Hawks rule out import return

The Illawarra Hawks are aiming to bring back two of their three NBL24 imports for next season according to General Manager Mat Campbell, who says “it’s no secret” the club is pushing hard to re-sign Tyler Harvey and Gary Clark from last season’s campaign.

It has been reported in recent days that Harvey is set to sign a three-year deal with the club with which he has already spent four seasons, while Clark’s immediate future with the club still remains murky.

That leaves point guard Justin Robinson as the odd man out. Robinson spent two seasons with the club, but his first campaign was ended after just one game with a knee injury.

“It’s not secret we’re after Tyler Harvey and Gary Clark from last year, so we could possibly have 10 out of the 11 guys returning to our club from last year’s campaign,” Campbell told SEN.

“Out of the 11 [roster spots] we have eight, which is all local talent.

“They’re all locked away. We’re just waiting on the three import spots as we speak.”

Campbell says while the Hawks are looking for a like-for-like import replacement for Robinson in a positional sense, they’re searching for a player with a different set of skills that could better complement Harvey next season.

Head coach Justin Tatum is still over in the United States ahead of the new campaign, and Campbell says he’s using his extensive contacts to find the perfect fit for his system.

"Justin Robinson was fantastic, we just didn't feel that Tyler Harvey and Justin really played well together, consistently,” Campbell continued.

"Justin Tatum is over in America right now ... we're talking to multiple guys as we speak about the opportunity to come and play in Australia.

“We’re considering a Next Star, we’re looking around in that space as AJ Johnson looks to be climbing the draft boards in America.

"We're really hitting high-level guys at the moment, aiming for the clouds and hoping we can snag someone out of the NBA system, so that's where we sit."