MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama men's basketball head coach Richie Riley announced the addition of Division ll transfer guard Brian Hawthorne Monday afternoon. 

Hawthorne, a 6-foot-2 175-pound guard, joins the Jaguars after spending his first two seasons of collegiate basketball at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo. During the 2024-25 season, he averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field. Hawthorne made 28 starts, scoring double figures 21 times and 20 points or more eight times, including a 32-point career-high against Lewis College on Jan.25. 

"Brian has everything we look for in recruiting, from his ability on the court to who he is as a person," Riley said . "He's a skilled guard with toughness that's highly competitive. We anticipate him having a major impact on our team right away."

The Shawnee, Kan. native received All-Great Valley Lakes Conference accolades twice in his career. He earned First Team All-GVC honors in 2024-25 and was named to the All-GVC Freshman team in 2023-24.  

As a freshman, he tallied 231 points and 116 rebounds across 28 appearances, scoring double figures 11 times while shooting 42.6 percent from the floor. 

Hawthorne attended St James Academy in Lenexa, Kan., where he averaged 21.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.6 steals in his senior year. A first-team Class 5A All-State selection in multiple publications, Hawthorne was chosen first-team All-East Kansas League and was runner-up in Player of the Year voting in the EKL.

This is the first transfer addition in the Jaguars 2025 recruiting cycle. Hawthorne will join freshmen guards Desmond Williams and Samuel Shoptaw as newcomers for the 2025-26 season. 

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