Seeing Grant and Elijah standing together during the Matador Song at the end of the game. Basically exactly the same height… just two shorties who know how to play floor General and hugging like father and son. A truly special relationship that has formed over the course of this year.
Cannot be understated what McCasland has done with Elijah Hawkins. This has been a perfect fit.
If you just look at the basic stats, you won’t see the growth in Elijah’s game. He’s averaging 9 points a game, same as Minnesota. Hes averaging 6.5 assists, which is actually one less than he did for the gophers.
You won’t see the transformation from the first games in a Texas Tech uniform to what he’s done since conference play began if you’re only focusing on things like shooting percentages and minutes played.
But Elijah’s growth is unbelievable. If you go watch his Minnesota film, yes guy was a good player, but he was also quite wild and often out of control. Trying to do too much, not commanding the rhythm of play. Erratic at times. Not always the smart play. Not leading the squad.
Then go watch him under Grant. Especially since January. Then go watch today. The maturation process, the understanding and growth in basketball IQ is insane. He does so many things that don’t show up in the stat sheet, primarily the control of the flow of the game. Knowing when to slow it down, speed it up… human metronome stuff right now. D5 and Toppin might be the go to guys but Hawkins is the one pulling the strings and orchestrating all of it. It’s so brilliant to watch.
If you need a stat to back this up, check this out:
Elijah Hawkins plus/minus at Minnesota vs under the mentorship of Grant
Minnesota BPM: 3.7
Texas Tech BPM: 7.2
nearly 4 point jump
he’s also currently 6th in the country in assist to turnover ratio with 3.29
Texas Tech as a team is 5th in assist to turnover and he’s the catalyst behind that
But again, so many other stats that won’t show up. Guy is absolutely controlling games right now and making everyone dance to his beat. So many times today he would change up the rhythm. He’d be flying down the court or driving in a flash and then he’d turn right around and hold the ball to burn 10 seconds and setup Toppin or Williams. Drake could almost never get set and that vaunted defense struggled all night.
Elijah Hawkins has unlocked a whole other level of his game with Grant’s coaching. It’s just really something to watch. Grant can sure coach man and guy is a legit point guard whisperer. He’s done that every stop and Elijah is absolutely benefiting from his tutelage. The growth in control, decision making and watching him become the cadence maker… something special.
Cannot be understated what McCasland has done with Elijah Hawkins. This has been a perfect fit.
If you just look at the basic stats, you won’t see the growth in Elijah’s game. He’s averaging 9 points a game, same as Minnesota. Hes averaging 6.5 assists, which is actually one less than he did for the gophers.
You won’t see the transformation from the first games in a Texas Tech uniform to what he’s done since conference play began if you’re only focusing on things like shooting percentages and minutes played.
But Elijah’s growth is unbelievable. If you go watch his Minnesota film, yes guy was a good player, but he was also quite wild and often out of control. Trying to do too much, not commanding the rhythm of play. Erratic at times. Not always the smart play. Not leading the squad.
Then go watch him under Grant. Especially since January. Then go watch today. The maturation process, the understanding and growth in basketball IQ is insane. He does so many things that don’t show up in the stat sheet, primarily the control of the flow of the game. Knowing when to slow it down, speed it up… human metronome stuff right now. D5 and Toppin might be the go to guys but Hawkins is the one pulling the strings and orchestrating all of it. It’s so brilliant to watch.
If you need a stat to back this up, check this out:
Elijah Hawkins plus/minus at Minnesota vs under the mentorship of Grant
Minnesota BPM: 3.7
Texas Tech BPM: 7.2
nearly 4 point jump
he’s also currently 6th in the country in assist to turnover ratio with 3.29
Texas Tech as a team is 5th in assist to turnover and he’s the catalyst behind that
But again, so many other stats that won’t show up. Guy is absolutely controlling games right now and making everyone dance to his beat. So many times today he would change up the rhythm. He’d be flying down the court or driving in a flash and then he’d turn right around and hold the ball to burn 10 seconds and setup Toppin or Williams. Drake could almost never get set and that vaunted defense struggled all night.
Elijah Hawkins has unlocked a whole other level of his game with Grant’s coaching. It’s just really something to watch. Grant can sure coach man and guy is a legit point guard whisperer. He’s done that every stop and Elijah is absolutely benefiting from his tutelage. The growth in control, decision making and watching him become the cadence maker… something special.
Last edited:
