Hawkins

[Silverbacked1]

Looks very good too.

Seems to have a little swagger to him.

[Norm Peterson]

From what I've been able to gather, it sounds like both Hawkins and Fuller are good shooters but aren't going to out-athlete too many players and maybe not any at the upper D1 level. While I'm happy about the good shooter part of it, the athleticism needs can't be forgotten. Hopefully that's where Webster comes in. Hopefully Webster comes in.

[Donkey]

Miles did say he wanted shooters on the team. As long as Fuller and Hawkins can play defense, I am good with that plan. If Webster is as good as speculated, 2013-14 and 2014-15 could be some big years for Nebraska's growth. Having 2-3 guys who can shoot from the parimeter with a legitimate big man in the post and good ball distributor at point keeps opposing teams' defenses honest.

[FredsSlacks]

From what I've been able to gather, it sounds like both Hawkins and Fuller are good shooters but aren't going to out-athlete too many players and maybe not any at the upper D1 level. While I'm happy about the good shooter part of it, the athleticism needs can't be forgotten. Hopefully that's where Webster comes in. Hopefully Webster comes in.

Doug McDermott is not a great athlete. Not saying Fuller will be as good as Doug, but it looks like they are similar players.

I'd be more worried about Hawkins though because he does not have the length that Fuller has.

[BigTexHusker]

I posted this on another board, but Hawkins is a steal! Here's a cut and paste:

Hawkins is special guys! Been watching him for years. He has it all. Miles snuck one out of the lone star state that is as good as any in this area. That includes the many five stars around here. He hasn't played on high profile AAU teams until last year, so he hasn't been seen like the Harrison twins, Julius Randle, Keith Frazier, Matt Jones, etc. But he's every bit the player those guys are. Texas is so loaded with talent it's not even funny.

He plays the game the right way. He takes over when he needs to, he defers when that's what his team needs, and will do all the little things when he's not needed to be "the man". But rest assured, he can definitely dominate whenever he decides to. I haven't seen many high school kids that can change their game, depending on the circumstances, like he can. He's the real deal! We are in for a treat the next four years with this 2013 class and the transfers that become eligible next year.

As for athleticism, just ask Miles what he thinks about what he saw. From what I've read, he's been saying Hawkins is very athletic. He's a long, quick defender. Has a great first step, and can get to the paint anytime he wants to. He jumps better off two feet than he does one. If I'm not mistaken he was dealing with a foot injury all summer that looked to me was affecting his explosiveness. I saw him win a dunk contest last year with a couple of crazy dunks. One was a nasty windmill. He's definitely got hops.

[Norm Peterson]

That's good to know, BigTex. Thanks for posting.

[Norm Peterson]

Although, looking at this tape, he just doesn't appear to be extremely athletic. Good shooter, certainly. But not a high-flying athlete. So, maybe he's developed some.

[BigTexHusker]

Although, looking at this tape, he just doesn't appear to be extremely athletic. Good shooter, certainly. But not a high-flying athlete. So, maybe he's developed some.

Norm, I am new here, so I certainly don't want to stir the waters. I was just giving my opinion after watching him compete against these guys down here for a number of years.

IMO, just because a player doesn't appear to be athletic on a video or even exhibit athleticism in a very structured environment in person, doesn't mean he's not athletic. System play requires different things from different players. I can only report what I've seen for myself, and then draw conclusions from reading where coach Miles has said in statements to the media, that he also thinks he's long and athletic.

FWIW, here's what Rivals in Texas, who's seen these boys play more than me for sure, have on his scouting report:

"NATHAN is a very athletic wing with the ability to impact a game in many ways. He slashes to the rim, finishes strong on the break, has good bounce in the paint and can create his own shot off the dribble. He has a smooth stroke, can hit the open 3 point shot and has a nice pull-up jumper. He can go to the boards, can start the break, has good speed in the open floor and handles it well. He can guard multiple positions as he moves his feet well, has long arms and a strong body."

As for high-flying athlete, yeah, he's not jumping over cars or catching oops with one hand, 2 feet above the rim, as he comes swooping in on a fast break. I'll agree with that for sure

[Norm Peterson]

Big Tex, feel free to disagree. I don't consider that to be any kind of pot stirring. Glad to hear that the scouting report from Rivals calls him "very athletic." I think that tape might have been from his sophomore year, so he's certainly grown since then. But that scounting report is certainly encouraging and I'll take your view as being much more informed than mine.

[BigTexHusker]

I'm sure I can get carried away like anyone else, but when I heard we came down here into Texas and got one of the quality high-major kids, I got excited. Plus, I've been watching high school basketball in DFW for many years, and I am hopeful he's only the first to come from here. Would love for us to have a pipeline down here. I've said this for many years, but any given year you could create a national championship team doing nothing but recruiting DFW kids.

[Huskerpapa]

He looks like he can be a player. I am excited to have him in Lincoln!