The Illawarra Hawks have found their replacement for Justin Robinson, signing import guard Trey Kell III.
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The 6'5, American guard will be well known to NBL fans, having previously played with the South East Melbourne Phoenix and, most recently, the Adelaide 36ers.
In his 49 NBL games, Kell III has averaged 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists since entering the league in 2022.
The 28-year-old boasts a long career in professional leagues globally.
A San Diego State University graduate, Kell III has applied his trade in leagues across Canada, Asia, and Europe, where he secured a Championship win in 2022, playing with Olympia Milano before joining the Australian professional league.
Hawks' general manager of basketball,Mat Campbell expressed his excitement about securing Kell III for the NBL25 season.
"Trey is a player that we have followed closely over the past two seasons, and we are thrilled to welcome him to our squad for the upcoming season," he said.
"With a majority of our NBL24 team returning, we prioritised a guard that has NBL experience, and Trey will add another weapon to our perimeter play in coach Tatum's system."
Kell is looking forward to getting to Wollongong and joining the team in pre-season training.
"I'm excited to be joining the Hawks for the upcoming season. I am looking forward to continuing my journey in Australia, in Wollongong and to get to work with coach Tatum and the squad this year.
"It will be great to enjoy the wonderful city and have the great fans cheering for me, not against me." Kell said.
Kell was a top-tier candidate in the search for an import to round out Illawarra's roster, for head coach Justin Tatum.
"Kell's familiarity with the pace and style of play in our league is a huge plus for us, and we see him fitting in seamlessly to Hawks basketball. Having 10 of our 11 signed players with NBL experience will help us pick up where we left off in NBL24.
"I am thrilled to welcome Trey to the team and am genuinely excited by the potential of our NBL25 squad," Tatum said.
The signing comes hot on the heels of the Hawks 2024 Next Star AJ Johnson getting picked by the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Draft.
The Hawks are also still keen to bring back Gary Clark to Wollongong for another season.
The signing of Trey Kell III will see him join Tyler Harvey, Sam Froling, Dan Grida, William 'Davo' Hickey, Mason Peatling, Lachie Olbrich, Hyungjung Lee, Todd Blanchfield and Luca Yates to the Hawks roster for the NBL25 season.
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
