The Valparaiso University men's basketball program today announced the hiring of Jason Hawkins as an Assistant Coach. The Valparaiso University grad comes to the Crusaders after serving as the Head Coach at Calumet College for the last two seasons.

?Jason is a Valpo guy and we are thrilled to have him back," Head Coach Homer Drew said. ?He grew up in Northwest Indiana, played here and worked here. He has a real passion for The Region."

Hawkins, who played for the Brown and Gold from 2000-03, led the Crimson Wave to a 30-34 record in his two years at the helm after serving as Valpo's Director of Basketball Operations during the 2003-04 campaign. A native of Gary, Indiana and graduate of Bishop Noll High School, Hawkins earned two degrees at Valpo including a Master's degree in Secondary Education in 2004.

?This is a great opportunity for me," Hawkins said. ?I love this community and I'm very excited to come back home and rejoin the Valpo family."

Joining Hawkins as an assistant in 2006-07 is Luke Gore, who will be entering his fifth season on the Valpo staff after serving as Director of Basketball Operations last year.

Hawkins and Gore replace Ivan Vujic, now a Graduate Assistant at DePaul, and Matt Bowen, now Head Coach at Bemidji State, on the Crusader bench.