Dominique Hawkins making Reach USA trip again

Ever since first stepping onto UK's campus, Dominique Hawkins has been as good of a representative of Kentucky Basketball on and off the court as you'll find.

Now, Hawkins will travel to the Far East in conjunction with Reach USA for a cultural exchange trip. This marks the second time in his career that Hawkins has made the trip with Reach USA for a cultural exchange basketball trip in order to learn more about the Far Eastern culture, while sharing its own culture.

"I wanted to return to the Far East because I enjoyed the trip earlier in my career and I didn’t have any other plans," Hawkins said. "I’m looking forward to the opportunity to learn about another culture and spend some more time on the basketball court."

The Reach USA team will travel from May 16-29th and feature games from China and Lithuania. Other students joining Hawkins on the trip hail from Duquesne, Kentucky Wesleyan, Southern Mississippi, Southern University, Troy, Virginia Intermont and Western Kentucky.

This marks the second time to the Far East for the Richmond, Ky., native who enjoyed a productive trip on the court during his previous trip. He spent two weeks with Reach USA in the Far East during the summer of 2014.  He averaged 9.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game over the course of nine contests that summer. He topped double-figure scoring in three games, including a 27-point game in a win over Lithuania.

Hawkins is one of several Wildcats who have participated in the cultural exchange during Calipari’s tenure. Others who have made the cultural exchange trip include Josh Harrellson, Jon Hood and Eloy Vargas. Harrellson’s trip came in the summer of 2010 and was followed by a breakout senior season in which he averaged 7.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 61% from the field.