Hawks re-sign exciting guard

The Illawarra Hawks announced on Tuesday that they have re-signed guard Johny Narkle on a new two-year deal.

After a breakout first season in Hawks colours, Narkle has put pen to paper for two more years in Wollongong, which will keep him at the Foundation Club until the end of the Hungry Jack’s NBL28 Season.

Hawks General Manager of Basketball Mat Campbell said the re-signing was a reward for a young player who has done the work.

"Johny showed plenty of promise in his first season with us,” Campbell said.

“He earned his spot on the main roster, he competed every single night, and he never looked out of place at this level.

“The numbers he is putting up in NBL1 West this off-season tell you everything about his work rate and his hunger.

“We are backing him to take another big step in NBL27, and we are thrilled he is staying in Wollongong."

The 24-year-old guard arrived from Western Australia as a development player in NBL26, before making his debut on October 11, helping the Hawks defeat Brisbane 116-89.

He finished the season with 18 games to his name, capped by a career-high 20 minutes in the season finale against the Tasmania JackJumpers, where he posted six points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.

Narkle was also part of a genuine piece of NBL history during his maiden campaign.

In the NBL26 Indigenous Round, he took the floor alongside teammates Will Hickey and Biwali Bayles against New Zealand, marking the first time three Indigenous Australians shared the court for one NBL team in the same game.

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Campbell also pointed to what Narkle represents for the club's wider commitment to Indigenous talent.

"We are proud of the Indigenous pathway we have built here,” Campbell said.

“Johny is part of a story that gives players from right across Australia a place to come to Wollongong and show what they can do on the biggest stage.

“That matters to us, it matters to this club, and it matters to the Illawarra."

The reigning NBL1 West MVP is currently averaging 23.6 points, 4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for Cockburn, highlighted by a season-high 40-point performance against the Goldfields Giants earlier this month.

Narkle, 24, joins Tyler Harvey, Sam Froling, Will Hickey, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Daniel Grida, Todd Blanchfield, Mason Peatling and Kobe McDowell-White (team option) on Justin Tatum’s team for next season.

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