One player in the 2012 class that is under the radar a bit is Stephan Hawkins. The 6’8” power forward from Bowman Academy in Gary had to sit out the high school regular season after he transferred from Lake Station to Bowman.

Hawkins has shown flashes of great potential thus far during the spring. If he develops his strength and skill set, Hawkins has a chance to be really good.

We recently had a chance to talk to Stephan Hawkins about his recruitment and his game.

IBS: Do you have any offers at this point?

Stephan Hawkins: “No offers, but I have really hard interest.”

IBS: Who has shown interest so far?

Stephan Hawkins: “DePaul, Illinois State, Bowling Green, San Diego State and IPFW”

IBS: Have you had a chance to visit anywhere yet?

Stephan Hawkins: “Yeah, I’ve visited DePaul and IPFW that’s it.”

IBS: Did sitting out the high school season hurt your game?

Stephan Hawkins: “Maybe a little but playing against one of the players in the nation, DeJuan Marrero, every day in practice helped. We push each other pretty hard.”

IBS: Are you trying to improve any areas of your game this spring/summer?

Stephan Hawkins: “Yeah, I’ve been working on my ball handling and my shooting. I will be playing the 3 and the 4 in college so I need to be able to open up my game a little a bit more.”

IBS: Have you thought about exploring prep school options after you graduate? Have any schools talked to you about going to prep school?

Stephan Hawkins: “No, the schools haven’t really talked to me about that. I don’t really think it is an option. I just want to go in and play college basketball my freshmen year. No matter what level it is.”