Kentucky Basketball: Wildcats Bid Goodbye to Hawkins, Willis, and Mulder

Dominique Hawkins

The Senior guard from Richmond, Kentucky and an alumni of Madison Central High School will close out his career at Rupp on Tuesday. for much of his career, Dominique was the ultimate role player. he didn’t see a ton of minutes every game. Although he hasn’t been a clear cut contributor early in his career, John Calipari depends on him heavily this season.

In 2016/17, the Kentucky senior has averaged 3.7 PPG and just 1.9 Assists and 1.8 rebounds. Those numbers aren’t that impressive, but when fans watch the Wildcats play, they see the intangibles that come along with Hawkins.

Defense First

Dominique Hawkins is a defensive minded player. He can guard the oppositions best on any given night. As a scout team contributor in his career, he has had the opportunity to guard a ton of great players. In practice, Hawkins has the pleasure of defending De’Aaron Fox. In 2015/16 Dominique was tasked with guarding Tyler Ulis every day at practice. The list goes on as Hawkins also had a hand in guarding Andrew Harrison for two seasons before they departed to the NBA.

With so much experience on the floor, Dominique Hawkins has become one of the best on-ball defenders on the current roster. Diving on 50/50 balls, hustling after rebounds and the flash of offensive awareness makes Hawkins a special player among a team full of 5-stars. The effort he gives night in and night out are what makes Kentucky fans love him.