Could Ohio State basketball land a prominent Illinois transfer?

The Ohio State basketball program has remade its roster using the transfer portal. After losing a couple of starters to the portal and some depth pieces too, Jake Diebler has grabbed some valuable players. He was able to get Meechie Johnson back and get a brand-new starting center. He still has a scholarship available though.

A prominent Illinois player had declared for the NBA Draft with the possibility of returning. That Illinois player is Coleman Hawkins. Hawkins averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks last year. He did all of that on 45% shooting from the field and 37% shooting from deep. Hawkins just announced he won’t be staying in the Draft.

Could the Ohio State basketball team get Coleman Hawkins?

Hawkins announced on Thursday morning that he won’t be returning to Illinois this season. He’ll be transferring to another program for this season. Is there a chance that Hawkins stays in the Big Ten for his final collegiate season? Could the Ohio State basketball program be in the running to land him?

Hawkins doesn’t really have any connections to Ohio State even dating back to high school. It wouldn’t be the first time that the Buckeyes got a player from the Big Ten for his final season. They just did that with Jamison Battle a year ago. Hawkins would actually be able to slide into Battle’s starting spot in the lineup.

As far as fit goes, Hawkins would give the Buckeyes some length on defense and some aggressiveness on offense. They don’t have much length at the forward position. Hawkins would also be a guy that they could give the ball to so he could create his own shot late in the shot clock. He would be a great addition to the Buckeyes.

Does Diebler have any shot at grabbing him? I’m not sure. How much NIL money the Buckeyes are willing to give him is also going to be a factor. He’s going to be shopping around looking for the most money possible. That could end up being the dealbreaker.