Wollongong guard Kavossy Franklin was one of the NBL's best players in 2007-08, but fellow American James Peters wasn't up to scratch and an injury three weeks into the season sealed his fate.

Peters was replaced by Angelo Reyes but the long-armed Puerto Rican proved to be a constant source of frustration before he too was sacked.

Wollongong coach Eric Cooks was determined to add a reliable second import for 2008-09 and has found the right man in Rychart.

Making his Hawks debut last Friday against the Sydney Spirit, he tallied 26 points and nine rebounds in Wollongong's 121-118 win.

"It reminds me a lot of when I went to Adelaide five or six years ago," Rychart said.

"There's a couple of established guys like Sav (Glen Saville) and Matty Campbell, and up-and-coming guys like Trig (Cam Tragardh) and Rhys (Martin).

"We over-achieved in Adelaide. This team resembles that team a lot with great guys and great characters, and they work extremely hard."

Rychart will catch up with former team-mates when the Hawks head to Adelaide for this week's two trials.