Dominique Hawkins’ letter to Big Blue Nation will bring a tear to your eye

Dominique Hawkins recently sat down with Kyle Tucker of SEC Country to give his thanks to Big Blue Nation for making his dreams come true.

As you can expect with Hawkins, it was a sincere, heart-warming letter that brings a tear to your eye.

He started the letter off by saying he dreamed of being Tayshaun Prince, playing for Kentucky.

I can’t tell you how many times when I was a kid my mom yelled for me to quiet down upstairs, where I was pretending to be Tayshaun Prince — I even shot left-handed — hitting the game-winner for Kentucky on a Nerf hoop.

He went on to say that it took a lot for him to get his chance at Kentucky, and he had to battle Derek Willis, his future best friend, for Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball.

With Kentucky losing in the first round of the 2013 NIT, Cal was back in Lexington during the state tournament at Rupp Arena. Every other year at that time, he’s been away at the NCAA Tournament, so what else would you call it but fate? I knew this was my 1 shot, and I took it.

With Coach Cal in the stands, my Madison Central teammates and I played our guts out. We won the state title and I won MVP of the Sweet 16. Soon after, Cal showed up at my high school and sat me down in the locker room to deliver big news: he was offering me a scholarship to Kentucky.

Hawkins called it the best day of his life. In his time at Kentucky, he fed off of the energy that the fans provided.

I was a hometown kid who cherished the chance to wear that uniform and who shared a special relationship with the fans. I knew if I played with energy, you would be behind me and that would give me even more energy. Once I heard the roar of the crowd, I wanted to put it all on the line for you.

Hawkins said there’s nothing like BBN and Rupp Arena. His mother loved the way fans cheered for him, and his younger siblings thought he was famous (in this state, he is).

The whole four years was everything Hawkins hoped it would be when he was playing on that Nerf hoop, pretending to be Prince at the buzzer.

I keep thinking maybe I’ll wake up in my mom’s house and see that Nerf goal glowing in the dark and realize this has all been a dream. But that’s the thing: It absolutely has been. Thank you, BBN.

Hawkins wrapped up the letter by saying he will be playing professional basketball somewhere. Whether it’s the NBA’s D-League or international ball, he’s not ready to quit the game. Good thing he went to the best school for a career in professional hoops.