A legendary institution known for its high-quality academics and sports teams has recently welcomed a new addition to its staff. Chris Hawkins, 33, has been named head basketball coach at Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School.
“Coach Hawkins is a rising star in the coaching community,” said Attucks athletic director Josh Varno in a release. “We look forward to opening the next chapter of this historic program with Chris at the helm.”
Hawkins, who previously served as assistant coach at Brebeuf Jesuit, Shortridge and Southport, spoke with the Recorder about how he plans to develop the team both on and off the court.
Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper: Why a job at Crispus Attucks?
Hawkins: The history of Attucks is amazing. My wife, her mom, dad, aunt and other relatives graduated from Attucks, and many of my relatives did as well. I actually live in the neighborhood, within walking distance of the school. Also, if you look at the basketball history of the school — ’51 with them being in the state finals, ’55 in the state championship, ’56 state championship, ’57 state finals and ’69 state champions — it makes a lot of sense to be at a school with a good academic background and sports history. All in all, it was the total package.
You acknowledged a lot of the school’s legendary basketball performances. Do you feel any pressure to uphold those records?
Not really. We want to build upon the tradition that has been there and execute our brand of how we want to play — playing up-tempo and being attackers on both ends. As far as the pressure, we want to put our paw prints on the program and hopefully we can get back to the state championship.
Is there anything specific you would like to implement as head coach?
Being great student-athletes on and off the court is important. I want players to be great students and active in the community, maybe with Habitat for Humanity and others. I also want to get all of the alumni out to the games, because I want (the players) to know their history, both in sports and academically, because then they can make their own history.
How would you describe your coaching style?
We want to attack on both offense and defense, and that involves really getting into the paint, driving and kicking for threes and dunks, and then pressuring the team for turnovers.
When you come into somewhere, you have to learn the kids, what motivates them and what doesn’t. I have to go in and show them what it really means to be a student-athlete. Some people think it’s just athletic, but it’s more than that. Once they learn that, it’s about how to get them to excel.
For more information on athletics at Crispus Attucks, visit myips.org/ipsathletics.
