Joel Hawkins

Sport: Coach

Induction Year: 2007

University: Southern

Induction Year: 2007

An ultra-successful high school basketball coach at Southern Lab (Baton Rouge), Lake Providence and G.W. Griffin (Lake Providence) with a career record of 1,071-263 (.803) through 2007. A win in the Class 1A title game with Southern Lab over Plain Dealing in March 2005 made Joel Hawkins the all-time wins leader in Louisiana high school basketball history, passing Hall of Famer Leslie Gaudet of Pine Prairie, who had 1,026 wins. Hawkins began his coaching career in 1965 at his alma mater, G.W. Griffin High, and moved to Lake Providence High a few years later when the schools were combined during integration. He has been the boys coach at Southern Lab since 1989, winning 11 state championships in a 13 year span. A 1985 title at Lake Providence gives Hawkins 12 state crowns to go along with 39 winning seasons and 21 district titles. Hawkins was inducted into the LHSAA-LHSCA Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2003, he coached LeBron James and Chris Paul in the Michael Jordan Classic.