Kansas State wasn’t supposed to be a frontrunner in the Big 12 this season — they were picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll — but they were expected to be competitive in Jerome Tang’s third season at the helm.
It appeared that they’d turned a corner midway through the season with a six-game winning streak in Big 12 play, but after a 70-56 loss to Baylor on Wednesday, the Wildcats season has effectively come to an end.
The loss was difficult for Kansas State’s entire team, but Coleman Hawkins took things especially hard.
In an emotional postgame interview, Hawkins explained how the talk surrounding his NIL earnings affected him since arriving in Manhattan.
“These guys haven’t experienced some of the things I’ve experienced. I really wanted to come in and impact the program. I’m sorry for crying, but shit, this shit hurts,” Coleman said.
“I feel like I let a lot of people down. I feel like I did a poor job of letting people talk about me. It affected my play. It was happening all year. I wish I could just go back and block out everything, not for myself, but for the team so we could have a more successful year. This is a learned lesson for me and I wish the best for the future of this program.”
This is just one example, but there’s a real issue with college-age athletes that are now able to profit off of their name and likeness. The financial opportunity is great, obviously, but the potential backlash an dehumanization that happens as a result is wild.
College players are criticized more heavily now than ever before, and part of it comes as a result of fans feeling that financial compensation deems the players subject to scrutiny, no matter how harsh.
Of course, every situation is different, but it’s clear that the noise around Hawkins got to him in a big way.
