The Hawks made free agent guard Rhys Martin the club’s first signing for the 2015-16 season on Thursday, three days after naming Rob Beveridge as the man to take over from former coach Gordie McLeod.

Martin has played seven seasons with the Hawks and is keen to atone for last year’s disastrous 6-22 campaign.

‘‘It’s exciting times for the club,’’ Martin said.

‘‘There’s been some tough times recently with the voluntary administration period and Gordie leaving, so piecing this team together with a new coach and going back to the original name of Illawarra Hawks, hopefully we can turn the page and put in a really good performance, whichever group it is.’’

Securing Martin is a positive move for Illawarra.

The 29-year-old is one of the NBL’s top point guards and is looking forward to playing under Beveridge, who won a title with Perth in 2010.

‘‘It’s going to be interesting. I’ve never played for him or had a training session with him, so I’m flying blind there,’’ Martin said.

‘‘He’s a great coach with a proven track record of winning, so bringing that to this club is going to be really good. I can’t wait to get stuck into preseason and start to familiarise myself with Bevo’s style.

‘‘It was always my priority to resign with the Hawks and I’m glad we were able to get a deal done so I can immediately start preparing for the season.’’

Beveridge is excited to have the opportunity to coach Martin.

‘‘I have coached against Rhys for a number of years and believe he is one of the premier Australian point guards in the NBL,’’ Beveridge said.

‘‘He is a very smart and savvy player and is going to be a very good leader for our team.’’

The Hawks are in talks with other players and more signings are expected over the coming days.

Beveridge stated on Thursday that he hopes the club re-signs free agents Oscar Forman, Tyson Demos, Tim Coenraad and Larry Davidson.

‘‘I had a chat with Bevo and he said he wanted to keep our core group together. Whether or not the guys will fit into the salary cap is another issue altogether, but that’s what he was aiming for,’’ Martin said.

‘‘I think it’s good news for all of us, because we’ve played together for five or six years now. When you basically have to build a new roster and you have the chance to keep 50 per cent of the group together, that can help with team chemistry and keeping the culture of the club.

‘‘Now that Gordo’s left, he was a big part of that setting the bar for us in terms of what this club’s about. We’ve been at the club and we know the community and what’s expected of us, so keeping five of us together can help.

‘‘Bevo’s going to set the tone for trainings and what’s expected, so that’s a good thing for the five guys coming back. It’ll be a new challenge for us.’’