Northwest Missouri State "Bearcats" from Maryville, MO

Former Bearcats Hudgins, Hawkins get opportunity in NBA

Local Sports NBA NCAA

Northwest Missouri State University point guard Trevor Hudgins, after going undrafted last week in the NBA’s annual draft in Brooklyn, New York, signed a two-day contract with the Houston Rockets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Hudgins has won back-to-back Division II Player of the Year honors for the Bearcats, who won three national titles during his time in Maryville, with title in 2019, 2021, and 2022 only interrupted by the cancellation of the national tournament by COVID-19 in 2020.  He averaged 23 points per game and shot 90 percent on free throws in his four years in Maryville.

Hudgins first opportunity to make the Rockets opening night roster will come in the Las Vegas Summer League, set to tip off on Thursday, July 7th.

After spending last season at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, former Northwest forward Ryan Hawkins will spend his summer playing for the Toronto Raptors in the Las Vegas event, and with the Golden State Warriors in the California Classic.

Hawkins spent five seasons at Northwest Missouri State, where he won three national titles, averaging 22 points per game over his final two seasons.  As a graduate transfer in 2021-2022, Hawkins was a key piece of a Creighton team that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where the Blue Jays lost 79-72 to eventual national champion Kansas.

Hawkins, in his only season at Creighton, averaged 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, earning him second-team All-Big East Conference postseason honors.