Outstanding season sees Gary Clark named Illawarra Hawks MVP

It comes hot on the heels of the 29-year-old earning All-NBL First Team honours on Monday night after averaging 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists on the season and establishing himself as the NBL's premier big man.

It's a campaign that also saw him claim the Hawks 'Fans Choice MVP'. Having taken the city to heart like few imports before him, it's a distinction as important as any other.

"I remember my first day driving down the mountain (Mount Ousley) I was hearing stories about how passionate the fans are, and how vocal they were last year about their opinions on what the team should be," Clark said.

"They were trying to warn me about if things don't go well. I just thought 'it sounds to me like these are some passionate fans who are excited for some good basketball'.

"That's how I took it, and from that day on my goal was to bring some excitement and life to this fanbase because, if people were explaining it to me like that, I knew the other side of this is going to be wholesome.

"It's going be very much like 'you've done your job to deserve the love that this community has given you'. That's been my approach since day one, and to kind of see it come full circle has been great."

No one has done more to bring a dramatic turnaround about than the veteran of five NBA franchises, who's been up front about the early struggles he has adjusting to the league.

Despite being notably team-first in his approach, Clark said he knew his team's fortunes rested on his ability to get it together. Now playoffs-bound, he's unquestionably the key.

"I think that was the confusion early on, just understanding, 'he is a pass-first selfless guy, but he can dominate a game, and we need him to dominate a game'," Clark said.

"I don't think we had that conversation early on. It was so real for me because my whole 10 years of my career has been winning. Every place I've gone, I've won, made the playoffs, played in the playoffs.

"For me to start the year the way we did, I was in uncharted territories. From a leadership standpoint, from a competitor's standpoint, from a player's standpoint, I had no idea where to turn.

"I was doing everything I possibly could do and everything was just still where it was. I think JT (Justin Tatum) has done a great job laying that out that 'he is selfless, he passes the ball, but he is a dominant factor that we need to go through'.

"It's kind of similar to how I played in college and in high school. At the end of the game, I get the ball, knock down free throws and just don't be denied.

"Don't be denied the ball, don't leave it in the refs hands, and don't put the pressure on other guys who may not be ready for these big moments that come at the end."

Awards season will no doubt turn to the club's efforts to retain the North Carolina native, who's repeatedly expressed loud affection for the city and its people.

Discussions between the Hawks front office and his management are ongoing, with a long-term deal in the offing. For his part, Clark said he's ready to "sign the paper today" if the parties can come an agreement.

"Everyone's asking about what does the future look like here and it stays the same," he said.

"I love this place, I love Illawarra, I love Wollongong. I spend a lot of time in the community kitchen at the Lighthouse (church) and I was able to have some of my good friends, some of the less fortunate, come to one of our last home games.

"It was so emotional, coming out of the game at the end and just going up and spending time with them. Last week one of the ladies had my jersey on at the kitchen and it was emotional because my ties run deeper than just the basketball.

"There'll be a lot of emotional conversations to have outside of this basketball court with some of the relationships I have with people that, if I'm not here, I may never see again.

"Hopefully Mat (Campbell) and those guys can get it done because I'm ready to sign a paper today if my agent and them came to an agreement. I think the main priority right now is winning games and everything else handles itself."

In other major awards, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk earned Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season since arriving at the club, again proving his bona fides as one of the league's premier on-ball defenders.

There was no more popular award recipient that Dan Grida, who picked up the players' player award despite having not featured on the floor since November.

It's a continuation of a truly wretched run on the injury front for the West Aussie, for whom Wollongong has been his only NBL home.

The longest tenured Hawk also earned the club's Community Award for his efforts off the court and ever-strengthening bond with the Hawks faithful.