Connecticut star guard Jordan Hawkins wasn’t himself in Saturday’s 72-59 win over Miami (FL) at the Final Four. Hawkins fell ill Thursday evening in Houston, where the men’s NCAA Final Four is.
Hawkins missed Friday’s practice, and his status was questionable ahead of the game. UConn’s medical staff worked non-stop to treat him. Thus, he started Saturday’s game, scoring 13 points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field.
After the national semifinal win, Hawkins opened up about the illness. He told reporters he feels “great” and there is no reason to be concerned about Monday’s national championship game, according to Adam Zagoria.
As for what caused the illness, Hawkins says he had food poisoning from eating calamari at a restaurant in Houston. He vowed he may not eat the seafood ever again.
Fortunately, the illness seems behind him. He’ll take the court Monday against San Diego State.
Jordan Hawkins is in his second season with Connecticut. He is averaging 16.2 points, shooting 40.6% from the field, including 38.6% from three, this season in 36 games. Before arriving in Connecticut to play under Dan Hurley, Hawkins starred at DeMatha in Hyattsville, Maryland.
Hawkins will look to be the second member of his family to win a college basketball championship this weekend. His cousin, LSU women’s star Angel Reese, led the Tigers to the program’s first national title and was named the Most Outstanding Player in the tournament.
