Justin Hawkins has completed two seasons as the Director of Player Development on staff for the Pack. In his current position, Hawkins plays an essential role in both the recruiting of future players and assisting in the development of current members of the Nevada team.
Nevada has seen an exceptional level of success in Hawkins’ two seasons on staff, posting a combined record of 48-17, including a mark of 26-11 in Mountain West play, and the Pack has earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament both seasons.
Hawkins played an instrumental role in what was a historical season for Nevada this past year, as the Pack completed the season with an overall record of 26-8, and finished tied for second in the Mountain West with a record of 13-5. Nevada made the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season, earning the No. 10 seed in the West region. Nevada’s record-setting season was full of tremendous accomplishments, including winning the 2023 Diamond Head Classic Championship, defeating the most ranked opponents in a single season in program history (3), defeating ranked opponents in consecutive games for the first time in program history, being named ESPN’s National Team of the Week in February, and returning to the AP poll for the first time since 2019.
Nevada had four players earn All-Conference honors, as Jarod Lucas (Second Team All-MW), Kenan Blackshear (Second Team All-MW), Nick Davidson (Third Team All-MW), and Tre Coleman (All-MW Defensive Team) were each recognized for their exceptional play throughout the season.
Davidson in particular saw tremendous development in his play from the 2022-23 season to the 2023-24 season, increasing his averages from 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game to 12.2 points and 7.3 boards per contest.
Coleman also vastly improved his offensive play from 2022-23 to 2023-24, increasing his scoring from 6.3 points per game to 8.9 points per game. Coleman’s efficiency also made a tremendous jump, as he shot 44.7 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from behind the arc this past season.
In his first season on staff with the Pack, Hawkins helped Nevada achieve an overall record of 22-11 and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019.
The Pack had five players earn All-Conference honors during the 2022-23 season, matching the most All-Conference accolades in a single season in program history.
Prior to joining the staff at Nevada, Hawkins served as the Director of Basketball Operations for the men’s basketball program for two seasons at the University of the Pacific. Hawkins oversaw the program’s budget, and his other primary responsibilities included coordinating logistics for all athletes and staff, ensuring NCAA compliance, and overseeing player engagement.
Before taking on the role of Director of Basketball Operations, Hawkins served as the Video Specialist for the Pacific men’s basketball program for four seasons. In that role, he led the creation of video production assets during seasons and edited practice and game film for the coaching staff, in addition to individualized player development videos and insights, which resulted in two WCC Defensive Players of the Year and five WCC All-Conference player awards.
Prior to joining the staff at Pacific, Hawkins was an Assistant Varsity Coach and Head Coach of the Freshman team at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada. Hawkins’ primary duties consisted of implementing game plans, creating scouting reports, and managing end of game situations. He also led the player development program, which resulted in four All-League players.
Hawkins played college basketball for UNLV from 2009-2013, where he was a 2x team-captain and played in four NCAA Tournaments. He finished his career at UNLV ranked in the top-10 in program history for steals. Hawkins also earned All-Mountain West Academic Team honors once in his career.
Hawkins holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitality Administration and a Master of Science Degree in the same field from UNLV, in addition to an MBA from Grand Canyon University.
