It’s a bit surreal to peer across a basketball court and see the future from a place in your past. But for former Bradley teammates and NBA players Jim Les and Hersey Hawkins, the torch has been passed to sons Tyler and Corey – a duo bent on helping their UC Davis Aggies ascend to the top of the Big West.
THE BACKGROUND
Jim Les and Hersey Hawkins starred at Bradley University in the 1980s. They helped the 1985-86 team finish 32-3 and reach the NCAA Tournament Second Round. Hawkins led the nation in scoring with 36.3 points per game his senior season in 1987-88. Les went on to play seven seasons in the NBA with four different franchises. In 1990-91 with the Sacramento Kings, he led the league in three-point field goal percentage (.461). Hawkins enjoyed a 13-year NBA tour with five clubs, earning NBA All-Rookie First Team Honors in 1989 with the Philadelphia 76ers.
NEXT GENERATION
After being the head coach at his alma mater for nine seasons (2002-11), Jim Les took over the reins of the UC Davis program on May 5, 2011. Jim got the opportunity to count as one of his players, Tyler, who arrived on campus a year before and played his freshman campaign under Gary Stewart. Meanwhile, one of Jim’s first recruits was a transfer by the name of Corey Hawkins, who was reunited with Tyler after the two first built a friendship during summer camps that their dads ran in Peoria, Ill. when they were kids.
The linkages, the similarities and the differences – and the intrigue surrounding what legacy the Les and Hawkins sons will leave at UC Davis – is a tale where only some of the chapters have been written.
But the bond between both families is unmistakably special. The fathers acknowledge that growing up in the shadow of an NBA player can create pressures, expectations and stresses from the outside world that most kids do not encounter. And yet, they are impressed the maturity level both young men have exhibited.
“I don’t know if they (Corey and Tyler) put it on themselves, but there is no question there is additional pressure. Every time those young men step into a gym – and this started from an early age – they’re being compared to a father who is playing the game at the highest level,” said Jim Les. “I always thought it was a little unfair that just because Hersey was an NBA All-Star, well now Corey better lead his fifth grade team in scoring. And just because I was a three-point shooter, Tyler better make all his threes. People wanted to dissect them and often times criticize them unfairly just because of the relationship they have with the father.”
“I think these two guys are very mature for their age, and are very grounded because of what they had to deal with throughout their lifetime.”
Hersey Hawkins echoed the sentiments of his friend and former teammate.
“There was always that pressure from other kids because they knew who he (Corey) was and they knew who I was,” he said. “I think he always had to prove that his game spoke for itself. Even though he was my son, he was still a good basketball player and deserved whatever credit he was getting. He deserved it himself for his own abilities. You’re challenged a lot when you’re the son of an NBA player. Kids want to see what you’re made of, test your toughness and your skill level.
“He went through all of that, and it made him better and I think tougher individually as a basketball player.”
But despite the external noise and the additional attention, Corey and Tyler indicated that they did not feel that same pressure growing up, nor do they now as Aggies. Both credit their dads with giving them the freedom and space to develop their own games, and by extension, their own names.
It’s working.
Corey Hawkins, who played one year at Arizona State and sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, ranks third in the Big West and among the nation’s leaders in scoring at 17.8 points per game. Tyler Les knocked down 82 three-pointers, the second-best total in the Big West last season. He also connected at a 41.0 percent rate to rank No. 8 in the conference. He’s once again one of the better marksmen in the league this year.
Well adjusted and grounded kids have the ability to tune out annoying chatter. Their focus is on getting better and orchestrating the renaissance of the UC Davis program, getting good grades and strengthening bonds with teammates and coaches.
The only expectations they need to live up to are their own.
Growing up, “I can’t say I felt that pressure. I think the people that I had surrounding me just wanted me to make a name for myself,” said Corey Hawkins. “My dad has been the best role model I could ask for. He’s taught me to just stay so humble throughout the whole process wherever basketball takes me. Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
“I’ve never really felt that pressure,” said Tyler Les. “My father really never put pressure on me to live up to the hype of an NBA father. It was never about who’s better or who’s going to make it farther.”
BASKETBALL ROOTS RUN DEEP
Corey and Tyler developed their passion for basketball at a very early age. No one placed a ball in their hands or coaxed them to seek a hoop. As tykes, they gravitated to the sport on their own volition.
Hersey Hawkins recalls a story from the summer of 2000. The family had just moved into a new house and built a basketball court in the backyard. Father and son were shooting hoops together, and Hersey had decided to go back into the house.
Suddenly the skies opened up. Thunder and lightning accompanied the downpour.
“I looked outside and Corey is still out there shooting,” laughed Hersey. “So I had to go out there and get him. That’s when I realized he really loved basketball and that he could potentially do something with it one day.”
Jim Les relates his own memories of Tyler’s youth.
“I remember him even on rainy days coming in the house, asking me and his mom to pull out the car so he could set up his little tyke hoops in the garage to play full court,” Jim said. “I don’t think the love he has for the game really came from me, it was just innate in something that he liked to do and was comfortable doing it, and wanted to spend time doing it regardless of what I had done in the past, or the fact that I loved the game.”
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
At times, Jim Les gets glimpses of the eerie similarities in how Corey and Tyler resemble their fathers on the hardwood. Whether a facial expression or mannerism, three-point shooting ability or overall scoring prowess, each son has a little bit of his dad in him.
But they also have their differences.
“They’re different but they’re the same,” said Jim Les about Corey and Hersey. “Hawk’s build was different. He was kind of a high flyer and scored early on in part because of his great athleticism. Corey’s probably not the athlete that Hersey was, but is very accomplished with his skill, and just has a knack for getting to the basket, finishing around the basket.
“He has an array of shots – floaters, off-balance jumpers and a post game and those kinds of things that Hersey didn’t have at this age. The end result is the same. They’re both accomplished scorers, but they do it a little bit differently.”
Tyler Les, while similar to his father in perimeter prowess, plays more off the ball as a wing while his father ran the point. Jim Les still ranks No. 2 in Bradley history with 696 career assists.
“I think I’ve taken bits and pieces of what he (Jim) used to do and also some stuff that he didn’t use to do,” related Tyler. “When he played he was a lot quicker than I am and also a better ball handler. But we’ve also developed a little bit of a floor game that I like to use.”
Corey admits that the elder Hawkins was a better shooter. But he also says that he attacks the cup better than his dad. And yet, he also has gleaned a lot from Hersey.
“He always taught me how to jump stop and spin it off the glass or finish in the lane and use my body to get contact,” said Corey. “I think that’s where we have a little bit of similarities.”
Corey also points to his dad’s work ethic as a driving force in his overall approach to basketball. Both Hawkins’ are noted gym rats, always honing their games, respecting the game itself.
Hersey notices one stark difference between the two generations of players – the reactions that are displayed on the court. “Both him (Corey) and Tyler are a little more outgoing and have a little more showboat in them than Jim and I did. We were pretty conservative and pretty low key about our game and how we played and celebrated. They’re more excitable than we were.”
A LITTLE BANTER NEVER HURT ANYONE
Who would get to celebrate then in a two-on-two game between the sons and fathers? The opinions differed on the Hawkins side.
“We would,” said Corey. “No doubt about it. Easily.”
Have they ever played such a game?
“We haven’t,” said Corey. “They’re scared. We need to get that worked out soon.”
The Hersey Hawkins verdict? “Jim and I hands down. It’s not even close,” he chuckled. “If it’s a make it and take it, I don’t know if they’d get the ball back. Jim and I were on the same page offensively. We had a pretty good connection.”
The Les clan was more consistent in their opinion on the subject of three-point shooting contests and HORSE.
“It would be tough. I think I have a little bit of the youth edge on him,” said Tyler. “He might get a little fatigued later on in the game. At this point, I think the teachee would beat the teacher.”
Said Jim: “He (Tyler) definitely would. He was a far superior shooter than I ever was, and that includes today. After awhile, it was better for me to talk a good game than to actually play a good game.”
CAMP LES AND HAWKINS
Corey Hawkins and Tyler Les were blessed with unlimited energy and a knack for shenanigans, as is the wont of most kids. So it was no surprise they had the time of their lives each summer in Peoria, where they hung out for two weeks while their dads ran basketball camps as a way of giving back to the community that supported them so passionately.
The two boys would play basketball all day, often with older kids that exposed them to a higher level of play at such a young age. The Les and Hawkins families lived on opposite ends of the country, so those two weeks were the only opportunity Corey and Tyler got to hang out.
But the experiences cemented a lifelong friendship.
Basketball wasn’t the only thing that the two youngsters participated in during those camps.
“We’d play basketball for hours, then come back to the hotel and start jumping on the beds and throwing pillows at each other. We had a blast,” said Tyler Les.
“We would run through the camp and cause havoc,” remembered Corey Hawkins. “We would take everything from the concession stands. By the time our dads got back, the hotel would be a wreck.”
FAST FORWARD
Eventually they stopped running the camps and Corey and Tyler grew apart. But as they grew up, both were blossoming into Division I caliber basketball players.
Tyler landed at UC Davis, although Jim wanted him to go to Bradley to play for his dad there. The decision turned out to benefit both parties.
It smoothed the path for both in what is an uncommon situation at the Division I level – a son playing for his father.
Tyler got the chance to prove he belonged at the D-I level his freshman season while Jim coached his final year at Bradley. He built a solid reputation and earned the respect of his teammates before Jim ever stepped one foot on the northern California campus. He established himself both as a person and as a player.
“The unique part of that equation is a credit to Tyler and him being here a year before I got here,” said Jim Les. “He achieved a scholarship on his own merit. He proved not only to himself, but also to others that he could achieve his goal of playing Division I basketball on his own and didn’t need my help. It was huge in me being able to come in and show that there’s no favoritism of jealousy amongst his teammates.”
The funny thing about Corey’s arrival on the UC Davis campus was that he and Tyler never actually talked about the subject. Corey had no idea that UC Davis would be in the picture until he spoke with Jim. But Corey was sold on his visit when he got to meet his future teammates as well as reconnect with Tyler. The two were roommates while Corey got acquainted to his new surroundings.
FULL CIRCLE?
In July 1985, Jim Les and Hersey Hawkins went on a 15-day tour of Italy with the Bradley basketball team led by head coach Dick Versace. The trip created lifelong memories and bonds, and developed chemistry among the team that was harnessed into an incredible 1985-86 campaign. The Braves won 20 straight games and were 29-1 at one point.
This past summer, Jim Les took the UC Davis contingent on a tour of Italy and France. Hersey Hawkins and his wife Jennifer also accompanied the team. The players got to experience the camaraderie togetherness that occurs when you’re spending every waking moment together for 10 straight days. The trip also helped assimilate several new players into the Aggie program.
Whether that trip will springboard the Aggies into the same type of success that the Braves enjoyed almost 30 years ago – time will tell.
But for Jim Les, the trip brought him back full circle. He remembers as a soon-to-be senior at Bradley, standing and throwing change at the Fountain of Trevi. Legend has it that three things will occur when you throw a coin into the fountain.
“You stand backwards and throw it over your right shoulder. One part of it is you are going to find true love. The other part is you get to make a wish. And the third part is when you throw one in, it’s going to bring you back,” said Jim.
“I’ve been married for 22 years and I didn’t know my wife at that time so that part of the wish came true. I remember wishing that I would be able to have an opportunity to play in the NBA. That wish came true. And the third wish of me being back there again.”
Perhaps 25 years from now – we’ll know whether the wishes of Corey Hawkins and Tyler Les were fulfilled too.