Illawarra sounds a little like Illinois, but new Wollongong Hawks import Joevan Catron knows he's a long way from home.Catron arrived in town yesterday morning and was warmly greeted by his new team-mates.The former University of Oregon Ducks star is making his professional debut with the Hawks and is keen to make the most of his time in Australia.
Full coverage of the Hawks "I'm just trying to soak it all in right now," Catron said."It's my first professional job and I'm looking forward to seeing how it's done down here. My family was real happy for me. They were like 'Whoa, Australia, you're way at the bottom now,' because I'm from Phoenix, Illinois, and I left home to go to school in Oregon, so to come here, they said I'd be real far away from them now."Measuring 198cm and weighing 110kg, Catron goes by the nickname Duke back home.Hawks centre Larry Davidson has reportedly come up with Megatron as a possible alternative, but any suggestion might need to be checked first given that Catron has a tattoo on his back that reads The Boss.An uncompromising forward, the 23-year-old averaged 15.9 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Ducks in his senior year.Whether he starts or comes off the bench for Wollongong, Catron said he is focused on contributing in any way possible."I think I can bring a little toughness and versatility to the team," he said."I'll play hard and do whatever the coach asks me. Whatever the team needs to win, I'm all for it."Making the journey to Wollongong with Catron were his partner, Jessica, and 11-month-old son Joe'Mare."It's great to have them here, that's definitely a positive. I would've been a long, long way from home without them, so I'm very excited they're here with me," he said.Like fellow Hawks import Donavan Monroe, Catron's dream is to eventually become a multi-millionaire in the NBA."I want to play as long as I possibly can and my ultimate goal is get to the NBA. Hopefully this is the first step," he said."I like to watch all the guys in the NBA. I like Paul Pierce a lot, Kobe Bryant, Zac Randolph - those guys are probably my top three right now."I played against some of the top guys in the NBA so hopefully there's nothing new here."While most of Catron's time will be taken up with training, travelling and playing once the regular season tips off, he hopes to occasionally stop and smell the roses."It's my first time overseas so I want to experience everything," he said.
