BigTexHusker

I hate to sound like a broken record, but y'all are sleeping on these Texas boys. This state is the Mecca for HS/grassroots basketball right now. The kids in this state are home-grown and compete against each other at the highest levels, most cases from the time they're 8 or 9 years old. By the time the elite ones get to be 17 and 18, they are monsters. I'm telling you right now. Petteway and Hawkins are the REAL deal. I have seen the majority of these players in person, and I know we're going to be a very happy fan-base in the near future.

Saw him this weekend in tournament. He has been out as Kamdy said. I heard he missed first two games of season. I saw him play an away game after he had come back, and he wasn't starting. Only played about half of that one off the bench. Evidently the first game he played the full game was this weekend against the number 8 ranked team in the state. He did look like he was lacking his normal burst and explosiveness, but he still lit them up for 20+, and was clearly the best player on the floor. His numbers don't tell half the story. Looks like he's having to play way out of position in the post because of his size.

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.

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

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.

Those are sweet!

Good article. I've said this before and I'll say it again. This staff is recruiting Texas (Dallas for sure and to a lesser degree I think, Houston). They are seen "down here" a lot. I've personally seen the staff at a number of different events. I bring this up because, A) I know they're planting seeds and that those seeds are starting to grow, and B, there is so much high major D1 talent down here, it's scary. Once a pipeline between a program, its staff, and a geographical area is solidified through relationships with high school coaches, tournament organizers, and AAU-type people, the sky's the limit (as long as the talent pool is deep and plentiful). I believe that's exactly what's going on, and I feel like that's a heavy point of emphasis for the staff, just as it seemed to be when they were at Colorado State. Time will tell, but I know all the signs are there.