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Is there a better passer in the Big Ten right now than Gophers point guard Elijah Hawkins? The answer may be no. Not after Hawkins broke Ariel McDonald’s 30-year-old single-game team record with 17 assists and one turnover in last week’s win over IUPUI.
After adapting to Gophers coach Ben Johnson’s system and improving his decision-making, Hawkins is an even better passer than he was last season when he led Howard to the NCAA Tournament.
Heading into Thursday’s game against Ball State, the speedy 5-11 junior is the Big Ten’s leader and ranks third in the nation with 7.5 assists per game for the Gophers (8-3), who have won three straight. has been done.
“I actually thought the record would last much longer,” McDonald said last week, congratulating Hawkins on surpassing the U. League record of 16 assists set in 1994.
Before playing his first game against the Gophers, Hawkins stood on the stilts and realized how much larger Williams Arena was than where he played his first two seasons at Howard.
“But when you have guys like this, [his Gophers teammates] “Running the lane just makes it easier on offense,” Hawkins said. “If you can move in transition and get guys open shots, it just gives you a better flow.”
Hawkins, who led the NCAA with 4.0 turnovers per game last season and is averaging the second-most turnovers in the conference with 2.9 per game this year, has struggled with leadership and ball control for the Gophers. We are making progress in how we handle it.
“When I first started, I was a little quiet and passive,” Hawkins previously said. “But I felt that for us to be a great team, I had to step up and talk to the team and be a vocal leader.”
The key to unlocking the potential of Minnesota’s offense appears to be for Hawkins to drive the pace while limiting mistakes. He has committed at least four turnovers in four games this season, but his efficiency numbers have recently jumped to elite levels.
Hawkins has combined for 39 assists and just seven turnovers over the last three games. He became the first player in team history to reach double-digit assists in three consecutive games.
“He’s excited because he’s doing it because he wants to win,” Johnson said. “He’s not chasing stats or numbers. I think he takes a lot of pride in setting up his teammates and delivering the ball. He takes even more pride in hitting those singles now. I have.”
Fans love Hawkins’ home run plays where he throws nifty passes and alley-oops to teammates for dunks, but they also spot players who go for simple shots like jumpers.
Pepperdine transfers Mike Mitchell Jr. and freshman Cam Christie have seen their productivity increase while becoming more comfortable in the backcourt with Hawkins, who emphasizes facilitation over scoring.
“I love shooting,” Christie said. “So it’s really nice to be able to run the lane and know that a guy like Elijah is going to run down the floor with you and make shots.”
Making simple passes early and often is what McDonald did, playing for Clem Haskins from 1990 to 1994 and becoming the U’s all-time leader in assists with 547. He set a team record with 16 assists against Wisconsin on January 12, 1994, a record passed by players such as Voshon Leonard and Randy Carter.
Hawkins’ 17 assists are the third-most in Big Ten history, and he is just three behind the all-time record set by Michigan State’s Mateen Cleaves in 2000.
“I didn’t watch the game,” McDonald said of Hawkins’ record-setting night. “The next day some of my Gopher friends messaged me and they were joking with me and that’s when I realized it.”
McDonald joked that if players played as fast as today’s college teams and tried to shoot as quickly as threes, Haskins would “probably burst a blood vessel.”
But the Gophers’ assist king feels Hawkins may not be done breaking passing records in the program yet, especially now that his teammates are playing well around him.
“When you have a guy who can get close to 20 assists, you’re definitely in a winning situation,” McDonald said.
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