Hawks land final import

The Illawarra Hawks have secured their third and final import ahead of the campaign, signing a familiar face who was on the opposing team of their pre-season clash against the Shanghai Sharks, Darius Days. 

Days has NBA experience with the Houston Rockets, and averaged 16 points and seven rebounds per game in the 2023-24 NBA G-League season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. 

He recorded 22 points in 22 minutes off the bench for Shanghai in its clash against Illawarra last month, which would have caught the eye of Hawks recruiters. 

“This is my first time in Australia. I am excited to be here, I have heard nothing but good things - great fans, great food and great people,” Days said.

“It is an honour coming from Florida, to be here playing in Illawarra."

The 6'7 power forward will complement the Hawks' frontcourt alongside Sam Froling, Lachlan Olbrich, and Mason Peatling. 

"He is a great player both off and on the court. He has great numbers on the court, brings strength to our shooting ability and a presence for us on the inside," head coach Justin Tatum said. 

Mat Campbell, the Hawks' General Manager of Basketball, expressed his excitement about securing Days as the final piece of the puzzle for the NBL25 season.

"He is a player that we have been in talks with for some time now," Campbell said.

"It was a priority for us not to rush securing this final piece. With such a solid foundation with the current team, it was imperative to ensure this position was filled with the right fit. We believe Darius is exactly that, and we are excited to welcome him to our squad.” 

The signing of Days secures the NBL25 playing group for the Hawks with Trey Kell III, Tyler Harvey, Sam Froling, Dan Grida, William 'Davo' Hickey, Mason Peatling, Lachie Olbrich, Hyungjung Lee, Todd Blanchfield, Luca Yates, Brad Ballinger and Zac Triplett on the squad. 

The Hawks' first game of NBL25 will be at HoopsFest in Perth on Saturday, September 21 against the Cairns Taipans at 8:30pm AEST.