Hawks complete roster with signing of former Kings forward

Former Sydney Kings forward Cody Ellis had his first training session with the Hawks on Monday after becoming the 10th player signed by the club for the 2015-16 season.

The 25-year-old is the son of Mike Ellis and nephew of Brett and Glenn Ellis, all of whom played for the Perth Wildcats in the 80s. Mike had an excellent 11-year career with the Cats, winning titles in 1990 and ‘91 and having his number six jersey retired by the club.

The Ellis brothers were coached by their father Gordon at the Wildcats in 1983.

Cody spent two seasons with the Kings after breaking into the NBL in 2013.

He wasn’t part of Sydney coach Damian Cotter’s plans for next season and feared his fledgling career was over when he wasn’t swamped by offers from rival clubs.

But Illawarra coach Rob Beveridge threw him a lifeline and Ellis can’t wait to settle in Wollongong with wife Lauren and their two-year-old son Chase.

‘‘It’s awesome. I’m really looking forward to it,’’ he said.

‘‘I was sitting at home in Perth, thinking I was out of a job for a while there and getting a bit nervous, so it’s certainly a relief. I’ve always loved coming here on road trips so I’m pretty happy.’’

Illawarra’s 10-man team for next season is Ellis, Larry Davidson, Tim Coenraad, AJ Ogilvy, Kirk Penney, Rhys Martin, Oscar Forman, Tyson Demos, Kevin Lisch and Kevin White.

‘‘I reckon it’s going to be a good year,’’ Ellis said.

‘‘Bevo’s done a good job of getting a really good team together. It’s great to still have some of core guys and there’s a couple of big additions to the team. I really think we’re going to be a force this year if we can get our stuff together.’’

Ellis has been pencilled in as a back-up four-man to Oscar Forman.

‘‘Versatility is something I pride myself on,’’ he said.

‘‘I’ll try to do the little nitty gritty stuff, the one-percenters that help the team.’’

Former NBL MVP Lisch is the only import on the Illawarra roster.

Beveridge believes Ellis has the potential to become his team’s designated front-court enforcer.

‘‘What I like about him is he’s a very good one-on-one defensive player,’’ Beveridge said.

‘‘I was looking for that player that has the ability to match up on the guys like Mark Worthington, Shawn Redhage, Jesse Wagstaff, Alex Loughton and Mika Vukona - all those types of players. He can get in and do that.

‘‘Ossie’s more of an offensive threat who’s never been known for his defence, so I needed to have somebody like a Cody Ellis to fill that spot. I think he’s got a huge upside and huge future, so he’ll fit in really well with the group.’’

The new season tips off in October.