Hawkins doesn’t waver from goals on, off court

George Dohrmann never expected anyone to answer. He assumed the call he made back in February would go directly to voice mail, that an hour after making one of the biggest plays of his college career, Justin Hawkins would be out on the town, soaking up atmosphere, basking in victory, living the life a UNLV basketball player can expect to enjoy when things are going well.

"But he answered," Dohrmann said. "He said some of his teammates were already at the club and others were getting ready to go and he might join them. ... If he was able to finish a paper for school.

"I remember thinking, 'Damn, this kid is focused.' He never once wavered from his goal. He said he would do it and did. This doesn't really feel like a culmination, because there was never a question he would graduate. It was just a matter of how long it would take. I knew this would happen when he was 13."

Hawkins is one of six men's basketball players who are eligible to walk at commencement ceremonies today at the Thomas & Mack Center, joining another returning player (Quintrell Thomas) and four departing ones (Chace Stanback, Oscar Bellfield, Brice Massamba and Kendall Wallace).

Dohrmann is the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who wrote the book "Play Their Hearts Out," an eight-year journey that followed a Southern California AAU team and its overly ambitious coach. Hawkins was one of the players.

He will graduate in three years with a degree in hotel administration and return to the Rebels next season while beginning a masters program in public administration, motivated by the memory of a loved one who never saw him play in college and a high school teacher who never thought he would attend one.

His grandmother was among those who dropped Hawkins off at UNLV in the summer of 2009, a woman Hawkins promised he one day would wear a cap and gown and stroll across a stage to be presented his diploma. She won't see that. She never saw a minute of his basketball career. She died suddenly a month after dropping him at school.

He will think of her now, and the incredible mother, Carmen, who raised him to embrace all of life's challenges and who will watch with pride today. He will think of that teacher back at Taft (Calif.) High, who said Hawkins didn't have what it took to attend and graduate from college.

Three years. It is more than just a notable accomplishment given the time constraints placed on student-athletes at this level. But for the very reason Hawkins has welcomed his role with the Rebels as a defensive stopper while others see their names glorified for scoring and highlight dunks, Hawkins dutifully accepted the difficult journey that was earning a degree in such a short time.

This is who he is. This is what he is about.

"There were times when I wondered if I was pushing too hard, if I would regret not enjoying the college experience more," he said. "But I'm proud of it. I'm happy my mom will get to see her first-born son graduate from college.

"My teammates have been great the entire time, kidding me about doing all the work, calling me things like 'boy genius' but always supporting me. (Coach Dave Rice) has been wonderful. He gave me new life, made me more confident as a player and person than I've ever been. He has really been a positive influence in my life. I think the key was always finding balance, giving academics and basketball my undivided attention but knowing when I needed a break from both."

Dohrmann recounts a time when he traveled with Hawkins' AAU team to a tournament in Columbus, Ohio. There was no reason for the squad to be there given the inferior competition, but the head coach, Joe Keller, was thought to have received some sort of reward or compensation for bringing his highly regarded group of players.

At the same, in another part of the country at a different event, the best AAU teams nationally were competing against one another.

"I sort of took the tack in writing the book that when the players were ready to talk to me, they would seek me out," Dohrmann said. "One day on that trip, Justin became the first to do so. He asked what we were doing there, why they had come all that way just to beat the crap out of people when the better tournament was elsewhere. He knew we were only there because Joe was getting something for it. It was amazing to see Justin open up. Here was this young kid, seeing the world for what it was.

"In some ways, I see him becoming a coach. Don't get me wrong - coaching is a very noble profession - but I think it would be a little beneath him. He could run a professional sports franchise or another corporation one day. He could be an athletic director. He can be whatever he wants, and I can't wait to see what that is. ... They had just beaten San Diego State that night I called. He had just made the huge steal at the end. It was a big win for them. And he's at home an hour later finishing a paper for school ..."

That's how you graduate in three years.

That's how best to define Justin Hawkins.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on "Gridlock," ESPN 1100 and 98.9 FM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.