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WORDS. Jonathan Marshall PHOTO. Paul Carmona/Next Generation Sports
JaVontae Hawkins
Located 66 miles northwest of Detroit, the city of Flint, Mich., has quite the stake to claim when the top talent-producing areas are discussed. Consider the list of Flint ballers which boasts the likes of Mateen Cleaves, Charlie Bell, Morris Peterson, and JaVale McGee. Rising senior JaVontae Hawkins is primed to continue on the trail of hoops glory blazed by his Flint brothers.
"I take a lot of pride in being from Flint, Michigan," says Hawkins. "I want to be a part of the tradition and history. We never give up. We're tough as nails. We got a tradition of winning."
Hawkins counts Cleaves as a mentor, and the former Michigan State star deems the new kid worthy to represent the tradition.
"Flint has a great tradition for basketball," says Cleaves. "It's some- thing about the ballplayers and that's just something you learn as a kid playing on the parks and the leagues. It's just about competing, working hard and grinding. So he's definitely worthy of carrying on the Flintstones name. We're proud of him."
Hawkins started playing organized ball in the eighth grade. His passion grew as he matured to his current solid 6-5, 200-pound frame. Transferring from Flint Beecher to Flint Powers Catholic after his freshman year of high school, Hawkins' star increased exponentially. This past season, he paced Powers with 17.8 points per game, leading them to the Detroit Class B quarterfinals. They lost by three points to top- ranked Detroit Country Day.
With his national buzz growing with each performance, Hawkins made a huge decision in May, de- ciding to transfer to Huntington Prep in Huntington, W. Va. Cur- rent NBA players O.J. Mayo, Bill Walker and Patrick Patterson all spent time at the school.
"I just wanted to go down there because of the competition they play," says Hawkins. "I like to com- pete against the best player on the opposing team. I go at them then I expect them to come at me. I just like to compete. The other reason was just getting away from all the violence (in Flint). Just to be more focused. I think I will be way more focused in West Virginia."
While Hawkins has never had issues with avoiding the lure of the streets, he's still witnessed and felt its effect firsthand. In a four-year span, Hawkins lost two brothers to shootings. These losses have had a profound effect on the 17-year-old. In an area that is known more for a failing auto industry, Hawkins is out to prove there is positivity in Flint.
"It just motivated me to do everything right and just stay out of the
streets," he says reflecting on his two brothers. "Don't mess around with outsiders, do your class work and stay in the gym. It motivated me to where I can be a student-athlete and to make it out of Flint. Motivate younger kids that I work with to stay out the streets. The basketball court and the classroom is where it's at. That's gonna get you out of Flint. That quick money will not get you out the streets. That's just temporary, but education lasts a lifetime."
Besides Hawkins being a top-20 national prospect at the wing posi- tion, having one less player to worry about at night is an added bonus for college coaches. Michigan, Arizona State, Ohio State, Colorado and West Virginia are among the schools vying for his letter of intent.
"His name has always been ringing in Flint," says Cleaves. "He's a great kid. He has a great level of maturity. That's a credit to his parents. They did a great job with raising him. He's definitely a step ahead of everybody else in maturity level."
Cleaves looks forward to his young protégé showcasing the "Flint Chip" on the college and pro levels.
"He's smooth, you know a little silky," adds Cleaves. "He can shoot the ball well. Athletic size and he plays the game the right way. That's his goal (the NBA). I think he has all the tools but he gotta keep working."
Hawkins spent the summer months working on his all- around game with NBA and
overseas players from Flint and playing the nation's best with his Michigan Mustangs AAU squad. With one more year to solely focus on the books and hoops, Hawkins is no doubt on the fast track to keeping the Flintstones brotherhood rolling.
"I was on the phone with Mateen last week, and he told me just to stay focused," says Hawkins. "He said I'm a Mercedes Benz, and I gotta treat my body as a Mercedes Benz. I gotta put the right type of gas in my system. Don't be around the negative people. When I get older, hopefully I will be blessed enough to go to the NBA and give back. Even if I'm not in the NBA, I'm still going to give back and tell younger kids what I've seen happen in the streets. Teach to them that the right thing to do is just stay in school, keep God first and basketball will always be there."
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