Atlantic Alumnus Ryan Hawkins just finished up a stellar college basketball career. He won three National Championships and notched record marks at Northwest Missouri State before using an extra year of eligibility to join the Creighton Bluejays this past season and lead them to the round of 32 at the NCAA Tournament. During a recent interview on KJAN Ryan talked about the thrill of this season and playing in the NCAA Tournament.

Hawkins finished his lone season at Creighton with 482 points, 272 rebounds, 53 assists, 32 steals, and 13 blocks. Hawkins finishes his college basketball career with 2,580 points, 1,220 rebounds, 257 steals, 229 assists, and 82 blocks. Ryan has kept his options open for what the future holds but before anything else he wants to give basketball at the next level a chance.

Ryan has had a big following of fans from Atlantic and Northwest Missouri State that have kept up with his basketball career. He said it’s been fun to see all the support and how it’s continued this year.

Hawkins ended up taking on a big leadership role on a young Creighton team and he said it was just natural to try to share his knowledge gained from experience with the younger guys.

Ryan has had some conversations with NBA teams and believes he will get a shot to prove himself at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this year. He’s certainly been a great representative of Atlantic and a strong inspiration for youth in the community. It’s been a joy to follow his career and we will continue to follow his journey.

Catch the full interview Jim Field conducted with Ryan HERE