carry ourselves. One day I may get 21, and the next day I might only get six points."

While at Columbus State College, Hawkins was a two-time first team All-Ohio Community College Athletic Conference selection. He led the team in scoring and rebounding and was second in assists. He had six games where he scored 30 or more points, and had a career-high 39 points in a win over Southern State. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the NJCAA Region 12 Tournament after averaging 17 points per game in the tournament. He became the school's scoring leader, finishing with 1,229 career points.

Hawkins and the basketball team will be back in action Thursday when they play their final exhibition game against the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves at 7:35 p.m. in The Pyramid.