John Calipari doesn’t have to worry about pushing Dominique Hawkins in practice. In fact, there are times when he even has to pull back on the reins with the freshman guard.”The kid works so hard,” Calipari said. “His heart rate is–I have to stop him because I’m afraid he’s going to fall out.”Hawkins came to Kentucky as the final piece of a top-ranked recruiting class and the least-heralded of the eight Wildcat freshmen, leading most to assume the Richmond, Ky., native’s future as a regular contributor was likely a year or more down the road. But just weeks into the season, Hawkins’ tireless effort has become impossible to ignore.He earned first-half playing time against Michigan State, holding his own in a 1-2 matchup. In the days that followed, Calipari said Hawkins’ role would expand further.In an 87-49 win over Robert Morris on Sunday, it was clear why.”Coach Cal puts me in there to turn up on defense, give more energy,” Hawkins said. “I know my role. What I’m supposed to do is put pressure on the ball and get our defense going. I’m doing great right now, I feel like, and Coach has been telling me to continue with the hard work that I’m doing.”A look at the final box score from the Wildcats’ supposed revenge victory over the Colonials — who ended UK’s season a year ago in the NIT — and Hawkins doesn’t seem to have been a major factor. He scored four points — the first of his college career — and had three assists, a block, a steal and a rebound, but his impact went far beyond statistics.Hawkins checked in at the 17:05 mark provided an instant shock of energy. Taking over the responsibility of hounding the opposing point guard even though he plays the wing on offense, Hawkins spearheaded the UK defense for all of his 18 minutes, often in a press that Calipari turned to extensively for the first time.”Well, today when I was in I was putting a lot of pressure,” Hawkins said. “Everybody sees me working hard and it’s going to rub on everybody else and they’re going to want to work harder. When everybody works hard, we’re able to put a lot of pressure on the ball, get turnovers.”Given Hawkins’ presence, it should come as little surprise the Cats turned in their best defensive performance of the season.Robert Morris managed just 0.662 points per possession after averaging 1.165 in its first three games, shooting 23.2 percent from the field. UK forced 14 turnovers — double the seven Michigan State committed on Tuesday — and had 16 fast-break points after managing just two in the loss.Hawkins had something to do with all of that.”He just goes up and he adds energy to the game,” Calipari said. “You saw how hard he runs the court so we could throw to him, so we could throw lobs, so we could throw to the post.”If the increased minutes weren’t proof enough, Calipari said postgame that he is confident turning to Hawkins. His teammates, though many of them didn’t know of Hawkins until he arrived this summer, have come to feel the same way.”We all know how good Dominique is,” said Aaron Harrison, who poured in a game-high 28 points. “Especially people that are from Kentucky, how he carried his team to the state championship and all that by himself. In practice he’s definitely a force to be reckoned with, he’s really strong, one of the most athletic guys on the team and he makes me a lot better too.”Playing on the White team in practice, Hawkins most often matchup up with Harrison, qualifying the elder of the two Harrison twins to speak on the experience of facing off against the 6-footer. Hawkins might be at a disadvantage on the practice floor when it comes to size and stars given by recruiting services, but he never backs down.”Whoever I’m guarding, I’m pushing them and making sure they’re going hard. If I’m not going hard on defense, then I’m not pushing myself,” Hawkins said. “I’m pushing myself and when I’m pushing myself it’s helping everybody else on the court.”In doing so, he’s earned the respect of his coach and fellow Cats, as well as minutes.Though it may come as a surprise to some he has carved out a niche so early on a team regarded by many as the most talented in the nation, Hawkins always believed he would play his way onto the floor.”I envisioned myself playing a little bit,” Hawkins said. “Not a ton, not starting, but I knew I was going to be able to find my role. Whatever my role is, I was going to just play it well.”The role, however, is a significant departure from the one to which he was accustomed in high school.As Harrison noted, Hawkins was the featured player on a Madison Central team that won the Boys’ Sweet Sixteen in Rupp Arena last spring. He averaged 20.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals during the tournament in catching Calipari’s eye and earning an offer to attend the school he had always cheered on as a fan.It’s been an adjustment to move into a supporting role, but one he’s happy to make.”Without the ball, it does feel really weird because in high school I had it almost every time,” Hawkins said. “But I like how I play with this team and it’s my role not to have the ball as much. If we’re able to win, I’m fine with it.”