"I've seen and played a lot of imports over the years," Saville said.

"Even comparing him to the other imports in our league, the skills set he has, the ability to break pressure and break down his man one on one, it's a cut above.

"And there's definitely some good imports out there in that guard position.

"He's such a young guy straight out of college, he plays very composed and he's got a pretty good level head on his shoulders.

"It's been a revelation for us, because he has come into the mix late and has fitted in well."

Just six games into his Australian basketball career, McKee has already drawn comparisons to some of the Hawks and NBL legends.

Wollongong has attracted a number of top-notch imports over the years, led by Doug Overton, who started his career with the Hawks before spending 11 seasons in the NBA.

A member of the Hawks' 2001 title-winning team, forward Melvin Thomas, won five Hawks Most Valuable Player awards, including tying with Saville in 2000, who has five MVPs of his own.

Former Detroit Pistons guard Charles Thomas scored more than 1000 points in two seasons, winning the championship with the Hawks.

Then there's home-grown talent such as coach Gordie McLeod, who rose through the Illawarra junior ranks to represent Australia.

Saville yesterday likened McKee's style to NBL great Butch Hayes, who played with Wollongong in 1993-94.

"He probably looks a lot like Butch Hayes," Saville said. "Both create a lot for their team-mates, but I just think he's got a pretty exciting game and he's got a lot of different attributes to his game."