Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Tookie's Middle Tennessee chapter coming to a close
3/1/2019 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – On Nov. 16, 2016, a tall, lanky forward from Southwest Mississippi Community College signed a letter of intent to continue his basketball career at Middle Tennessee.
James Hawthorne was one of five early signees in Kermit Davis' last recruiting class at MT, with graduate transfer Nick King to join later.
At the time, Hawthorne, standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 200 pounds right after breakfast, was a bit quiet. If you could get him to open up a little, though, you could really see his personality. You could see "Tookie" come out.
Southern Mississippi born and raised
Hawthorne grew up in Prentiss, Mississippi, a small town of just over 1,000 about an hour south of Jackson.
Despite scoring over 700 points combined as a junior and senior and earning team MVP both years at Prentiss High School, he didn't receive any Division I scholarship offers. He chose to attend Southwest Mississippi Community College in nearby Summit, Mississippi, and there Hawthorne would shine. His Division I scholarship offers jumped to 21 going into his sophomore season in 2016, when he would average seven points, five boards and 1.5 blocks per game.
When the time came to pick his next stop, Hawthorne looked outside of southern Mississippi for the first time. Luckily for him and the Blue Raiders, he found one of his own in Murfreesboro in Davis, who made his coaching debut in 1985 at Southwest Mississippi.
Hawthorne left the comfort of home the next summer, and what he found wasn't homesickness. It was tired legs.
"Southwest is literally a circle. You can walk around campus and not be tired," he said. "It's like a high school feel … so it was a major adjustment coming here.
"I tried to prepare myself for being homesick, so I would stay up at the junior college on the weekends even though there was nothing to do. It was tougher then, because I knew I was only 45 minutes away. I'm pretty used to it now."
Bringing out Tookie
Since he was little, family and friends have called Hawthorne by his nickname, Tookie. The name has taken on its own life the past two seasons in the 'Boro.
Whether Voice of the Blue Raiders Chip Walters is exclaiming, "Tookie Slam!" on the radio after a Hawthorne dunk or the men's basketball Twitter account is releasing another edition of the "Tookie Tuesday" video series, it seems the Blue Raiders can't get enough of Tookie.
The Tookie side of Hawthorne has also come out on the court this season.
As a junior transfer last year, Hawthorne generally stayed toward the back, soaking in Davis' lessons at practice and following the leadership of seniors Giddy Potts and Edward Simpson.
Davis' departure for Ole Miss called for a new coaching staff this season, though, and in Nick McDevitt's first year at the helm, the roster is almost completely different.
Hawthorne is one of just six Blue Raiders who were on the roster last season. The abundance of new guys created a need for a vocal leader, and Tookie took over.
"I'm an outgoing person, and I express myself vividly," he said. "This year, I've been able to be a very vocal leader. I think I've stepped in and taken on that role.
"The toughest adjustment that I had, actually, was going from junior college to here playing under Kermit. Coach McDevitt plays a little more up-tempo … that's been great."
Along with his rise in leadership, his play on the court has also gone to the next level this season.
After averaging two points and a rebound in eight minutes per game as a junior, Hawthorne has upped his output to seven points and five boards in 23.5 minutes per outing as a senior. He's also become a bit of a 3-point threat in Conference USA play, shooting at a 40-percent clip (11-27).
"Our play style is different this season," he said. "The up-tempo kind of fits my game."
Tookie taking on the world
Though his time in Murfreesboro has gone in a flash, Hawthorne is excited for the next step in his journey. He'll graduate in May with a degree in communications, and after that he'll pursue basketball at the next level, likely overseas.
"Middle Tennessee has meant a lot to me," he said. "They gave me a platform to continue playing and continue my education … and everyone here has been great. I couldn't be more grateful."
The thought of playing outside of the U.S. was something Hawthorne never could have dreamed of just a short two years ago while he was home in southern Mississippi.
Now, the world better be ready for Tookie.
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
James Hawthorne was one of five early signees in Kermit Davis' last recruiting class at MT, with graduate transfer Nick King to join later.
At the time, Hawthorne, standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 200 pounds right after breakfast, was a bit quiet. If you could get him to open up a little, though, you could really see his personality. You could see "Tookie" come out.
Southern Mississippi born and raised
Hawthorne grew up in Prentiss, Mississippi, a small town of just over 1,000 about an hour south of Jackson.
Despite scoring over 700 points combined as a junior and senior and earning team MVP both years at Prentiss High School, he didn't receive any Division I scholarship offers. He chose to attend Southwest Mississippi Community College in nearby Summit, Mississippi, and there Hawthorne would shine. His Division I scholarship offers jumped to 21 going into his sophomore season in 2016, when he would average seven points, five boards and 1.5 blocks per game.
When the time came to pick his next stop, Hawthorne looked outside of southern Mississippi for the first time. Luckily for him and the Blue Raiders, he found one of his own in Murfreesboro in Davis, who made his coaching debut in 1985 at Southwest Mississippi.
Hawthorne left the comfort of home the next summer, and what he found wasn't homesickness. It was tired legs.
"Southwest is literally a circle. You can walk around campus and not be tired," he said. "It's like a high school feel … so it was a major adjustment coming here.
"I tried to prepare myself for being homesick, so I would stay up at the junior college on the weekends even though there was nothing to do. It was tougher then, because I knew I was only 45 minutes away. I'm pretty used to it now."
Bringing out Tookie
Since he was little, family and friends have called Hawthorne by his nickname, Tookie. The name has taken on its own life the past two seasons in the 'Boro.
Whether Voice of the Blue Raiders Chip Walters is exclaiming, "Tookie Slam!" on the radio after a Hawthorne dunk or the men's basketball Twitter account is releasing another edition of the "Tookie Tuesday" video series, it seems the Blue Raiders can't get enough of Tookie.
The Tookie side of Hawthorne has also come out on the court this season.
As a junior transfer last year, Hawthorne generally stayed toward the back, soaking in Davis' lessons at practice and following the leadership of seniors Giddy Potts and Edward Simpson.
Davis' departure for Ole Miss called for a new coaching staff this season, though, and in Nick McDevitt's first year at the helm, the roster is almost completely different.
Hawthorne is one of just six Blue Raiders who were on the roster last season. The abundance of new guys created a need for a vocal leader, and Tookie took over.
"I'm an outgoing person, and I express myself vividly," he said. "This year, I've been able to be a very vocal leader. I think I've stepped in and taken on that role.
"The toughest adjustment that I had, actually, was going from junior college to here playing under Kermit. Coach McDevitt plays a little more up-tempo … that's been great."
Along with his rise in leadership, his play on the court has also gone to the next level this season.
After averaging two points and a rebound in eight minutes per game as a junior, Hawthorne has upped his output to seven points and five boards in 23.5 minutes per outing as a senior. He's also become a bit of a 3-point threat in Conference USA play, shooting at a 40-percent clip (11-27).
"Our play style is different this season," he said. "The up-tempo kind of fits my game."
Tookie taking on the world
Though his time in Murfreesboro has gone in a flash, Hawthorne is excited for the next step in his journey. He'll graduate in May with a degree in communications, and after that he'll pursue basketball at the next level, likely overseas.
"Middle Tennessee has meant a lot to me," he said. "They gave me a platform to continue playing and continue my education … and everyone here has been great. I couldn't be more grateful."
The thought of playing outside of the U.S. was something Hawthorne never could have dreamed of just a short two years ago while he was home in southern Mississippi.
Now, the world better be ready for Tookie.
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
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