Northwest Missouri State basketball star and Atlantic native Ryan Hawkins entered his name into the transfer portal on Monday. Hawkins has decided to explore options to play at another school for his final year of eligibility. Hawkins told KJAN Sports he has loved his time in Maryville but feels like it’s time to move on.

Hawkins and the Bearcats are coming off another Division II National Championship this season, their third in the last four years. Hawkins averaged a team best 22.6 points per game this season to go along with 8.8 rebounds per contest. He shot 54% from the field and 46% from 3-point range this year. Hawkins said he started to think about giving something else a shot after the National Championship game.

Hawkins indicated that he would like to stay somewhere in the Midwest so he’s not too far away from family and friends, but he knows he’ll get support wherever he decides to go.

Hawkins said his phone started ringing from schools interested not even ten minutes after he entered the portal. He said he’s looking for a good fit academically and athletically and will take his time in making a decision. Hawkins set a number of records  in the Bearcats program, including taking over the career rebounding mark this past season.