Willie Cauley-Stein knew all about his soon-to-be teammates when he elected to return for his sophomore season.
He was aware of the hype surrounding Kentucky’s top-ranked 2013 recruiting class and his hope was to compete for a national championship with the newest batch of Wildcats. There was, however, one incoming freshman completely unknown to Cauley-Stein.
Dominique Hawkins was the final member of John Calipari‘s signing class, parlaying a Sweet Sixteen performance for the ages on his future home floor into a scholarship offer into a scholarship offer. He was a decorated player, to be sure, but lacked the five-star billing of Julius Randle or the Harrison twins.
Nearly halfway through his first season at UK Hawkins still isn’t a household name, but his teammates certainly know who he is.