justin hawkins commits

socalogo.gif (8739 bytes)
SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Mayfair's Justin Hawkins
Commits To Utah--(Sept. 10, 2002)

Mayfair's Justin Hawkins (6'-6" Sr. SF/SG) has given a verbal commitment to Utah Utes coach Rick Majerus according to reliable sources in Salt Lake City. Utah reportedly offered Hawkins this past summer when they came out to watch (as we reported at the time), and Justin was also offered by Marquette, and received some notable interest from Notre Dame, and a smattering of interest from Oregon as well. But the big offers were from Utah and Marquette who were both suitably impressed following Justin's outstanding play at the adidas Three Stripes Tournament and the adidas Big Time Tournament, as well as the Double Pump Best of Summer Tournament, where Hawkins played with the L.A. Rockfish.

Hawkins is a slender and wiry player, but an extremely tough and persistent presence in the paint, who can slash and also shoot it some from mid-range, Hawkins is also an excellent rebounder. In our book, he's a smart, saavy player who just knows how to win and get it done. And his recruitment by the Utes also demonstrates to us that Coach Dave Brieg at Mayfair is doing something right, having recently also turned out two other D-I prospects in Stanford's Josh Childress and Yale's Edwin Draughan. And there's one more potential D-I prospect and fellow Rockfish player in the class of 2003 with point guard Brian McFadden also receiving plenty of attention this summer and fall from college coaches.

Hawkins' recruiting is also interesting on several other levels, and the Rockfish pipeline to Salt Lake which had it's most prominent recent success in former Verbum Dei standout Andre Miller, is in full-swing. Utah recruited two former Rockfish guys this year in Tim Drisdom and Bryant Markson (Richard Chaney did not play for the Rockfish, but he's the third SoCal recruit in this year's incoming freshman class at Utah), and we also have to believe that with the addition of Silvy Dominguez to the Utah coaching staff, that just sealed the deal for Hawkins with the Utes. Utah has also been considered to be looking for a backup point guard out of the class of 2003, and McFadden might just be the kind of player Majerus is looking for: tough, relentless, and with good quickness and a very good defender.

The recruitment of Hawkins and his commitment has also raised questions in some circles about whether Brett Collins' (6'-5" Sr. PF) will be negatively influenced enough to commit to Arizona State, which has also been recruiting him hard, but we tend to think not based on what we know about the two players. Collins is much thicker, more of four man than Hawkins, who will need to bulk up to become an inside player....but then you never know and that's what makes recruiting so interesting at times.