The 2023-24 season will mark the eighth year at Canisius for Chris Hawkins, a long-time Division I assistant coach, who previously worked with Reggie Witherspoon at the University at Buffalo from 1999-07. Hawkins, a 1992 graduate of Radford University, joined the Golden Griffins’ staff in the summer of 2016 after spending five seasons at his alma mater.
In his seven previous seasons on the Golden Griffins' coaching staff, Hawkins has helped guide the Blue and Gold to 94 wins, 65 of which have come in MAAC play, a share of the 2017-18 MAAC regular-season championship and a pair of national postseason appearances (CIT in 2016-17, CBI in 2017-18).
In his time on the Griffs' staff, Hawkins has coached and recruited 10 All-MAAC honorees, highlighted by 2017-18 MAAC Co-Player of the Year, Jermaine Crumpton and 2017-18 MAAC Rookie of the Year, Takal Molson. Most recently (2022-23), former Canisius guard Jordan Henderson was named All-MAAC Third Team, while guard Tahj Staveskie became the first Canisius newcomer since 2006-07 to be a unanimous selection to the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
From 2011-16, Hawkins was part of the Radford coaching staff that helped guide the team 79 wins and two appearances in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). In 2013-14, Radford received a CBI berth after setting a program record with 22 victories, and then the Highlanders followed that effort with another 22-win season and a second-straight trip to the CBI in 2014-15. From 2011-16, Radford notched non-league wins over schools such as Georgetown, Oregon State and Penn State, and as the program’s academic coach, Hawkins helped promote a team graduation rate of 100 percent.
Hawkins’ most recent work at Radford marked his second stint on the Highlanders’ bench, as he also spent three seasons there from 1997-99. During that time period, he helped lead Radford to the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1998 and to a Big South Conference regular-season crown in 2000. He recruited and coached two-time All-Big South first-team honoree Jason Williams, who was named the Big South Player of the Year in 2000.
After his first term at Radford, Hawkins joined with Witherspoon at the University at Buffalo for seven seasons from 2000-07. In a three-year stretch from 2003-06, the Bulls won 59 games, including a 23-win season in 2004-05. In addition to his assistant coaching responsibilities at Buffalo, Hawkins served as the Bulls’ recruiting coordinator, where he helped bring 2005 MAC Player of the Year Turner Battle, 2005 MAC Sixth Man of the Year Mark Bortz and All-MAC honoree Calvin Cage to UB’s program. The Brandywine, Maryland native spent the 2007-08 season at Tulane, where the Green Wave earned just their third winning campaign in a decade with a 18-15 record, highlighted by victories over Georgia, LSU and St. John’s.
Hawkins got his start in the coaching business in 1994, when he served as the head basketball coach at Bladensburg High School in Bladensburg, Md. As a player at Radford, Hawkins was a key piece of the 1991-92 “Never-Say-Die-Landers” team that went 20-9 and won the Big South regular-season championship. He graduated from Radford as the school’s career leader in assists with 310, highlighted by his 128 assists during the 1991-92 campaign that ranks top-10 in school history. The Radford team MVP in his senior year, he helped lead the Highlanders to 12 wins in games where the squad trailed in the second half. He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Radford in 1992 and his master’s degree in education and instructional curriculum from National Louis University in 1997.
Hawkins and his wife Jacquie (Clements) Hawkins have one daughter, Chandler, a proud graduate from the University of Louisville.
