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Illawarra Hawks

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This article is about the professional NBL franchise. For the district's basketball association with the same team nickname, see Basketball Illawarra.

Illawarra Hawks
2024–25 Illawarra Hawks season
Illawarra Hawks logo
LeaguesNBL
Founded1979; 45 years ago (1979)
HistoryIllawarra Hawks
1979–1998; 2015–2020; 2021–present
Wollongong Hawks
1998–2015
The Hawks
2020–2021
ArenaWIN Entertainment Centre
LocationWollongong, New South Wales
Team colorsBlack, red, white
     
CEOStu Taggart
General managerMat Campbell
Head coachJustin Tatum
Team captainSam Froling
Tyler Harvey
OwnershipJared Novelly (majority owner)
Championships1 (2001)
Retired numbers5 (4, 5, 12, 32, 33)
WebsiteHawks.com.au

The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) are an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at WIN Entertainment Centre, known colloquially as "The Sandpit".[1] The Illawarra Hawks are the only remaining NBL team to have competed in every season since the league's inception in 1979. The team won their first and so far only NBL Championship in 2001 and finished as runners-up in 2005, 2010 and 2017.

History

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Wollongong Hawks logo (1998–2011)

The team began as the Illawarra Hawks in the New South Wales Men's Division 1 championship[2] before joining the National Basketball League (NBL) for its inaugural season in 1979. The Hawks played out of Beaton Park Stadium, commonly known as "The Snakepit". In 1981, import Mike Jones was named NBL Most Valuable Player. In 1987, the Hawks had their best season to date, finishing in third place with a 20–6 record.

In 1998, the team was renamed the Wollongong Hawks and moved into WIN Entertainment Centre, known as the Sandpit, with Beaton Park remaining as their office and training facility. The venue is also home to Basketball Illawarra's representative side, also known as the 'Illawarra Hawks'.

The 2000/01 season marked history for the Hawks as they won their maiden NBL Championship. Prior to the start of the season, coach Brendan Joyce changed almost half his roster, adding Charles Thomas, Damon Lowery, Grant Kruger, Matt Shanahan and Axel Dench. After finishing the regular season in fourth with a club-best 21 wins from 28 games, Wollongong upset Perth in the first round of the post-season before conquering Adelaide when Lowery sunk three free throws with no time on the clock in game three of the semi-final series.[3] The Hawks went on to beat Townsville 2–1 in the grand final to capture the team's only title.[4]

The Hawks returned to the NBL Grand Final in 2004/05, where they lost to the Sydney Kings.

In February 2009, captain Mat Campbell started the "Save the Hawks" campaign after the ownership group declared the team would not be able to join revamped league in 2009/10 on financial grounds. Campbell and his small team reached their goal, thanks to the commitment of the Illawarra community, naming rights sponsor ahm Health Insurance, and a bank guarantee provided by Indian mining magnate Mr. Arun Jagatramka from Gujarat NRE. A not-for-profit community-based company formed as Wollongong Hawks Basketball Limited was established to operate the Hawks into the future.

In 2009/10, they made their third appearance in the grand final series, this time coming up short to the Perth Wildcats. In 2010/11, import Gary Ervin was named MVP of the league, becoming the first Hawk to win the award since Mike Jones in 1981. In 2013/14, import Rotnei Clarke was named MVP of the league, becoming the third Hawk to win the award.

In July 2014, a new era was ushered in by the Hawks after Telecommunications entrepreneur James Spenceley was successful in his bid to become the organisation's new owner.[5] However, following a dismal 2014/15 season, the organisation was dealt a substantial off-court blow with Wollongong Coal withdrawing their major sponsorship 1½ years into a five-year contract. The Hawks subsequently decided to place themselves into Voluntary Administration on 2 March 2015.[6][7] On 25 March 2015, the Hawks secured Multi Civil and Rail as their major sponsor, as the company committed to a one-year deal.[8]

On 22 June 2015, the organisation announced that the team would revert to its original name, the Illawarra Hawks, to better reflect not only the city of Wollongong, but also the surrounding area including the city of Shellharbour, the town of Kiama and the Wingecarribee Shire.[9][10]

The Hawks logo (2020–2021)

Following long-time coach Gordie McLeod's departure, Rob Beveridge was signed as head coach for the 2015/16 season. He nabbed the trio of New Zealand sharp shooter Kirk Penney, big man AJ Ogilvy, and US point guard Kevin Lisch. The trio were dubbed "the three-headed monster",[11] but they were unsuccessful in leading the Hawks to a championship, falling short in the semi-finals. Lisch was named MVP of the league, becoming the fourth Hawk to win the award.

With Lisch and Penney departing after one season, the Hawks reacquired the serves of Rotnei Clarke for the 2016/17 season. He helped them reach the NBL Grand Final for the first time since 2010, where they were defeated 3–0 by the Perth Wildcats.

On 17 June 2019, high school phenom LaMelo Ball announced on ESPN's The Jump that he will sign with the Illawarra Hawks.[12][13] Ball became the second high school phenom to enter the NBL's Next Stars program for the 2019–20 NBL season, with R. J. Hampton of the New Zealand Breakers being the first. The pair played against each other on 24 October 2019, with the game between the Hawks and the New Zealand Breakers becoming the most watched game in NBL history with nearly two million views globally on Facebook.[14]

In April 2020, the NBL took back the licence for the Illawarra Hawks after the club was placed into voluntary administration.[15] In May 2020, creditors voted to liquidate the Hawks, but the NBL vowed to keep club alive.[16] On 17 June 2020 the NBL announced that Dorry Kordahi, Bryan Colangelo and Michael Proctor had been awarded the license for the club.[17]

Under the agreement with the new ownership, the team was renamed The Hawks, in an effort to broaden the team's appeal in New South Wales.[18][15] The NBL faced fierce backlash to the decision to strip the Illawarra name, and in February 2021 the NBL agreed to allow the club to be renamed the Illawarra Hawks after a successful campaign by the new owners to boost membership and corporate support.[19]

In the 2022–23 season, the Hawks had four imports suffer season-ending injuries: Justin Robinson, George King, Peyton Siva and Michael Frazier II.[20]

Name, logo and uniforms

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The team's colours are red and white. The logo consists of a red hawk with large centred text of "Hawks". The Hawk is holding a basketball in its talons. Predominately black uniforms are used for home games, and predominantly white uniforms for away games.

Home arenas

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The Hawks play their home games at WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong, which holds a capacity of 6,000 seats when in full basketball format. The Hawks are the only full-time tenants at the arena and have been playing at the arena since the 1998–99 NBL season.

Prior to this season, the Hawks played out of the 2,000 seat Beaton Park Stadium (also known as the Illawarra Basketball Stadium) for twenty seasons starting from the club's inception in 1979. One story that evolved around the NBL during the 1980s was that the Illawarra Steelers rugby league team would sit behind the opposition bench during Hawks home games at Beaton Park in a bid to intimidate the opposing team.[citation needed] The Hawks continue to use the stadium as a training facility and also play some pre-season games there.

The Hawks record home attendance of 5,839 was set on 18 February 2005 against the Sydney Kings at the WIN Entertainment Centre during Round 21 of the 2004–05 NBL season.

Retired jerseys

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Illawarra Hawks retired numbers
No. Nat. Player Position Tenure
4 United States Chuck Harmison F/C 1988–1996
5 Australia Gordie McLeod G 1979–1982, 1984–1988
12 Australia Glen Saville G/F 1995–2007, 2008–2013
32 Australia Mat Campbell G/F 1996–2012
33 United States Melvin Thomas F 1992–1995, 1999–2003

Source: Retired Numbers

Current roster

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Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Illawarra Hawks roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt.
F 0 United States Days, Darius (I) 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 111 kg (245 lb)
G 1 United States Harvey, Tyler (I & C) 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 84 kg (185 lb)
G/F 2 South Korea Lee Hyun-jung (SRP) 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 95 kg (209 lb)
G 3 Syria Kell, Trey Injured (I) 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 99 kg (218 lb)
G 6 Australia Hickey, William 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 92 kg (203 lb)
G/F 8 South Sudan Kuany, Kuany (NRP) 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 91 kg (201 lb)
G/F 9 Australia Swaka Lo Buluk, Wani 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 88 kg (194 lb)
G 10 Australia McDowell-White, Kobe (DP) 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
G/F 11 Australia Grida, Daniel 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 93 kg (205 lb)
F/C 13 Australia Froling, Sam (C) 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) 109 kg (240 lb)
F/C 19 Australia Yates, Luca (DP) 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 102 kg (225 lb)
F 21 Australia Blanchfield, Todd 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 98 kg (216 lb)
F 22 Australia Peatling, Mason 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 105 kg (231 lb)
F/C 30 Australia Olbrich, Lachlan 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 107 kg (236 lb)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Australia Tom Cranney
  • Australia Matt Flinn
  • Australia Sam Gruggen
  • Australia Joel Khalu
Strength & conditioning coach(es)
  • Australia Alex Moore
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Development player
  • (I) Import player
  • (SRP) Special restricted player
  • (NS) Next Star player
  • Injured Injured
Updated: 24 October 2024

Notable players

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Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

Coaches

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There have been twelve different head coaches for the Hawks during their history. Charlie Ammit was the first coach of the Hawks to take the team to a finals series when his side finished fourth in the regular season with a 13–11 record. Brendan Joyce was the first coach to both win the Championship (in 2000–01) and claim runners-up (in 2004–05). He was also the first coach to claim runners-up in the regular season (in 2003–04). Both Joyce (2004–05) and Gordie McLeod (2009–10) have the unfortunate honour of claiming the runners-up prize in both the regular season and finals series in the same year. Eric Cooks became the first captain of the club (1999–00) to also become a coach (2006–2009). McLeod is the only other captain (1980–1982 and 1984–1988) to have accomplished this when took over from Cooks in 2009.

Season by season

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NBL champions League champions Runners-up Finals berth
Season Tier League Regular season Post-season Head coach Captain Club MVP
Finish Played Wins Losses Win %
Illawarra Hawks
1979 1 NBL 8th 18 5 13 .278 Did not qualify Joe Farrugia Bob Kubbinga not awarded
1980 1 NBL 6th 22 13 9 .591 Did not qualify Adrian Hurley Gordie McLeod not awarded
1981 1 NBL 8th 22 9 13 .409 Did not qualify Joe Farrugia Gordie McLeod not awarded
1982 1 NBL 9th 26 11 15 .423 Did not qualify Tom Pottenger Gordie McLeod not awarded
1983 1 NBL 7th 22 4 18 .182 Did not qualify Charlie Ammit Mike Jones not awarded
1984 1 NBL 4th 24 13 11 .542 Lost elimination final (Newcastle) 101–108 Charlie Ammit Gordie McLeod not awarded
1985 1 NBL 9th 26 10 16 .385 Did not qualify Ted Weston Gordie McLeod not awarded
1986 1 NBL 5th 26 15 11 .577 Won elimination final (West Sydney) 105–86
Lost semifinal (Adelaide) 92–116 		Dave Lindstrom Gordie McLeod not awarded
1987 1 NBL 3rd 26 20 6 .769 Won elimination final (North Melbourne) 105–97
Lost semifinals (Brisbane) 1–2 		Dave Lindstrom Gordie McLeod not awarded
1988 1 NBL 7th 24 11 13 .458 Did not qualify Dave Lindstrom Gordie McLeod not awarded
1989 1 NBL 11th 24 7 17 .292 Did not qualify Dave Lindstrom Chuck Harmison Norman Taylor
1990 1 NBL 8th 26 13 13 .500 Did not qualify Dave Lindstrom Chuck Harmison Norman Taylor
1991 1 NBL 13th 26 6 20 .231 Did not qualify Dave Lindstrom Chuck Harmison Norman Taylor
1992 1 NBL 5th 24 13 11 .542 Lost quarterfinals (North Melbourne) 0–2 Dave Lindstrom Chuck Harmison Doug Overton
1993 1 NBL 6th 26 15 11 .577 Lost quarterfinals (Melbourne) 0–2 Alan Black Chuck Harmison Melvin Thomas
1994 1 NBL 8th 26 13 13 .500 Lost quarterfinals (Melbourne) 0–2 Alan Black Chuck Harmison Melvin Thomas
1995 1 NBL 7th 26 14 12 .538 Lost quarterfinals (S.E. Melbourne) 1–2 Alan Black Chuck Harmison Melvin Thomas
1996 1 NBL 10th 26 9 17 .346 Did not qualify Brendan Joyce Chuck Harmison Terry Johnson
1997 1 NBL 11th 30 7 23 .233 Did not qualify Brendan Joyce Matt Zauner Clayton Ritter
Wollongong Hawks
1998 1 NBL 6th 30 14 16 .467 Lost elimination finals (Perth) 0–2 Brendan Joyce Clayton Ritter Clayton Ritter
1998–99 1 NBL 3rd 26 16 10 .615 Lost qualifying finals (Victoria) 0–2
Lost semifinals (Adelaide) 0–2 		Brendan Joyce Clayton Ritter C. J. Bruton
1999–2000 1 NBL 7th 28 11 17 .393 Did not qualify Brendan Joyce Eric Cooks Glen Saville
Melvin Thomas
2000–01 1 NBL 4th 28 21 7 .750 Won qualifying finals (Perth) 2–1
Won semifinals (Adelaide) 2–1
Won NBL finals (Townsville) 2–1 		Brendan Joyce Mat Campbell
Glen Saville 		Glen Saville
2001–02 1 NBL 4th 30 16 14 .533 Lost qualifying finals (Adelaide) 0–2 Brendan Joyce Mat Campbell
Glen Saville 		Glen Saville
2002–03 1 NBL 4th 30 18 12 .600 Won qualifying finals (Townsville) 2–0
Lost semifinals (Perth) 0–2 		Brendan Joyce Mat Campbell
Glen Saville 		Glen Saville
2003–04 1 NBL 2nd 33 25 8 .758 Lost semifinals (West Sydney) 0–2 Brendan Joyce Mat Campbell Glen Saville
2004–05 1 NBL 2nd 32 20 12 .625 Won semifinals (Townsville) 2–0
Lost NBL finals (Sydney) 0–3 		Brendan Joyce Mat Campbell Glen Saville
2005–06 1 NBL 3rd 32 19 13 .594 Lost quarterfinal (Perth) 101–121 Brendan Joyce Rotating captaincy Cortez Groves
2006–07 1 NBL 9th 33 11 22 .333 Did not qualify Brendan Joyce
Eric Cooks 		Glen Saville Adam Ballinger
2007–08 1 NBL 11th 30 9 21 .300 Did not qualify Eric Cooks Mat Campbell Kavossy Franklin
2008–09 1 NBL 7th 30 11 19 .367 Did not qualify Eric Cooks Mat Campbell Glen Saville
2009–10 1 NBL 2nd 28 16 12 .571 Won semifinals (Townsville) 2–1
Lost NBL finals (Perth) 1–2 		Gordie McLeod Mat Campbell Larry Davidson
2010–11 1 NBL 5th 28 15 13 .536 Did not qualify Gordie McLeod Mat Campbell Gary Ervin
2011–12 1 NBL 8th 28 9 19 .321 Did not qualify Gordie McLeod Mat Campbell Oscar Forman
2012–13 1 NBL 3rd 28 13 15 .464 Lost semifinals (Perth) 0–2 Gordie McLeod Oscar Forman Adris Deleon
2013–14 1 NBL 4th 28 13 15 .464 Lost semifinals (Perth) 0–2 Gordie McLeod Oscar Forman Rotnei Clarke
2014–15 1 NBL 8th 28 6 22 .214 Did not qualify Gordie McLeod Oscar Forman Tim Coenraad
Illawarra Hawks
2015–16 1 NBL 3rd 28 17 11 .607 Lost semifinals (Perth) 1–2 Rob Beveridge Oscar Forman Kevin Lisch
2016–17 1 NBL 4th 28 15 13 .536 Won semifinals (Adelaide) 2–1
Lost NBL finals (Perth) 0–3 		Rob Beveridge Oscar Forman Rotnei Clarke
2017–18 1 NBL 5th 28 12 16 .429 Did not qualify Rob Beveridge Kevin White Demitrius Conger
2018–19 1 NBL 7th 28 12 16 .429 Did not qualify Rob Beveridge Kevin White Todd Blanchfield
2019–20 1 NBL 9th 28 5 23 .179 Did not qualify Matt Flinn David Andersen
Todd Blanchfield 		Todd Blanchfield
2020–21 1 NBL 3rd 36 20 16 .556 Lost semifinals (Perth) 1–2 Brian Goorjian Andrew Ogilvy Tyler Harvey
2021–22 1 NBL 2nd 28 19 9 .679 Lost semifinals (Sydney) 0–2 Brian Goorjian Andrew Ogilvy Duop Reath
2022–23 1 NBL 10th 28 3 25 .107 Did not qualify Jacob Jackomas Sam Froling
Tyler Harvey 		Sam Froling
2023–24 1 NBL 4th 28 14 14 .500 Lost seeding qualifier (Tasmania) 76–92
Won play-in game (New Zealand) 88–85
Lost semifinals (Melbourne) 1–2 		Jacob Jackomas
Justin Tatum 		Sam Froling
Tyler Harvey 		Gary Clark
Regular season record 1260 588 672 .467 0 regular season champions
Finals record 74 23 51 .311 1 NBL championships

As of the end of the 2023–24 season

*Note: In 1983 and 1984, the NBL was split into Eastern and Western divisions during the regular season.

Source:[1]

Trophies and awards

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Trophies

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Championships (1): 2001
Grand Final Appearances (4): 2001, 2005, 2010, 2017
Finals Appearances (23): 1984, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2024

Awards

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NBL MVP

NBL Grand Final MVP

All-NBL First Team

All-NBL Second Team

All-NBL Third Team

NBL Coach of the Year Award

NBL Next Generation Award

NBL Rookie of the Year Award

NBL Best Defensive Player Award

NBL Most Improved Player Award

NBL Best Sixth Man Award

Source: NBL AWARD WINNERS Archived 13 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine

Records and statistics

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All-time records
Most games 527 Glen Saville[21]
Most points 6865 Glen Saville
Most rebounds 4041 Glen Saville
Most assists 1847 Glen Saville
Most steals 776 Glen Saville
Most blocks 423 Glen Saville
Most field goals 2511 Glen Saville
Most 3-pointers 1049 Mat Campbell
Most free throws 1163 Glen Saville
Game records
Most points in a game 54 Norman Taylor, 18 May 1990
Most 3-pointers made in a game 10 Charles Thomas, 29 December 2001
Most assists in a game 18 Gordie McLeod, twice
Most blocks in a game 7 3 players
Most steals in a game 9 Elliot Hatcher, 13 March 1998
Most rebounds in a game 23 Ray Borner, 9 May 1987
Source: andthefoul.net

References

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  1. ^ a b "Season by Season". HawksHistory.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 August 2010. Playing Venue: Wollongong / WIN Entertainment Centre - The Sandpit
  2. ^ "FLASHBACK 4: August, 1977, ABM". botinagy.com. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  3. ^ Barrow, Tim (24 February 2016). "Lowery believes in Hawks' title destiny". illawarramercury.com.au. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  4. ^ "2000/01 - Wollongong Hawks : NBL Champions". hawkshistory.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  5. ^ "Hawks under new Ownership". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Hawks Announcement". Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  7. ^ "Wollongong Hawks Announcement". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  8. ^ Wollongong Hawks land new sponsor
  9. ^ Hawks revert to original Illawarra moniker
  10. ^ "We're the Illawarra Hawks and we're flying to the top #FlyYouHawks". Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  11. ^ Illawarra Hawks on how they got their wings back
  12. ^ @espn (17 June 2019). ""I'm trying to be the No. 1 pick for..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ "Illawarra Hawks Sign LaMelo Ball". Illawarra Hawks. 17 June 2019. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  14. ^ "New Zealand v Illawarra Most Watched Game in NBL History". NBL.com.au. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  15. ^ a b "Statement on Illawarra Hawks Ownership". NBL.com.au. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  16. ^ Phillips, Sam (18 May 2020). "Creditors vote to liquidate Illawarra Hawks but NBL vows to keep club alive". SMH.com.au. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  17. ^ "Hawks Set to Soar as New Owners Take Charge". nbl.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  18. ^ "Illawarra to be dumped from NBL team name under new Hawks ownership group". illawarramercury.com.au. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  19. ^ "'Illawarra' back where it belongs as first home game looms". illawarramercury.com.au. 9 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Michael Frazier II Injury Update". hawks.com.au. 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  21. ^ Glen Saville announces his retirement from the National Basketball League
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