While the Kentucky Wildcats await the decisions of three five-star prospects--Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon--the staff continues to scout for talent to supplement next year's team. A couple weeks after Kentucky assistant Orlando Antigua scouted Cordia (KY) point guard Emmanuel Owootoah, a new name has popped on the radar.
Antigua added to the Owootoah visit a few days after, heading to a practice at Richmond (KY) Madison Central. The target was Dominique Hawkins, a 6' 0", 170 lb point guard. Hawkins is this cousin of former Kentucky player Marquis Estill, currently a graduate assistant on head coach John Calipari's coaching staff.
Hawkins appears to have piqued Calipari's interest. The head coach, along with assistants Antigua and Kenny Payne, watched Hawkins and his high school team play in Madison Central’s opening game in the Sweet Sixteen earlier today.
Per Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Hawkins has a walk-on offer from the Louisville Cardinals, as well as interest from area schools like the Alabama Crimson Tide, Tennessee Volunteers and Purdue Boilermakers. His offer lists include two local mid-major programs: Morehead St. and Western Kentucky.
It remains to be seen if Kentucky will extend a scholarship to Hawkins, or if the coaching staff could decide to ask Hawkins to become a preferred walk-on (with year-to-year scholarship possibilities) like current Wildcat Jarrod Polson. In any case, it does appear that the Kentucky coaching staff is serious about adding guard depth going into the 2013-14 season.