New Hawk Donavan Monroe touches down

By Basketball by Tim Keeble
Updated November 6 2012 - 2:30am, first published August 18 2011 - 11:02am
Donavan Monroe stretches his legs at the Snakepit after arriving yesterday. Picture: ROBERT PEET
Donavan Monroe stretches his legs at the Snakepit after arriving yesterday. Picture: ROBERT PEET

Jet-lag didn't stop new Wollongong import Donavan Monroe from lining up alongside his Hawks team-mates for yesterday's training session at the Snakepit.Monroe touched down in Sydney at 6am and was soon feeling the pinch from the long flight. But the 23-year-old guard was eager to hit the court with the Hawks."It was 22 hours, probably the longest flight I'll probably ever take," Monroe said after changing into training gear.

  • Full coverage of the Hawks "I'm kind of tired, but I'm very happy to be here and meet the guys. I'm ready to get it going and start playing, and just kind of fit in. I kind of knew about the Snakepit because I was watching everything on YouTube and seeing what it was like."Finally I'm here."Monroe's signing completes Wollongong's playing roster for the 2011-12 NBL season.Born in North Carolina, the 190cm playmaker spent four years with the College of Charleston Cougars, averaging 12.4 points and 2.6 assists in his senior year.Monroe has signed a one-year contract and is excited about making his professional basketball debut with the Hawks."It's wonderful to be here. I'm starting a new chapter of my life in Australia," he said."I've been to Hawaii and Puerto Rico, places like that, but nothing like Australia."It's beautiful here. Wollongong is a beautiful place. [Hawks general manager] Mili [Simic] took me around ... coming down the [Sea Cliff] bridge and seeing all that amazing scenery."This is a new experience for me and I'm just happy to be here and take it all in."Hawks coach Gordie McLeod believes Monroe has the potential to be a perfect fit for his side."We're excited to have Donavan be part of our program for this season," McLeod said."It was a timely process in selecting a point guard that would complement and work well with our current core of returning players. We're confident that Donavan will fit well within our system and contribute to the team."He has the next month and a half to learn our system and get accustomed to the style of NBL basketball. I'm really looking forward to seeing him work hard with the team."Monroe and fellow import Joevan Catron are both likely to play in Wollongong's trial against the Sydney Kings at the Snakepit on August 28.Catron signed a one-year deal last week and is due to arrive in Wollongong in the middle of next week with his partner and 10-month-old son.
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