Geelong United is excited to welcome our newest addition to the NBL1 Women’s roster, Kobe Tehau King-Hawea.
The 6-foot guard/forward brings a strong basketball acumen to the side, representing Australia in the under 18 Gems side in 2018 – Plus a wealth of college basketball experience at the University of Texas, where she was part of both a Big12 Conference Championship winning side and the Elite 8 at March Madness, as well as winning a Sunbelt Conference Championship with James Madison University.
But it was Kobe’s individual stats and accomplishments that made her a much sought after signing for Geelong United, averaging 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists per game in her freshman season (earning NJCAA Division 1 first-team All-America honours as a freshman at Gillette College, the only first-team All-American as a freshman), and 15.5 points (shooting at 43.3% from beyond the arc) during her sophomore campaign.
King-Hawea was also the first ever female NBA Global Academy scholarship athlete, which through the Basketball Australia Center Of Excellence was her initial link to Geelong United Women’s Head Coach Matthew Paton, who is excited for their reunion – “I am extremely pleased to have Kobe joining our Geelong United NBL1 program. I have tracked Kobeโs journey since I coached her at the BA Centre of Excellence and jumped at the opportunity to reunite with her after her collegiate career. Kobe is the definition of โx-factorโ and I have no doubt she will very quickly become a fan favourite through her exciting style of play and great personality – she is a high quality player and will be a perfect cultural fit for our program.”
Kobe, who has signed on for 2 years through until the end of the 2025 season, is eager to get on the court and start her NBL1 journey – “I’m very exited to be part the Geelong United family. The one goal is to win, but to also create and keep the culture here at Geelong Untied. My development is what I look forward to, I am eager to develop my game under Coach Matt Paton.”
For all the latest on the signing of Kobe, click here for more with the Geelong Times.
