Coenraad signs on as injury replacement

The Illawarra Hawks are proud to announce Tim Coenraad has signed on as an injury replacement player for the 2021/22 NBL season.

It continues a remarkable career renaissance for Coenraad, with the 36-year-old coming out of retirement late last season to replace the injured Cam Bairstow on the eve of the NBL Finals.

"I'm really proud to be part of the squad again and pumped that the owners, along with Brian [Goorjian] and the coaching staff, have seen value in what I was able to bring to the team at the end of last season," Coenraad said.

"My role will be to stay in great shape and understand the system the coaches put in place, as well as understand where I fit in that system, in the event a player goes down through either injury or any other circumstances that may arise."

"I just can't stay away. I love this team and this community and I want more than anything to have a positive impact on both for as long as possible," Coenraad said.

An injury replacement player can be activated by their club throughout the season to replace an injured or ill player - and the player can be added to or removed from the roster as many times as necessary throughout the season.

Illawarra Hawks Head Coach, Brian Goorjian, said he was blown away by the impact Coenraad had on the team at the end of last season.

"I think I said it openly after one of our games at the back end of last year that I made a mistake with this guy [Coenraad]. He's a heart and soul guy. A guy everyone likes seeing in the locker room. A guy the town loves. And a guy who can, without a doubt, contribute and continue to have a positive impact on this team moving foward," Goorjian said.

"Our front office did a remarkable job in the off-season constructing the roster and re-signing guys and this is another positive example of that. We're bringing Tim back in as an injury replacement, we've secured an exciting Aussie star in Duop Reath, we've got Tyler [Harvey] and some more great fantastic imports joining us in [Travis] Trice and [Antonius] Cleveland and we've kept our great group of local guys together who have all been working hard preparing for the season ahead. I'm really excited," Goorjian said.

Importantly, Coenraad will continue his role as the club's community engagement officer in and around the Illawarra while continuing to train with the team whenever possible.

Hawks President and Co-Owner, Dorry Kordahi, said Coenraad's signing continues the club's relationship with one of its favourite sons.

"It's fantastic to be able to keep Tim involved with our basketball program as an injury replacement player. We saw a valuable contribution from him on our roster towards the end of the last season and having this security there for our squad will be vital as we strive for another NBL championship," Kordahi said.

"He also plays an important role leading our community engagement program and the work he continues to do in and around the Illawarra region is first-class. He's had to deal with COVID lately just like everyone else but he continues to push our positive messaging out into the community and hopefully that helps create the Illawarra Hawks of the future," Kordahi said.

Coenraad played 11 games for the Hawks during the 2020/21 NBL season, averaging 5.4 points and 2.1 rebounds on 44% FG shooting in just over 11 minutes per game.

Coenraad joins Sam Froling, Emmett Naar, Antonius Cleveland, Akoldah Gak, Dan Grida, Tyler Harvey, Isaac White, AJ Ogilvy, Travis Trice, Harry Froling, Duop Reath and Lachlan Dent on the Illawarra Hawks 2021/22 roster.