Boomers big man puts pen to paper on Hawks deal

The Illawarra Hawks are pleased to announce the marquee signing of Duop Reath for the 2021/22 NBL season.

The 25-year-old is currently preparing with the Australian Boomers as part of Brian Goorjian's 12-man squad for the Tokyo Olympic Games, where he is expected to play a key role in Australia's push for a maiden men's Olympic medal.

Born in South Sudan, Reath moved to Brisbane at the age of nine with his family before eventually residing in Perth. He attended Lee College in Texas where he averaged 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in his sophomore season, before college behemoths LSU made a play for the Aussie.

After two successful seasons with LSU, Reath went unselected in the 2018 NBA draft, but joined the Dallas Mavericks for the NBA Summer League.

From there he signed a three-year contract with Serbian side FMP, before inking a deal with EuroLeague outfit KK Crvena Zvezda. In his first season with Crvena Zvezda, Reath helped steer the team to championships in the Serbian domestic league and the ABA League.

Illawarra Hawks President and Co-Owner, Dorry Kordahi, said the signing of Reath was another positive step forward for the club.

"It's fantastic to secure the talents of Duop [Reath] as one of our marquee signings. He's a fantastic young player and his signature is a testament to our basketball program and where we are taking the Illawarra Hawks. Signing a player of his calibre shows once again just how invested we are in this region," Kordahi said.

"I was adamant when we took over and I'll make the point again, we are serious about being a force in the NBL and not just another number. Duop committing to us is further proof the Illawarra Hawks are becoming a destination club for players with serious ability," Kordahi said. 

Illawarra Hawks Head Coach, Brian Goorjian, said Reath had the potential to be a star of Australian basketball for years to come.

"Duop [Reath] is a talent, there's no doubting that. He's been plying his trade overseas and away from the spotlight a bit, but his skill set, basketball IQ and flexibility has been on show for Australia to see during this Olympic preparation and I couldn't be happier to have him as part of our roster for the next season of the NBL," Goorjian said.

Reath joins Sam Froling, Emmett Naar, Akoldah Gak, Dan Grida, Tyler Harvey, Isaac White, AJ Ogilvy, Max Darling and Lachlan Dent on the Illawarra Hawks 2021/22 roster.