AHS senior Ryan Hawkins recently verbally committed to Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb. Hawkins will be playing basketball for the college, beginning in 2016.

The senior is looking forward to challenging himself against the elite-level players in the NCAA Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. He has always wanted to play college basketball but wasn’t sure where until this summer.

Hawkins said he chose Wayne State because he likes the players, the coaches, and the campus. He said, “I’m really excited to explore the opportunities that basketball will bring me.”

Wayne State College has a student enrollment is 3,571 students this year.

Head basketball coach Alan Jenkins said, “I’m pretty excited for Ryan to be able to follow his dreams and play Division II basketball. He has put in a tremendous amount of work and he really deserves this.”