The 178-centimetre guard was untroubled by a toe injury  that sidelined him for two weeks late in the preseason, scoring 20 points in his team’s 92-83 home win over Townsville and 17 in Saturday’s 86-83 loss to the Kings.

He didn’t get an opportunity to dunk, but Carson’s quickness and creativity — on the ground and in the air — had fans salivating for more.

‘‘It feels good. I’m getting back into shape after being out for a little while,’’ the 22-year-old said after beating the Crocodiles.

‘‘I’m still learning the plays but I’m getting more fluent with it, so I tried to attack. My teammates kept telling me ‘keep attacking, they can’t guard you’. It just felt good to get the first win in front of a big crowd.’’

Wollongong followers who had been anxious about the Hawks’ poor preseason form were relieved after the weekend.

‘‘I wasn’t thinking about the preseason. It was a learning period for us as a group to understand [coach] Gordie’s [McLeod] system,’’ Carson said.

‘‘We’re feeling a lot better and it’s showing.’’

Carson’s US-based parents have purchased an NBL TV subscription and altered their daily schedule to keep track of their son’s first season as a professional.

‘‘They’ve been watching,’’ he said.

‘‘They’ve been staying up. They’ve changed the way they wake up and what they do throughout their day to try and match it with mine. They’re just as excited as I am.’’

Hawks forward Dave Gruber has overcome a mystery virus  that forced him out of the opening two games. Gruber hasn’t quite returned to full strength, but he trained on Monday and is almost certain to make the trip to Perth for Friday night’s meeting with the Wildcats.

Centre Larry Davidson is a good chance of returning from a knee injury in Sunday’s home game against Cairns.

The Wildcats might be vulnerable for Friday’s game after word came out of Perth that Greg Hire (calf) and Drake U’u (ankle) are racing the clock to be fit for tip-off. 

The reigning champs lost to the Breakers in the first round.