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Overview

Thanks to a determined sales job by head coach Lorenzo Romar, Washington was able to secure the services of what many experts felt was the best big man in the West - Spencer Hawes. Even though he might be playing in the NBA next season, the Hawes name was already etched in UW folklore.

Spencer's father, Jeff, was a former Husky basketball player (1972-74) and his uncle, Steve, (1970-72) who was named to Washington's All-Century team. Steve Hawes was UW's 2006 inductee into the Pac-10 Conference Basketball Hall of Honor and averaged 8.4 points per game over 10 NBA seasons (1974-85) with Cleveland, Houston, Portland, Atlanta and Seattle.

At Seattle Prep, Hawes was a 2006 McDonald's and Parade All-American selection. He was rated the best prospect in the Best in the West poll compiled by the Long Beach Press-Telegram and the nation's second-best prep prospect in the Bob Gibbons' All-Star Report.

He was a second-team High School All-American choice by Street & Smith's magazine and also garnered national honors from EA Sports. He was selected to the five-member 2006 USA Today All-USA Prep Basketball first-team and honored as the 2006 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Washington.

Hawes averaged 19.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.1 blocks and 3.0 assists as a senior, leading the Panthers to the 2006 state Class 3A championship. He was also named the MVP of the 2006 state tournament and chosen the Seattle Times' High School Male Player of the Year following the 2006 season. As a junior, he averaged 16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. He graduated with a 3.70 grade-point average, receiving academic accolades as a member of the Dean's List, President's List and the Honor Roll.

After his senior season, Hawes joined USA Basketball, as he topped all scorers with 24 points and added 10 rebounds, leading the U.S. under-18 men's team to a 104-82 triumph over Argentina (July 2, 2006) in the gold medal game of the 2006 FIBA Americas under-18 Championship. He averaged 12 points and 7.5 rebounds during the tournament for a team that was coached by Hawes' college coach, Romar. He debuted for USA Basketball in April of 2006 as a member of the 2006 USA Junior National Select Team that defeated the World Select Team, 109-91, at the Nike Hoop Summit in Memphis, Tennessee, scoring eight points, with three rebounds and one assist in 17 minutes.

Hawes enrolled at Washington in 2006-07, turning down a scholarship offer from powerhouse North Carolina. He earned Freshman All-Pac 10 Conference first-team (honorable mention on the overall squad) and was a second-team NABC District XIV pick. He was also named to the Freshman All-American teams by CollegeInsider.com and Rivals.com.

"We are very fortunate to have who we feel is arguably the best big man in America at this level," UW head coach Lorenzo Romar stated at the time of Hawes' signing. "He is not only talented, but he has a lot of toughness. We think he embodies everything that Husky basketball is all about. We expect him to make an immediate impact. We have not had someone who can step in and do the things that he does with his size. As a 7-footer, he is able to score on the low block and able to pass the basketball with a good feel. He will definitely be someone that will make an impact as a freshman."

Hawes played in 31 games, starting 24 contests. He missed a mid-January road game vs. Washington State due to a left ankle sprain and lost over 20 pounds during that month while battling a stomach virus. He logged 896 minutes of action (28.9 per game) for 461 points (team-high 14.9 points per game), as he shot 53.2 percent from the field (193 of 363), including 1 of 3 3-point attempts and also hit on 75.5 percent of his free throws (74 of 98).

His 461 points eclipsed the previous UW freshman record of 406 established in 1988 by Mike Hayward. Hawes also set the freshman record for blocked shots with 54, surpassing the previous standard of 32 set by Todd MacCulloch in 1996. The 54 blocks placed Hawes fourth among UW's all-time single-season leaders, behind the 67 of both David Dixon (2002) and Chris Welp (1986) and the 63 of Welp (1987).

Hawes averaged 6.4 rebounds per game, with 61 of his 197 boards came on the offensive end. He displayed excellent passing skills, and was credited with 60 assists (1.9 per game) and also had 16 steals while turning the ball over 78 times (2.5 per game) and being charged with 70 Personal fouls. In 26 of his games, he scored in double figures, including nine contests with at least 20 points and also registered three double-doubles.

In Hawes' collegiate debut, he was on the court for only 19 minutes, but scored 12 points, had five rebounds and dished out seven assists while blocking four shots vs. Pepperdine. He followed with three more blocks, 16 points and seven boards vs. Northern Iowa and had his first 20-point performance with 21 points on 9 of 14 shooting and three blocks vs. Southern Utah in early December.

In his next game, vs. Gonzaga, Hawes scored 20 points (8 of 15) in just 28 minutes, coming up with three assists and six rebounds. After scoring 16 points in the next game vs. Portland State, Hawes went on a tear over his next four contests -- totaling 23 points on 10 of 16 shooting with 12 rebounds vs. LSU; 23 points (10 of 14) with nine boards, three blocked shots and three assists vs. Weber State; 24 points, five rebounds and two assists vs. Southern California and delivered 21 points, six boards and two assists in the UCLA clash.

Even while battling a stomach virus, Hawes scored at least 10 points in all four of his January games. He put in 22 points and grabbed five rebounds vs. Washington State on Valentine's Day and grabbed 12 rebounds with four assists with 12 points vs. Pittsburgh. He shot 10 of 15 for 22 points in a losing effort vs. Oregon State and put in eight baskets for 20 points, seven boards and six assists the following game vs. Oregon.

On April 5, Hawes announced that he intended to make himself available for the 2007 NBA Draft selection process. He does not intend to hire an agent, enabling him to retain the option to withdraw from the draft and return for his sophomore season with the Huskies.

"I'm just trying to take advantage of this opportunity to test the waters and see what happens. I'll go to the camps or workouts and try to improve my game and see where I stand," Hawes explained. "I am not planning to sign with an agent, so the door is still open for me to return to UW. I'm still going to classes."

Scouting Report

Positives: Well-coordinated athlete for a player his size, showing the loose hips and foot speed to get up and down the court with ease...Very fluid in his moves and is a flexible shooter, with the ability to go to the basket with either hand...Has the wide body, long reach and elevation to dominate as a shot blocker and maintains good position working around the rim...Efficient passer with the range and shooting ability to play in the high post...Shows good court vision and the decision-making skills to be a primary offensive option...Alters shots even in defensive transition and does his best work in the half-court game, where his reach and flexibility allow him to move out on smaller defenders in attempts to disrupt or block shots...Plays with a high level of intensity and his ability to shoot jump hooks with either hand make it impossible to defend him near the basket...Handles the ball well in half-court sets for a player his size and does a nice job of establishing position down low...Has improved the shooting mechanics on his jumper (higher arc) and is a high-percentage shooter from the floor (53.2 percent)...Physical rebounder with good hands, especially securing the lob pass...Has the hand quickness to feed the ball around vs. double-team defense and likes to bang under the boards...Has the wingspan and elevation to block shots near the rim or get putbacks...Needs to improve his upper-body strength, but he can't be pushed out of the paint once he establishes position due to his lower-body power... Mentally tough player for his age who keeps his composure in pressure situations...His hands are on par with a point guards and his passes remind some of former Celtic Kevin McHale...Even though he is best working near the basket, he has the range to make the mid-range jumper, something he needs to do more often...Has a good feel for the opponent's schemes and it is rare to see him bite on pump fakes...Gets high above the rim to block shots, utilizing his impressive 9'1" standing reach and 7'1" wingspan...Has the passing skills to dish the ball out to the open man and with his strength driving to the basket, he gets plenty of touches near the rim...Few centers demonstrate an array of post moves like Hawes and, while he needs to show more variety in his shot selection, he shows good post moves and the ability to get his jump shot off, even when contested...Shows good vision from the perimeter and is quite adept at executing the one-bounce pass...When he times his leaps properly, he is a forceful shot-blocking presence...Maintains good position with his back to the basket and sets up his opponent with good moves and fakes to get off a clean shot...Also has a nice counter move when the defender tries to cut him off, finishing at the rim with either hand, especially when shooting turnaround jumpers.

Negatives: Uses his reach and wingspan effectively to block shots, but his timing will be a bit off late in games...Looked tired in some games reviewed, but he was also battling the stomach virus that cost him 20 pounds of bulk in January...Has loose hips to move out laterally, but when he gets too narrow with his base, his feet appear sluggish...Adequate free-throw shooter who needs to generate a quicker release...Needs to improve his upper-body strength, as the more physical centers at the next level can have success in sealing him when working in the post...Must generate better lift in his jumps in order to get to the rebound with more consistency...Becomes unselfish to a fault, feeling he needs to pass the ball around several times and must be more confident in creating his shot off the dribble.

Compares To: KEVIN McHALE, ex-Boston. Like McHale, Hawes has very advanced post moves. He is an efficient passer who might not be a great leaper, but knows how to get into position for rebounds. A stomach virus cost him considerable bulk this year, but when healthy, he held his own vs. slower centers by daring them to step out of the paint with his perimeter moves. He needs to put the bulk back on and add strength for the next level. He runs the floor very well for a big man. In another draft that did not include Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, he would be every general manager's darling.

High School

Attended Seattle (Wash.) Prep, where he was a 2006 McDonald's and Parade All-American selection...Rated the best prospect in the Best in the West poll compiled by the Long Beach Press-Telegram and the nation's second-best prep prospect in the Bob Gibbons' All-Star Report...Second-team All-American choice by Street & Smith's magazine and also garnered national honors from EA Sports...Selected to the five-member 2006 USA Today All-USA Prep Basketball first-team and honored as the 2006 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Washington...Averaged 19.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.1 blocks and 3.0 assists as a senior, leading the Panthers to the 2006 state Class 3A championship...Was also named the MVP of the 2006 state tournament and chosen the Seattle Times' State High School Male Player of the Year following the 2006 season...As a junior, he averaged 16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks...Graduated with a 3.70 grade-point average, receiving academic accolades as a member of the Dean's List, President's List and the Honor Roll.

Personal

Business major...Father, Jeff, was a former UW basketball player (1972-74)...Uncle, Steve, (1970-72) who was named to Washington's All-Century team. Steve Hawes was UW's 2006 inductee into the Pac-10 Conference Basketball Hall of Honor and averaged 8.4 points per game over ten NBA seasons (1974-85) with Cleveland, Houston, Portland, Atlanta and Seattle...Born 4/28/88 in Seattle, Washington.

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