Alex Mudronja joins the Hawks, Coenraad elevated to Roster

The Illawarra Hawks are pleased to announce that promising youngster Alex Mudronja has been signed to a three-year contract.

Alex will serve as the team’s nominated injury replacement player for the 2021/22 NBL season before becoming a fully rostered member of the squad for the following season, with a club option on a third season.

The 22-year-old Adelaide-born Mudronja is a 196cm guard who has spent the last two seasons as a development player with the Adelaide 36ers. He played 17 games for the 36ers during the NBL21 campaign and is considered one of the brightest backcourt prospects to come out of South Australia in some time.

Alex has been training with the Hawks through the offseason and has fit into the squad seamlessly. A versatile ballplayer who can play either guard spot, he will add solid depth to the Illawarra backcourt.

“Alex is an all-around player with height and real upside to what he can do,” said Illawarra Hawks President and Co-Owner Dorry Kordahi.

“For us, it’s about putting together this team not just for now, but for years to come. We’re always looking for future prospects who can add value to this club, and we saw an opportunity for Alex to come on board.”

“We’re not just building for today; we’re building for tomorrow.”

For his part, the talented Mudronja is thrilled to be joining the Hawks.

“Wollongong is awesome; I’ve been loving my time there so far and the boys on the team have made it a very easy transition for me,” Alex said.

“My biggest personal goal is to get better every day. I think my game is expanding in a lot of ways and I’m obsessed with learning and studying the game of basketball to keep getting better. But the ultimate goal is winning a championship, and I think we have the talent and chemistry to make that happen this year.

“The Hawks have created a great environment to do that, so I’m very excited to join them.”

Alex’s addition to the team also means that Tim Coenraad has been elevated to a fully contracted roster position for the NBL22 season.

The veteran forward will play his 13^th season for the Hawks in the 2021/22 campaign, continuing a stellar career in the red, white and black that has seen him play 321 games for the club, with career averages of 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

The Hawks NBL22 roster is Tyler Harvey, Justinian Jessup, Sam Froling, Duop Reath, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Antonius Cleveland, Harry Froling, Isaac White, Emmett Naar, AJ Ogilvy, Akoldah Gak, Lachlan Dent (development player), Tim Coenraad (replacing injured Daniel Grida) and Alex Mudronja (nominated injury replacement).

Memberships are now on sale for the NBL22 season. Click HERE for more information.