Is there a better passer in the Big Ten right now than Gophers point guard Elijah Hawkins? That answer might be no. Not after Hawkins broke Arriel McDonald’s 30-year-old single-game team record with 17 assists and one turnover in last week’s win against IUPUI.
After adjusting to Gophers coach Ben Johnson’s system and improving his decision-making, Hawkins is passing even better than last season, when he led Howard to the NCAA tournament.
Entering Thursday’s game against Ball State, the speedy 5-11 junior is the Big Ten leader and ranks third nationally with 7.5 assists per game for the Gophers (8-3), who are on a three-game win streak.
“I actually thought the record might last longer,” said McDonald, who congratulated Hawkins last week for eclipsing his U-record 16 assists, set in 1994.
Before playing his first game with the Gophers, Hawkins stood on the raised floor and realized just how much larger Williams Arena was than where he played his first two seasons at Howard.
“But when you have guys like [his Gophers teammates] running the lane, it just makes our offense easier,” Hawkins said. “And it flows better when we can move in transition and get guys open shots.”
Hawkins, who led the NCAA with 4.0 turnovers per game last season, averages the second most turnovers in the conference with 2.9 per contest this year, but he’s made progress with his leadership and taking care of the ball with the Gophers.
“Coming in I was a little quiet and passive,” Hawkins said earlier. “But in order for us to be a great team, I felt like I had to step up and talk to my team and be a vocal leader.”
The key to unlocking the potential of Minnesota’s offense seems to be Hawkins pushing the pace while limiting mistakes. He had four games with at least four turnovers this season, but his efficiency numbers jumped to an elite level recently.
Hawkins has had 39 assists and just seven turnovers in the last three games combined. He’s the first player in team history with three straight games of double-digit assists.
“I’m excited because he does it because he wants to win,” Johnson said. “He’s not stat-chasing or number-chasing. I think he takes a lot of pride in setting teammates up and delivering the ball. He’s taking even more pride now in hitting those singles.”
Fans love the home-run plays when Hawkins tosses nifty passes and alley-oops to teammates for dunks, but he also finds players for simple shots like jumpers.
Pepperdine transfer Mike Mitchell Jr. and freshman Cam Christie have watched their productivity soar while getting more comfortable in the backcourt with Hawkins, who cares more about facilitating than scoring.
“I like shooting,” Christie said. “So being able to run the lanes and know I’ve got a guy like Elijah zipping down the floor with me and looking to get me shots is really nice.”
Making the simple pass early and often was what McDonald did when he became the U’s all-time leader with 547 assists playing for Clem Haskins from 1990-94. He set the previous team record with 16 assists on Jan. 12, 1994 vs. Wisconsin, passing to guys like Voshon Lenard and Randy Carter.
Hawkins’ 17 assists are third-most in Big Ten history, three behind the all-time mark by Michigan State’s Mateen Cleaves in 2000.
“I didn’t see the game,” McDonald said about Hawkins’ record-setting night. “Some of my Gophers friends text me the next day. They were joking with me. That’s how I found out.”
McDonald joked that Haskins would “probably bust a blood vessel” if his players tried to play as fast and shoot as quickly from three as college teams do now.
But the Gophers assist king has a feeling Hawkins isn’t done breaking passing records with the program, especially now that his teammates are playing well around him.
“If you got a guy who can get nearly 20 assists,” McDonald said, “you’re in a winning situation, that’s for sure.”
Marcus Fuller covers Gophers men’s basketball and college basketball for the Star Tribune. He has 13 years of experience covering Twin Cities college and professional sports.
© 2023 StarTribune. All rights reserved.
