Flynn says the Bay franchise signed up Aston who is "one of the best shooters in the league and why we remember him".
The Australian coach, in his maiden season at the helm of the Hawks, is banking on Aston to offer the "bigs" some elbow room with his capacity to drop baskets from downtown. "He can shoot and he has a good work ethic, so he's a good player for the long term," says Flynn.
He emphasises Aston arrived only the day before the Rangers game, to contribute nine points off the bench.
Pivotal to the Hawks' success was the guards coming to the party as well as the contribution from the bench, although imports Zack Atkinson and Suleiman Braimoh laid the foundation.
Tomorrow, co-captain Paora Wintana will be missing because of the Mormon bishop's religious beliefs.
"Paora can't go but they [Taranaki] haven't won a game yet," says Aston, mindful there is nothing worse than a team with their backs against the wall as the Hawks were last weekend, following back-to-back losses to the Nelson Giants and Wellington Saints.
Taranaki are guilty of leaking points, a league record of 99.5 a game but, conversely, the Hawks have struggled offensively, averaging 73 points a game.
It will be the first time Braimoh will face his former team after claiming the most outstanding NBL forward title, averaging 25 points last year but going at 16.3 points so far.
His Naki replacement, Aaron Fuller, is leading the NBL scoring at 27.5 points a game.
Hawks co-skipper Jarrod Kenny's match-up with point guard Chris Hagan will add spice. Hagan is second in scoring (26.8) but Kenny is among the best defensive guards, stifling Waitakere's Aussie import, Jason Cadee, to seven points last Saturday.
Queenstown-born Aston arrived here from two years of college basketball after finishing his sport and exercise science degree at Brigham Young University in Hawaii.
"I wasn't doing anything, so I thought I thought I'd play in New Zealand."
His only other stint in the NBL was in 2010 for the Otago Nuggets, who are not playing this year after finding themselves in the financial doldrums.
"We didn't win a game that season. I was 19, so it was tough."
Accepting the Hawks' offer, he says, was "a no brainer".
"This is a really good organisation which wins a lot and they seem to look after people," says Aston of the Bay franchise, who have won only one NBL title, in 2006 under former Australian coach Shawn Dennis.
He accepts there is pressure under a new regime and roster but adheres to the mantra of practice makes perfect.
Ask Aston if he wants to work his way to the starting five and he throws the collective card on the table.
"I just want to win.
"If I play or not is irrelevant," he says, adding Flynn invariably makes the right decisions on who should play.
The style of playing is not much different from his college one of "pushing the ball and running".
Ditto defensively where "you pack the paint and everyone stacks up".
He attributes his composure on court to his mother's mentoring.
"You stay as calm as you can. It's just when you're young you have the right form and technique," says the former Otago Boys' High School pupil, who also attended Santa Rosa Junior College in California before going to Hawaii.
Older sisters Erin and Amy played netball.
The former went on to represent Southland in the National Provincial Championship as a centre/wing attack but now lives in Australia.
Brother Liam, 18, has finished schooling at Otago Boys' High and intends to follow Aston's path to college basketball.
Their father, Alan, runs a scaffolding business in Dunedin.
Aston, who had a stint with the New Zealand Breakers junior development programme in 2009, has national aspirations. "Absolutely, it will be a dream to make the Tall Blacks," he says but stresses selection will take care of itself if he does the right things to ensure his franchise team prevails.
