(CNN) Jordan Hawkins is the National College Basketball Champion. But he won’t be the only one with a new ring for his next family get-together.
Hawkins scored 16 points University of Connecticut victory, 76-59 over San Diego State University in the NCAA Men’s Collegiate Championship game on Monday, and star cousin LSU Angel Reesewhich achieved its success when the Tigers won their first NCAA Championship Women’s National Basketball Championship Sunday address.
Both spouses will receive commemorative rings to celebrate each other’s successes.
Reese’s hometown is Baltimore, Maryland, while Hawkins was born 42 miles away in Gaithersburg. Dawkins says their title victories are the culmination of a long journey that the duo will celebrate in style in the coming weeks.
“This is for all the kids from Gaithersburg, Maryland, who didn’t think they could do it. I did it. Now you can do it, man,” Hawkins told CBS Toy Radio. “Angel and I paved the way. We did.”
When asked if he called Reese over the weekend, Hawkins said, “I was wishing her well. I’ll see her in Maryland soon. The cookout is over.”
Hawkins expanded on the duo’s journey at the media conference after UConn won its fifth men’s basketball national title.
“It’s really amazing, to show that kids our age at the time, we were dreaming about the same thing and saw it was possible,” said the 20-year-old.
“We just saw it amazing…that we both got this opportunity and I mean the family reunion is going to be amazing, that’s all I know.”
“Keep calm and focused”
Hawkins and Reese weren’t the only family duo to feature prominently in the NCAA Finals
UConn coach Dan Hurley masterminded the team’s dominance during the Crazy Walk—winning each of its six championship games by at least 10 points—and on the team, his son Andrew was with him every step of the way. .
Andrew, a junior guard, appears only sparingly during the team’s progression through the tournament, but his father says his son plays a much more important role outside of his contribution on the court, explaining to CNN’s Coy Wire that he’s like his “therapist, always keeping my calm and focused.”
Andrew himself says he’s just happy to play whatever role he can. “I just try to contribute in whatever way I can, and if that’s one of them, then so be it,” he told CNN. “Having a lot of things around him every day.”
UConn entered rarefied air as only the sixth team to win five NCAA men’s basketball championships, joining UCLA (11), Kentucky (eight), North Carolina (six), Duke (five) and Indiana (five). All of UConn’s titles have come since 1999 and the most recent was Monday Before in 2014.
The university’s women’s team has won 11 basketball national titles.
“You’re so proud of being able to deliver on the promise you made to the university that we could take back the program and the promises you made to the players that we could do something special like this together,” said Hurley.
“I’m crazy. I’m just as crazy as our fanbase is, so I guess that’s why we’re a perfect fit for each other.”
