The Hawaii Hammerheads recently signed a ball-handling maestro named Austin Treweek, who grew up in Melbourne, Australia, watching dribbling moves on YouTube and idolizing White Chocolate.
The Hawaii Hammerheads recently signed a ball-handling maestro named Austin Treweek, who grew up in Melbourne, Australia, watching dribbling moves on YouTube and idolizing White Chocolate.
Jason Williams, who had a flashy style of play, was a highlight reel NBA point guard from 1998 to 2011 and earned the nickname White Chocolate.
The 21-year-old Treweek isn’t as five-star flashy as Williams, who was drafted in the first round by the Sacramento Kings, but he won’t be any less entertaining.
The Hammerheads, an ABA expansion team, don’t make their home debuts until Jan. 7 in Kailua-Kona and the following day at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
But there’s already a strong buzz because the Hammerheads will be the Big Island’s first professional basketball team and feature a homegrown player in Aukai Wong, a 2005 Hilo graduate.
The entertainment value just shot through the roof with the signing of Treweek, who played three years of high school ball in Melbourne but transferred to West Virginia for his senior year.
“What shaped me as a basketball player, I’d say is my work ethic,” Treweek said. “I’ve always wanted to prove people wrong and prove myself right, and that’s what I’ll continue to do. Being from Australia, you see all the U.S. kids either on TV or YouTube so you just have to work twice as hard to get your name out there.
“I learned a lot of my dribbling moves off YouTube at a younger age, but as I got older I’ve had coaches help me day in and day out to get my game right.”
Treweek sent a highlight tape to Hammerheads president of basketball operations Kevin Williams, who nearly fell out his chair in Houston, Texas, getting White Chocolate flashbacks.
“I believe Austin will be one of the best and most exciting point guards in the ABA this season,” Williams said. “He is a 6-1 cat-quick wizard with the basketball, and his passing abilities remind me of a young Jason Williams.
“At 21 years old, he has already played on a high level in Australia so I am confident in his vision of the game and team-first mentality. I think the community will love his passion, hard work, and his winning attitude.”
Treweek has never been to Hawaii, but he sounds like he’ll be a good fit with local fans. He’s got the low-key sensibilities of Crocodile Dundee, also known in Hawaii as the Aloha spirit.
“I’m excited about signing a pro deal, but I know I have a job to do. I look forward to meeting the people of Hawaii and really getting to see all the beautiful sights that Hawaii has to offer,” he said. “My goal for the Hammerheads is to win a championship firstly but second is to really connect with the people of Hawaii.
“J-Will is an inspiration, 100 percent. J had a confidence with the ball and in his teammates that inspires me to do the same.”
In his YouTube video, Treweek blows the doors off the defense with his arsenal of moves. He’s with his club team, the Keysborough Cougars, in Australia.
While the opposition sometimes plays Carmelo Anthony ambivalent defense, Treweek’s scout-graded skills stand out, such as his court vision, pocket passes from the perimeter, dribbling efficiency, and clean shooting form.
Those are tools that work against any type of competition, either amateur or pro. Those are also tools that win basketball games and entertain fans.
“My strengths as a player are my ball-handling, passing, and pick-and-roll IQ,” Treweek said. “My jump shot is continuing to get better daily, and I take a lot of pride in my defense.
“I’ve been in the weight room working out a lot in there, trying to get stronger. It’s an everyday grind on court and off court. I work every day to make myself a better person and basketball player.”
Though rugby (called football Down Under) is seen as the national sport, basketball is growing in Australia, where the National Basketball League is the lesser equivalent of the NBA.
The youth feeder program is called Victorian Basketball Association, established in 1927 in the state of Victoria.
“We love the game down here. Basketball Victoria is extremely competitive, and they have great leagues in Melbourne,” Treweek said. “A lot of Australian players are deciding to go to college now, not so many turn pro straight out of high school. I am very blessed to be one of the few.
“My plans until the season starts are just to hit the courts twice a day and get in the weight room a lot. I have a team of people helping me get ready for the upcoming season.”
Treweek is training in Melbourne. He’ll arrive on the Big Island on Dec. 3. Then soon enough, it’ll be Hammertime.
Like Williams, maybe a few thousand fans at the Hammerheads’ home debuts will fall out of their seats when they watch Treweek, too.