Prospect Spotlight 2019: Cornelius Hawkins
Cornelius Hawkins, 6’4″, WG/SF, 2019. CH Flowers Panthers HS. Springdale, MD
Grassroots Team: Laurel Lakers
We met Cornelius at the Prep Hoops 250 Expo in Owings Mills, MD on September 16, 2017 at The McDonogh School. He caught our eye immediately with his smooth style of play, great height & long wingspan for a next level WG. We predict Cornelius will breakout this season for up & coming CH Flowers HS who play in the very tough Prince Georges County 4A. While he has developed into an excellent prospect already, Cornelius till possesses a huge upside. He has a great work ethic & understanding of the game that we predict will get him to the D1 level.
In Owings Mills, Cornelius displayed the ability to make plays from both sides of the ball & all areas of the floor. He really knows how to utilize his very long wingspan in all facets. Cornelius can finish at the rim from both sides of the court & go thru defenders or past them & rise up for a dunk. He possesses a very high IQ is a very good ball mover with quick & effective passes. In addition, he performs all the intangibles and is a winner.Cornelius has a very strong mid range game & just rises over defenders on his shot off the dribble or from curl going straight up for a basket. His shot mechanics are very good & Cornelius adds, “I can shoot from anywhere on the court & from all 3 levels on the dribble or spot up. This fall I am working on a quicker shot release.”
Cornelius has very good ball handling skills with the ability to go to coast to coast off the dribble. He has very good speed & quickness with the ball. He adds, “Some of my ball-handling moves include a stop & go hesitation, crossover, between the legs & spin drive to the basket. Also, I can change speeds & pace & then change gears for a blow by, beating my defender. I like to study Kevin Durant & Devin Booker on You Tube and live games.” Add here
On the defensive end Cornelius is a very very good man to man on ball defender, help side defender & can closes out with his speed very well. He can block shots & has very good timing. Cornelius has the height, wingspan & athleticism to become an elite defender if he continues his hard work & dedication to basketball. He adds, “I work on basketball 6-7 days a week & I have a great passion for the game. Since our season at CH Flowers ended this spring I have improved my shooting off the dribble by putting up 300 to 500 shots per day. I work on my own & with a Trainer. My ability to finish at the rim off the dribble thru contact has improved thru my strength & conditioning program. During the week I perform weight training, plyos, jump rope, & work to increase my flexibility & balance. Each day we do basketball drills & I run 5 on 5 pickups at various gyms in the area. This preseason I am working to improve my ball handling which want to get to PG level. I continually work on my overall basketball skills & athleticism. I can dunk easily off one or legs, but I am working hard to get my jump off 2 feet higher & more explosive.
This spring & summer Cornelius had a very successful Grassroots campaign for the Laurel Lakers averaging 12ppg, 5 rpg, 3 assists & 2 blocks per game. This coming season he will be a go to player CH Flowers where Cornelius was a full time starter as a sophomore. In the classroom he maintains a 2.8 GPA & is working hard to get above a 3.0. Cornelius names science as his favorite subject & he is not sure of his potential college major. He comes from a very close family & his role models are his parents & sisters.
We will be providing live game reports this season for CH Flowers & individual player articles for the Panthers. Please watch Cornelius’s video below from this spring.
Cornelius Hawkins poised 4 breakout year @ Flowers Check out PITTSBURGH JAM FEST by Cornelius Hawkins on @hudl http://www.hudl.com/v/27aXrS #hudl