The man holding the key is incoming South East Melbourne Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell, who says it was a "no-brainer" to try to lure the 22-year-old to the expansion franchise.

Nigerian-born Moneke has signed a one-year deal with an option in the Phoenix's favour with Mitchell confident he can break the shackles he has been in overseas to light up the country he considers home.

Moneke struggled with Rouen Metropole before linking up with Denain Voltaire in France, and his eyes - uncovered by the goggles he wears on a basketball court - lit up when South East Melbourne came calling.

"You always want to try to bring your Australian kids home. It’s really exciting because he is such a great prospect," Mitchell said.

"It’s going to take a little while to adjust to the NBL but the sky is the limit on what he can achieve in the league. He’s such a fantastic athlete and he has got such a huge thirst for getting better. He’s a great worker, just a great kid to be around, he makes you want to be in the gym.

"He wanted to come home, he wants to play in the NBL and prove himself here. He has always been a bit of an underdog with people saying he can’t do this and he can’t do that. So far he has proved everybody wrong."

Moneke's signature sees him join Mitch Creek and Ben Madgen on the South East Melbourne roster, however the former could yet earn an NBA deal for next season.

The Phoenix are limited to signing players outside the NBL until free agency opens after the NBL finals series, at which point they can hunt down players within the league.

Moneke looms as an early coup with Mitchell rapt to jag the former University of California-Davis star that was "well and truly on the radar of all NBL coaches".

The 198 centimetre, 101 kilogram forward's talent was always clear to even the most untrained eye.

You don't have a workout with the Sacramento Kings or work out with the likes of famed NBA trainer Drew Hanlen and Dante Exum without something special about you.

Mitchell had been tracing Moneke's college career and the wheels were set in motion when the Nigerian-born star had a workout with Melbourne United last year, with whom the Phoenix mentor was an assistant coach.

"We just had a good relationship, I was really impressed with him - his physicality, his aggression, and his athleticism," Mitchell said.

"He had already signed in France at that stage, but he really made a huge impression on all of the coaching staff at Melbourne United.

"When I took this job it was a no-brainer for me to put a call in and see what was happening, and he was struggling at the time in France with his first team.

"He wasn’t playing a whole lot, looking to come home, and we got the deal done very quickly."