Bayles Heads South

The Illawarra Hawks recently announced the signing of Biwali Bayles as a development player for NBL24.  

The 21-year-old joins the club following two seasons with the Sydney Kings and was part of the Championship series in NBL22, before taking a leave of absence during the NBL23 season. 

Bayles currently competes in the NBL1 North competition with the North Gold Coast Seahawks and is averaging 17 points, 6.27 assists and 4.55 rebounds per game. The team is currently 6th on the ladder following 10 rounds, with 6 wins and 5 losses.  

In the NBL1 2022 season, Bayles signed with the Mackay Meteors and averaged 13.7 points, 7 rebounds and 5.5 assists – leading them to the first round of the NBL1 North Finals where they went down to the Northside Wizards. 

The point guard is a product of the Centre of Excellence (COE) and Australian National Junior programs, representing Australia at the 2021 FIBA Under 19 World Cup and in seven games, averaged 6.7 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. In 2020, he was one of just four Australians to attend the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in Chicago.  

After a successful Freshman season at the University of Hawaii, the Sydney native returned to Australia to begin his NBL career with the Sydney Kings in 2021, playing 27 games and averaging 2.9 points and one assist per game across his NBL career so far. 

Bayles will join the team for the commencement of pre-season training in August.