The bright orange basketball swishes through the net and hits the floor with a loud thump, destined not to be picked up again until late November.

This is the scene at most area high school gyms as sports change with seasons. First football, then basketball, then baseball. And the cycle continues year after year.

But in Pinckneyville, the cycle is one-dimensional. The ball does not hit the floor. Instead, it is passed on to the next generation of Panther players, those with dreams of winning a state crown and playing college basketball in their eyes.

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I had that dream once, much like almost every kid in the small Southern Illinois town of 3,300. The other sports are fine, but only basketball can rally the entire town and focus everyone’s attention for four months.

Several other SIUC students had that dream once too, but for all but one the dream ended as soon as laces were untied at Thomas Gym one final time. Shane Hawkins made his dream come true.

Hawkins’ career at Pinckneyville shares several characteristics with his four years at SIUC. He started at both places for four years, becoming one of the few to do that at either place. His dreams for a championship also came up a little short for his first three years in both places.

But 1994 was a magical year for Hawk and the Panthers. Hawk took Pinckneyville on an improbable ride to the Class A State Championship, including a buzzer-beating shot that gave the Panthers their first state title in 46 years. The ending also spoke of Hawk’s leadership ability, as he passed off from a double-team to a wide-open teammate for the win.

Now Hawk is in the same situation he was in four years ago. The Salukis are down to their final game each time they lace it up in St. Louis for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament this weekend. And his teammates will look to him to carry them to another title.

Hawk has tasted success at the college level, but nothing would be more sweet than to return to the NCAA Tournament with a team that finished eighth in the MVC. The talent is there, now it’s up to Hawk to put them on his broad shoulders and grab another title.

There’s no doubt that Shane Hawkins is a winner. A high school state championship is proof of that. He has overcome all of the other obstacles in his way, and now he has one more chance to clear the biggest one of them all.

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Hawk was supposed to be too small and too slow to play Division I college basketball. After a solid freshman season, the critics said Hawk’s play would go downhill after Chris Carr and Marcus Timmons left. But those doubters were wrong.

Hawk has solidified himself as one of the best players ever to step foot in the MVC, and the conference record books are proof of that. But Monday’s 70-66 loss to Wichita State on Senior Night at SIU Arena left a bad taste in his mouth, and he does not want to repeat a 3-for-12 shooting performance at the Kiel Center Friday.

Regardless of what happens this weekend, Shane Hawkins will go down as one of the best players ever at SIUC. The future is probably not a professional basketball career, although he should end up as a high school or college coach and may even end up at SIUC someday.

Hawk has set an example for all other Pinckneyville basketball players to follow. In Pinckneyville, the ball swishes through the net on a Hawkins shot one last time, only to be caught by the next generation of Panther stars. And that’s exactly how Shane Hawkins would want it to be.