NU adds second commit in Texas PG Hawkins
As if the day couldn't get any crazier in Nebraska athletics, Husker head coach Tim Miles pulled off his second 2013 commitment in a matter of a few hours.
After Sun Prairie, Wis., wing Nick Fuller announced his commitment following an unofficial visit earlier Friday afternoon, Rowlett, Texas, guard Nathan Hawkins made it two-for-two when he also committed following an unofficial of his own.
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The 6-foot-5 three-star prospect came up on Thursday night and then met with Miles and his staff for most of the day on Friday. After a long meeting with Miles to close out the visit, Hawkins said he knew Nebraska was where he needed to be.
"Just (Miles') background the way he turns programs around and taking them in the right direction, I could tell that this program is really on the verge of becoming a contender," Hawkins said. "I knew I wanted to be a part of it."
While he had already taken several other unofficial visits over the summer to schools like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Baylor, Tulsa and SMU, Hawkins never took an actual official visit before committing to NU.
He also held offers from the likes of Oklahoma State, Kansas State, North Texas, Texas-Arlington, and Montana State, but after seeing all of what Nebraska had to offer, he said he didn't even need to see anywhere else.
"I'd taken a bunch of unofficials, so I've seen a lot," Hawkins said. "Just when I got here, everything felt right. It fit me the way I wanted it to, and everything fell into place. So I wasn't hesitant at all once I made my decision."
The Dallas Mustangs AAU star, along with Fuller, also got to meet with 2013 four-star Omaha power forward Akoy Agau during his visit. Agau made the trip down to Lincoln after making an unofficial of his own on Wednesday.
Now that he's all but officially a Husker, Hawkins said his priority now was to make sure Agau makes his home in Lincoln as well.
"He said he's going to take some more visits and stuff like that and he hasn't made any decisions yet, but I'm hoping I can get him down here to join the team," Hawkins said. "That's my new job. I'm about to get after him hard."
Hawkins is listed as a shooting guard, which he played all summer with the Dallas Mustangs, but said he feels more comfortable as a point guard because he likes to create with the ball in his hands.
He said Miles told him he could be a Deron Williams-type player in Nebraska's offense, and will get a chance to compete for playing time right away next season.
Hawkins said he plans to come back to Lincoln on an actual official visit the same weekend as Fuller for Nebraska's Big Ten Conference opener against Wisconsin on Sept. 29.
With the addition of Hawkins and Fuller, Nebraska now has three open scholarships for the 2013 class. The Huskers also have an official visit set up with 2013 New Jersey point guard Josh Brown, a three-star Rivals150 prospect, for Aug. 31-Sept. 1.
Hawkins came into the visit saying NU was already among his top-five schools even before ever setting foot on campus. When he finally got a chance to see the future of the program for himself, the decision to commit was a no-brainer.
"It was mostly just the fact that they have a plan laid out, and they're going to follow that plan to turn the program around," Hawkins said. "I've got to follow that plan to get where I want to go, and the fact that he wanted me to be a part of it meant a lot."