Hawks Confident to Replace Reath

Monday, August 1, 2022

Illawarra Hawks president of basketball operations Mat Campbell is hopeful the club can find a suitable replacement for the departing Duop Reath.

The Hawks announced over the weekend Reath will explore overseas options, leaving a significant hole in the front-court.

Campbell concedes the versatile combo forward position is a “tougher spot” to fill, but Illawarra has options to replace the Australian Boomer.

“There are some rookies that have shown some promise in that spot, as in guys right out of college, but we're keeping options open,” Campbell said via the Illawarra Mercury.

“We're pretty close to understanding who the (import) guard will be and that'll shape what the four man can be.

“The last two imports are really key and obviously the last Australian piece we have there. There's a couple of key pieces to drop but it's all pretty exciting.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">THANK YOU DUOP ?<br><br>Our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> MVP has decided to explore options overseas.<br><br>We’ve enjoyed having you here in the Gong, and wish you all the best wherever you land ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HawkNation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HawkNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/39ztNtPbYy">pic.twitter.com/39ztNtPbYy</a></p>— Illawarra Hawks Basketball (@illawarrahawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks/status/1553230034797637632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Hawks signed former NBA player Mangok Mathiang last week, who helps bolster their big man stocks.

With Deng Deng also signed and Sam Froling returning, Campbell is excited about the tools new coach Jacob Jackomas has at his disposal.

“The good thing is, now we've got 'Mango' and Sam, and the versatility with Deng Deng in there as well, there's multiple lineups we can throw out there,” Campbell said.

“We can go big, we can go small and we can go versatile, so we're pretty excited about what that group could look like.”

Illawarra’s campaign begins on October 1 against New South Wales rivals the Sydney Kings.