CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois men’s basketball head coach Scott Nagy announced Monday that Steve Hawkins has been promoted to Associate Head Coach.
“Promoting Coach Hawkins was definitely the right decision for us,” Nagy said. “Like our players, I rely heavily on Coach Hawkins in all situations. His coaching experience and work ethic make this an obvious choice for us.”
In addition to his regular coaching responsibilities, Hawkins serves as the program’s defensive coordinator on game days and will now manage the Salukis’ NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) efforts.
“I want to thank Coach Nagy and Athletic Director Tim Leonard for their trust in me as we work toward our goal of establishing SIU as the premier program in the Missouri Valley Conference,” Hawkins said. “I am thrilled to be part of such a talented and driven coaching staff. We are all aligned with Coach Nagy’s vision, and I am thankful to work with each of them every day. My family and I feel honored to be Salukis.”
Hawkins made an immediate impact during his first season with the program. After assuming the role of defensive coordinator in early January, the Saluki defense showed significant improvements in protecting the rim and the paint.
Initially, SIU ranked last nationally in paint defense after the first five MVC games. However, by the end of the final 15 games of league play, they improved to within the top 100 nationally for opponent field goal percentage at the rim (82nd – 59.8%). The team’s paint defense saw an even more dramatic improvement, rising from 364th nationally-where opponents shot 58.9 percent in the paint-to 20th nationally, as opponents finished the season shooting only 34.8 percent in the paint.
“We are fortunate to have Coach Hawkins on our basketball staff, and this promotion is well-deserved. He has been a vital part of our program over the past year, and his experience coaching at this level is unparalleled,” said Athletic Director Tim Leonard. “Coach Hawkins understands what it takes to succeed in the era of NIL and I am excited for him and the future of Saluki Basketball.”
Hawkins brought with him to Carbondale nearly four decades of coaching experience to SIU, including 28 years as a head coach. His most recent position was at Quincy University, following almost two decades at Western Michigan.
During his 17 seasons as the head coach of the Broncos, Hawkins achieved 291 victories and led Western Michigan to the NCAA Tournament twice, making seven total postseason appearances in Kalamazoo. Notably, the Broncos participated in seven of the ten total postseasons in the program’s history. He ranks fourth in Mid-American Conference history in wins.
Under Hawkins’ leadership, the Broncos never finished worse than third in the Mid-American Conference West Division, earning eight MAC West titles. He guided Western Michigan to two MAC regular-season and tournament championships and was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2014.
Hawkins also had two separate stints as head coach at Quincy University, where he compiled a record of 162-143. He led the Hawks to three NCAA Division II tournament appearances over 11 seasons.
He resides in Carterville with his wife, Kelly, their son Trey, and daughters Emily and Alyssa.
