'{{Short description|American-born Japanese basketball player}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Josh Hawkinson | image = Josh Hawkinson 20230825 Basketball World Cup 04.jpg | caption = Hawkinson with Japan in 2023 | position = [[Center (basketball)|Center]] / [[Power forward (basketball)|Power Forward]] | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 10 | weight_lb = 240 | league = [[B.League]] | team = Sun Rockers Shibuya | number = 8 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|06|23}} | birth_place = [[Seattle, Washington]], U.S. | nationality = American / Japanese | high_school = [[Shorewood High School (Washington)|Shorewood]] ([[Shoreline, Washington]]) | college = [[Washington State Cougars men's basketball|Washington State]] (2013–2017) | draft_year = 2017 | career_start = 2017 | career_end = | years1 = 2017–2020 | team1 = [[Toyotsu Fighting Eagles Nagoya|Toyotsu Fighting Eagles]] | years2 = 2020–2023 | team2 = [[Shinshu Brave Warriors]] | years3 = 2023–present | team3 = [[Sun Rockers Shibuya]] | highlights = * Second-team [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference men's basketball teams|All-Pac-12]] (2017) * 2× All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention (2015, 2016) * [[Pac-12 Conference|Pac-12]] Most Improved Player of The Year (2015) }} '''Joshua Haakon Hawkinson''' (born June 23, 1995)<ref name="Bio" /> is an American-born Japanese professional [[basketball]] player for [[Sun Rockers Shibuya]] of the [[B.League]]. He played [[college basketball]] for the [[Washington State Cougars men's basketball|Washington State Cougars]], where he finished his career as the school's all-time leader in rebounds and [[Double (basketball)|double-doubles]]. He became a Japanese citizen in 2023. He played for the for the [[Japan men's national basketball team|Japanese national team]] at the [[2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup]] and at the [[Basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament|2024 Olympics]]. ==Early life== Hawkinson was born in [[Seattle]], Washington, to Nels and Nancy Hawkinson. He has one younger sister Carlyn, and his family lives in [[Shoreline, Washington]]. Both of his parents played basketball collegiately; his dad at [[Trinity Western University]] and his mom at the [[University of Washington]].<ref name=Bio>{{cite web|title=Josh Hawkinson Bio|url=http://wsucougars.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=2702|website=WSU Cougars}}</ref> Hawkinson grew up to become one of the best players in the Seattle area and attended [[Shorewood High School (Washington)|Shorewood High School]] in [[Shoreline, Washington|Shoreline]]. Over his junior and senior seasons, Hawkinson led his team to a 32–14 record and averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks per game.<ref name=Bio /> Hawkinson was very lightly recruited out of high school with no Power 5 conference schools interested in him, besides Washington State.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://blog.thenewstribune.com/uwsports/2015/02/21/overlooked-by-hometown-huskies/ |title=Overlooked by hometown Huskies, Shoreline native Josh Hawkinson is a double-double machine at Washington State &#124; UW Huskies Insider - the News Tribune |access-date=2018-04-12 |archive-date=2016-07-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731044152/http://blog.thenewstribune.com/uwsports/2015/02/21/overlooked-by-hometown-huskies/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> ==College career== Hawkinson began his college career in 2013 for [[Washington State Cougars Men's Basketball|Washington State]] and played limited minutes in a supporting role as a freshman. He served as a backup to upperclassmen [[D.J. Shelton]] and [[Jordan Railey]] and went on to average 1.2 points, and 1.6 rebounds in just 6 minutes per game.<ref name=Bio /> Following his freshman season, Washington States head coach [[Ken Bone (basketball)|Ken Bone]] was fired and replaced by new head coach [[Ernie Kent]]. Hawkinson thrived under Kent in his sophomore season at [[Washington State Cougars men's basketball|Washington State]]. His minutes per game skyrocketed from 6 to 33, and he became the second-most improved scorer in the nation from 1.2 to 14.7 [[points per game]], and the most improved rebounder in the country from 1.6 to 10.8 [[Rebound (basketball)|rebounds per game]]. Hawkinson would go on to lead the league in rebounding and his 334 total rebounds and 20 [[Double (basketball)|double-doubles]] set single season Washington State records in both categories. He led the [[Pac-12 Conference|Pac-12]] and NCAA in defensive rebounds per game at 8.7, and earned [[Pac-12 Conference|Pac-12]] Most Improved Player of the Year<ref>{{cite web|title=Lacy First-Team All-Conference; Hawkinson Most Improved Player|url=http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sportslink/2015/mar/09/lacy-first-team-all-conference-hawkinson-most-improved-player/|website=The Spokesman-Review|accessdate=25 September 2017}}</ref> and [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference men's basketball teams|All-Pac-12]] Honorable Mention honors. As a junior, Hawkinson was given team captain responsibilities and once again led the league in rebounding and double-doubles. He improved both his points per game from 14.7 to 15.4, and rebounds per game from 10.8 to 11.1 and tied his own single-season Washington State record with another 20 [[Double (basketball)|double-doubles]]. He earned [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference men's basketball teams|All-Pac-12]] Honorable Mention for the second straight season<ref>{{cite web|title=Josh Hawkinson named All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention|url=http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sportslink/2016/mar/07/josh-hawkinson-named-all-pac-12-honorable-mention/|website=The Spokesman-Review|accessdate=25 September 2017}}</ref> and was named a Finalist for the [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award|Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the year award]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Josh Hawkinson named a finalist for the Abdul-Jabbar Award|url=https://www.cougcenter.com/2016/2/6/10926980/josh-hawkinson-named-a-finalist-for-the-abdul-jabbar-award|website=Cougcenter|date=6 February 2016|accessdate=25 September 2017}}</ref> In his senior campaign, Hawkinson retained his team captain status and led his team to a sweep of the Washington Huskies for the first time since the 2010–11 season. Hawkinson went on to average 15.5 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game earning him [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference men's basketball teams|All-Pac-12]] Second Team honors.<ref>{{cite web|title=WSU Josh Hawkinson named to All-Pac-12 second team|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/wsu-cougar-basketball/wsu-josh-hawkinson-named-to-all-pac-12-second-team/|website=Seattle Times|date=6 March 2017|accessdate=25 September 2017}}</ref> Hawkinson would also be selected to the Second Team All-District 20 team by the [[National Association of Basketball Coaches|NABC]]<ref>{{cite web|title=WSU Cougars|url=http://www.wsucougars.com/news/2017/3/21/mens-basketball-josh-hawkinson-named-nabc-second-team-all-district-20.aspx|website=JOSH HAWKINSON NAMED NABC SECOND TEAM ALL-DISTRICT 20|accessdate=25 September 2017}}</ref> and was named as a finalist for the [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award|Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the year award]] for the second straight year.<ref>{{cite web|title=JOSH HAWKINSON NAMED FINALIST FOR ABDUL-JABBAR AWARD FOR SECOND-STRAIGHT YEAR|url=https://www.cougcenter.com/2017/2/4/14507104/washington-state-cougars-basketball-josh-hawkinson-abdul-jabbar-finalist|website=WSU Cougars|date=4 February 2017|accessdate=25 September 2017}}</ref> For his outstanding achievements both on and off the court, Hawkinson became the first [[Washington State Cougars men's basketball|Washington State]] player ever to be named a [[Senior CLASS Award]] First Team All-American.<ref>{{cite web|title=JOSH HAWKINSON NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD® FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICAN|url=http://www.wsucougars.com/news/2017/3/31/mens-basketball-josh-hawkinson-named-senior-class-award-first-team-all-american.aspx|website=WSU Cougars|accessdate=25 September 2017}}</ref> and followed that up by winning the Tom Hansen Conference Medal<ref>{{cite web|title=Basketball's Josh Hawkinson and rowing's Nicole Hare awarded Tom Hansen Conference Medals|url=https://www.cougcenter.com/2017/6/28/15885300/josh-hawkinson-nicole-hare-tom-hansen-conference-medals-wsu-cougars-pac-12-pac12|website=Cougcenter|date=28 June 2017|accessdate=25 September 2017}}</ref> given to the [[Pac-12 Conference|Pac-12]]'s "most outstanding senior student-athlete based on the exhibition of the greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics and leadership."<ref>{{cite web|title=Pac-12 names 2016–17 Tom Hansen Conference Medal Winners|url=https://pac-12.com/news/2017/6/27/pac-12-names-2016-17-tom-hansen-conference-medal-winners.aspx|website=PAC 12|access-date=25 September 2017}}</ref> Academically, Hawkinson completed his [[bachelor's degree]] from [[Washington State University]] in just three years, receiving his degree in [[Operations management|Management Operations]] in the summer of 2016 while being a three-time [[Pac-12 Conference|Pac-12]] All-Academic honoree. In his senior year, Hawkinson finished his [[Master's of Business Administration]] in Data Analytics, completing both his bachelor's and master's degrees in four years, and was named the 2017 [[Pac-12 Conference|Pac-12]] Scholar-Athlete of the Year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hawkinson Named Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year|url=https://www.cougcenter.com/2017/3/8/14857738/hawkinson-named-pac-12-scholar-athlete-of-the-year|website=Cougcenter|date=8 March 2017|accessdate=25 September 2017}}</ref> Hawkinson concluded his career tenth in points scored with 1,414 and set school records in double-doubles with 56 and rebounds with 1,015. He became the first Washington State player ever to amass 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, and was the 13th player in Pac-12 history to reach those marks.<ref name=ProContract>{{cite web|title=JOSH HAWKINSON SIGNS PRO CONTRACT IN JAPAN|url=http://www.wsucougars.com/news/2017/6/27/mens-basketball-josh-hawkinson-signs-pro-contract-in-japan.aspx|website=WSU Cougars|accessdate=25 September 2017}}</ref> ==College statistics== {{NBA player statistics start}} |- |style="text-align:left;"|[[2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2013–14]] |style="text-align:left;"|[[2013–14 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team|Washington State]] |28||0||6.4||.458||0.0||.600||1.6||0.2||0.0||0.1||1.2 |- |style="text-align:left;"|[[2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2014–15]] |style="text-align:left;"|[[2014–15 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team|Washington State]] |31||29||32.7||.500||.200||.853||10.8||1.0||0.4||1.1||14.7 |- |style="text-align:left;"|[[2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2015–16]] |style="text-align:left;"|[[2015–16 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team|Washington State]] |29||28||33.3||.543||.385||.778||11.1||1.5||0.7||1.1||15.4 |- |style="text-align:left;"|[[2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2016–17]] |style="text-align:left;"|[[2016–17 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team|Washington State]] |31||31||35.4||.531||.406||.833||10.2||2.5||0.6||0.8||15.5 |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |119||88||27.4||.523||.350||.812||8.5||1.3||0.4||0.8||11.9 {{S-end}} <ref>{{cite web|title=Josh Hawkinson Stats|url=http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/66237/josh-hawkinson|website=ESPN|accessdate=25 September 2017}}</ref> ==Professional career== On June 26, 2017, Hawkinson signed his first professional contract with the [[Toyotsu Fighting Eagles Nagoya|Toyotsu Fighting Eagles]] of the Japanese [[B.League]].<ref name=ProContract /> He played for the Fighting Eagles in the 2017–18, 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons.<ref name=asia-basket>{{cite web|url=https://basketball.asia-basket.com/player/Josh-Hawkinson/300591|title=Josh Hawkinson|work=asia-basket.com|access-date=31 August 2023|url-access=subscription}}</ref> For the 2020–21 season, Hawkinson joined the [[Shinshu Brave Warriors]].<ref name="asia-basket" /> He continued with the Brave Warriors in the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons.<ref name="asia-basket" /> On June 12, 2023, Hawkinson signed with [[Sun Rockers Shibuya]]. ==National team career== In February 2023, Hawkinson became a naturalized Japanese citizen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=信州のジョシュ・ホーキンソンが⽇本国籍取得「日本を背負うことを誇りに思います」 |url=https://basketballking.jp/news/japan/b1/20230210/416169.html |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=バスケットボールキング |language=ja}}</ref> He played for the [[Japan men's national basketball team|Japanese national team]] at the [[2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fiba.basketball/en/player/338054/Joshua-Hawkinson|title=Joshua Hawkinson|work=fiba.basketball|access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.wsucougars.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=2943 WSU Cougars profile] *[http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/66237/josh-hawkinson ESPN.com profile] {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkinson, Josh}} [[Category:1995 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American emigrants to Japan]] [[Category:People from Shoreline, Washington]] [[Category:Basketball players from King County, Washington]] [[Category:Power forwards]] [[Category:Toyotsu Fighting Eagles Nagoya players]] [[Category:Washington State Cougars men's basketball players]] [[Category:Naturalized citizens of Japan]] [[Category:Japanese men's basketball players]] [[Category:Naturalised basketball players]] [[Category:Shinshu Brave Warriors players]] [[Category:2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players]] [[Category:Basketball players at the 2024 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Olympic basketball players for Japan]]'