It took Antonius Cleveland precious little time to make his mark in the NBL.
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Barely a minute into his first regular season game with the Illawarra Hawks and here Cleveland was on the fast break, throwing down a reverse dunk for fun.
If this was an early insight into what the Hawks are capable of this campaign, then it's going to be fun to watch.
The Hawks came in waves on their way to an 81-71 victory over the 36ers in Adelaide.
Cleveland made the instant impact, but it was Australian Olympics bronze medallist Duop Reath who had the lasting impression, finishing with 18 points, including two devastating three-pointers, as well as nine rebounds, three of them offensive.
The Hawks surrendered an early lead to trail at quarter-time, but by midway through the third they'd taken control, skipping out to an 18-point lead.
Justinian Jessup and Tyler Harvey both picked up from where they left off last season, while Canadian guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes showed the Hawks have impressive depth as he finished with 15 points of his own.
But there was something about the way Cleveland's slam dunk statement which offered an insight into just how powerful Illawarra can be as a title force.
For his part, Cleveland was low key.
"I had open space, I had time to get my steps together and the dunk was easy," he said.
"I can do that every night."
In the post-game press conference, Cleveland declared there was no hint of showboating in his performance.
"It was just kind of the angle that Todd (Withers) gave me, he kind of forced me to the other side of the rim, but I don't really do too many reverses to be honest with you.
"I'm just trying to play the right way regardless, I've never been the kind of guy to get up 20 shots a game, even in college.
"I'm just here to keep the morale up and bring the intensity on the defensive end and just play the game the right way at the other end."
After winning bronze in Tokyo, Reath may yet prove all that glitters does turn to gold after his superb performance on Sunday.
Reath had a presence at both ends, on the boards, but crucially, also shooting from the perimeter.
And coach Brian Goorjian maintains Reath's signing is reflection of the way the Hawks have not only been able to retain star talent like Harvey, Jessup and Sam Froling, but also add another key piece to a championship puzzle.
"For us to get that main group back, I was so proud of the organisation and the ownership," Goorjian said, after being knocked out in the semi-finals last season.
"It's the process that Illawarra has always struggled with, have a good season and they pluck your best players.
"We've got high expectations, we've got high goals, but winning is in the picking and to put this group together coming into the second year, I think it establishes the program for the future.
"(Reath) was a big, big signing, I'm really happy with our imports and our selection there, but a national player on your club team is huge
"He's like AC (Cleveland), they're just finding their feet, but he splashed 18 points, he's a threat from the perimeter, he blocks shots, he's athletic and he's a tremendous human being."
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Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
