It was good for Darrius Hawkins Jr. to see the game from an unusual angle. 

Homewood-Flossmoor’s sophomore point guard missed the end of a loss to Thornton and two more games with a leg injury last week. He spent the time on the sideline trying to think like a coach and be a motivator.

“It was great to sit back and see things from a different perspective. It was very much needed but I’m back and ready to go,” Hawkins said. “I wouldn’t say I was a cheerleader, just a great teammate. Just be on the bench and be a leader from the sideline.” 

Hawkins and coach Brandin Brown had a conversation about exactly what that should look like.

“I challenged him, whether it was in practice or in games, just to stay engaged. It’s easy, when you’re hurt, to get lost and stand to the side but we wanted to keep him engaged,” Brown said. “Even though we don’t see your actions or you physically, we should still hear your voice.”  

Hawkins wasn’t alone on the sideline. Guard Danny Ruffin missed the same two games. The pair bonded over their mutual absence. 

“It brought us together, us being out together. We was discussing gameplans a lot and just becoming closer,” Hawkins said. “We really just had to come together more.” 

Both were back for H-F’s MLK: The Dream Continues Invitational finale, which saw the Vikings top Mount Carmel 80-63. Hawkins had 20 points, four assists and two steals. Ruffin had 10 points, six rebounds and five steals. 

“We rely on those guys to do a ton for us,” Brown said. “They did a good job of just being good teammates while they were out and some of the other guys who probably deserve more of an opportunity stepped up for us.” 

The Vikings had a chance to pull away earlier against Mount Carmel (15-6). They built a 17-point lead in the second quarter but the Caravan went on a 9-0 run. Mount Carmel never held the lead, though, as the H-F advantage ballooned to as many as 22 in the second half. 

The Vikings (17-2) made things difficult for the Caravan offense. Brown said after watching Mount Carmel film, H-F coaches thought there might be a chance to speed up an inexperienced offense.

Hawkins played hawkish against freshman point guard Ronald Johnson. 

“It was just taking advantage of the matchups. We have a lot of guards, small strappy guards and we wanted to get under those guys and create a lot of ruckus, a lot of havoc,” Hawkins said. “That’s our identity. Pressure and pace. Coach preaches that a lot.” 

Marvin Douglas had 12 points and seven rebounds for H-F. Johnson led the Caravan with 18. Ethan Jackson led the Vikings with 22 points.