Just over a week ago, Illawarra Hawks' newest import QJ Peterson was sheltering from a hurricane in the Dominican Republic. Two days later, the 31-year-old guard was on a plane to Australia after agreeing to join the NBL club.
Peterson, who has played in China, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Denmark and Ukraine, signed with the Hawks in the early hours of a Friday morning after learning of their interest the previous day. He landed in Wollongong on Sunday, ready to help revive the Hawks' championship defence.
The 6'0 scoring guard averaged 20.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game last season with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association. He shot 42.4 per cent from the field, 38.6 per cent from three-point range and 86.4 per cent from the free-throw line.
Illawarra has struggled to a 2-4 start, sitting eighth on the ladder, with injuries and roster instability in the backcourt. The departures of Trey Kell III and JaQuori McLaughlin, plus Will Hickey's early-season injury, left the team thin. Hickey is expected to return for Friday's game against the New Zealand Breakers.
Peterson said he jumped at the chance to play for the Hawks when his agent told him coach Justin Tatum wanted him. 'My agent said Justin Tatum loves your game and thinks I could help these guys get back on track,' Peterson said. 'Australia has always been on my radar. The talent level is comparable to that of Turkey and Spain.'
Hawks general manager Mat Campbell hopes Peterson can quickly build chemistry with Tyler Harvey and Hickey. Peterson said his role is to make others' jobs easier through scoring, playmaking and energy. 'My job is to make other guys' jobs easier, that's just my role as a playmaker,' he said.
