A 2005 Platte County High School graduate recently received induction into the MidAmerica Nazarene University Athletics Hall of Fame. A standout for the Pirates, Danny Hawkins went on to even greater basketball success at the collegiate level. He starred at MidAmerica during the best four-year run in program history. The Pioneers went 119-26 from 2004-2005 to 2008-2009 with Hawkins playing forward, winning three Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season titles, two league tournament titles and the 2007 NAIA national championship with a 78-60 win against Maryville State (N.D.) in the title game.
Hawkins made the NAIA All-American team in his final three years, taking second-team honors as a sophomore and moving up to first team as a junior and senior. He was also the 2009 HAAC player of the year, landing on the first team of the All-HAAC list in his final three rebounds.
In the program’s record books, Hawkins ranks fifth all-time in scoring (2,499 points) second in rebounding (1,417 rebounds) and sixth in blocked shots (146 blocks). He led the nation in rebounding as a senior at 12.1 per game.
“The 2015 Class of MNU Athletics HOF inductees is one of absolute quality,” MidAmerica director of athletics Kevin Steele said in a statement. “As individuals in their sports they set themselves apart from the rest through tireless work and dedication. As a group, they continue a legacy that was set long before them, and of which they continue to model the same excellence. It is a privilege to have each of them as new members in our illustrious hall of fame.”
Hawkins averaged 16.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game in the 2007 national championship season. He scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the title game win against No. 13 Maryville State and ended up on the All-Tournament team with the second highest amount of rebounds (50), notching a pair of double-doubles in the second-seeded Pioneers run to the championship.
In high school, Hawkins accrued 558 points and 407 rebounds, averaging 12.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He was an All-Midland Empire Conference selection.
Hawkins graduated from MidAmerica in 2009 and currently lives in Kansas City, Mo. with his wife Lauren and daughter Nova.