Illawarra newcomer Kevin Lisch is confident he has arrived at the Hawks in the best form of his career.

A title-winner with Perth in 2010, Lisch played four seasons with the Wildcats before spending the past two years playing in Europe.

The American guard and his Sydney-born wife Rachel returned to Australia last weekend with their 19-month-old son and eight-week old daughter.

Lisch has been re-united with former Perth coach Rob Beveridge at the Hawks and is looking forward to his second tour of duty in Australia.

"It's great to be back," the 2012 NBL MVP said.

"I was excited to come back and get another shot in the NBL, especially to play for Bevo and Illawarra. For me it doesn't get much better than this."

Perth were considering re-hiring Lisch but Wildcats boss Nick Marvin said the club didn't have a spot.

It is believed the Hawks were close to luring former import Rotnei Clarke back to the nest before deciding to go with Lisch.

He had several good games against Illawarra, including the 2010 championship series when he earned grand final MVP honours.

"It's crazy to come full circle and now I get to play for Illawarra," Lisch said.

"It's pretty ironic as much as it is exciting. I really enjoyed Australia and the league, and our battles with Wollongong were always a lot of fun."

Beveridge knows he has a natural leader in Lisch.

"He's just a class act," Beveridge said.

"He's an infectious person with his energy and how hard he trains. Just having him on the floor takes it to another level and that's the exciting part."

A deadly offensive threat, Lisch takes equal pride in his defensive capabilities.

He believes his experience in Europe made him a more well-rounded player.

"I think I've definitely improved in a lot of areas," the former University of Saint Louis star said.

"The game in Europe is a lot different than the Australian league. It's more of everyone playing a role and it seems like everyone plays 15 to 20 minutes a game. But with that being said, I've learned a lot. I've grown as a player and hopefully as a teammate.

"Obviously Bevo's style is high intensity on defence and I can definitely do that.

"Physically I feel the best I have in my entire career, so I really can't wait to get going.

"I really feel that I'm in my prime. I just turned 29, although I'm not sure age has a whole lot to do with it. The most important thing for myself is that I'm having more fun than ever."