Sports
The University of Dayton men’s basketball coaches have told Deontae Hawkins that he is their top recruiting priority in the senior class, but they’ll have to fight a former UD coach to land the Dunbar High School star.
DePaul has climbed into Hawkins’ final list of five schools. Oliver Purnell, who had a nine-year stint at UD, is in his second season with the Blue Demons. Hawkins, a 6-foot-7 wing, plans to visit the Chicago school next month.
“I hope to have a good time and see if I like it or not and then become a Demon, maybe,” he said. “It’s the Big East. They’ve got a good team and are playing some good teams.”
Hawkins has made official visits to UD, Auburn and Creighton and still plans to check out Wichita State. Fitting in those last two trips may mean having to put off making a decision in time for the Nov. 11-17 early signing period. The next window to sign a national letter-of-intent starts April 13.
Hawkins is still interested in the hometown Flyers, but the pull to go away for college is strong.
“I still keep Dayton in there. They’re cool. The coaches are cool. ... I really want to stay close to home because of my family, but I really want to get out (of town), for real,” he said. “I want to experience something other than Dayton. There’s so much stuff happening here, I want to get out. But with my family, I want them to watch me play.”
Senior Devon Scott, a 6-8 forward from Columbus Northland, is Hawkins’ former AAU teammate and also a top target for the Flyers. He needs a qualifying score on the ACT before making official visits, and he said he’s taking the test today.
His final three schools are UD, Alabama and Ohio University. He had been a Cincinnati recruit but decommitted.
Senior Kedar Edwards, a 6-4 shooting guard from New York City, also said he plans to visit UD after taking the ACT today. He’s attending West Oaks Academy in Florida and has scholarship offers from South Carolina and several Atlantic 10 schools.
The Flyers already have gotten a verbal commitment from another Northland senior forward, Jalen Robinson, who played summer ball with Hawkins and Scott on All-Ohio Red.
“That’s a great program,” Scott said of UD. “You have some Columbus guys on the team. They’re recruiting players that I play with in high school and on my AAU team. I’ll also have a chance to play down there.”
Robinson is trying to recruit both players for the Flyers.
“Jalen Robinson, that’s my dude,” Hawkins said. “We’ve been talking about it. He’s trying to get me to go there, and I’m telling him I’m very interested in Dayton.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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