Big West Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade ('13-23)

Big West Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

By Joey Loose | Jul 15, 2023

Mar 14, 2019; Anaheim, CA, USA;Cal State Northridge Matadors forward Lamine Diane (35) lets out a yell after scoring past UC Santa Barbara Gauchos forward Amadou Sow (12) and guard Ar'Mond Davis (1) during the first half of the quarterfinals of the Big West conference tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

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Big West Basketball UC Davis Aggies guard Corey Hawkins Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Corey Hawkins

A 6’3 combo guard, Hawkins was born in Philadelphia while his father Hersey played for the 76ers but mostly grew up in Arizona, becoming one of the state’s best high school players in the late 2000’s. He committed to Arizona State but played a minor role for the Sun Devils and decided to transfer after his freshman season. He sat out a season before arriving at UC Davis, becoming a major scorer for the next three seasons.

We aren’t technically considering his sophomore season, which came prior to our 2013 cut-off, but does that really matter? Hawkins averaged right around 20 points per game in each of his seasons with the Aggies, instantly becoming a top scorer in the Big West. UC Davis struggled during his junior season but he led the team to the Big West regular season title as a senior. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get the job done in the postseason, though Hawkins went out with a 34-point performance at Stanford in the NIT.

Hawkins was named Big West Player of the Year as a senior in a season where he was 8th in the nation in points per game and led everyone with his 48.8% mark from outside the arc. His impact in the Big West was profound, sitting among the league leaders in points, steals, and many other metrics and figures during his three seasons at Davis. There’s no doubt that Hawkins was a fantastic shooter, it’s just a shame he didn’t get his chance to Dance.