They have spent almost their entire careers together and will be forever linked as the Wollongong Hawks' greatest icons.
Tonight, Mat Campbell and Glen Saville, who both began as juniors at Bendigo before moving to the bright lights of the NBL, will receive the highest honour in basketball when their playing jerseys are retired.
Campbell has spent his entire 14-year career with the Hawks.
Saville has also had 14 years with the club as well as a stint last season with the Sydney Kings.
Their singlets will be hoisted to the rafters for tonight's final home game against Adelaide, alongside those of Hawks' legends Gordie McLeod and Chuck Harmison.
Next week, all four singlets will be transferred to Beaton Park Snakepit, where they will permanently hang from the roof.
"Deep down it was probably one of those things that I was little disappointed about when I heard the club wasn't going on, that I wouldn't have the chance to see my jersey hanging up somewhere. Knowing it will happen is awesome, a great honour," Campbell said before the Hawks' final training session at the Snakepit yesterday.
"You don't go out starting your career to look for that kind of honour, but you look around the world at all the different people who get their singlets retired and it's a pretty awesome thing to happen to you.
"It's probably the biggest mark of respect you can get from your club. I pride myself on loyalty and those kinds of values, so to be able to play my whole career with one club is a fantastic feeling."
Campbell has played a record 434 games for the Hawks, with Saville on 423.
"To be able to spend the amount of years I've had here and the memories I have, and looking back at ... what this club means to all those people, it's extremely flattering to be able to have your singlet hanging from the stadium," Saville said.
"It's amazing to be honoured that way," Saville said.
Campbell and Saville played junior basketball for Bendigo in central Victoria and alongside each other in the same Victorian Country representative sides.
Saville spent a year at the AIS before arriving at the Hawks in 1995, while his best mate joined Ballarat in the South Eastern Basketball League before heading to the Hawks in 1996.
"It's quite an amazing story really," Campbell said.
"We played all our juniors together and played so many years in the league together. All the goals I've ever wanted to achieve, I've achieved them with Sav next to me, so that's something we'll always look back on."
Saville said sharing the court with Campbell for so long was one of the highlights of his stellar career.
"We played juniors together since under 14s and to end up meeting at the same place in the NBL is pretty amazing," the dual Olympian said.
"We both settled and married in Wollongong and probably plan to live out our lives here. It's God's country as far as I'm concerned.
"It's an awesome feeling to know you've been welcomed with open arms by a community and known as a sporting identity within the community. I feel pretty lucky and humbled by it," he admitted.
"I don't have the greatest memory with most things, but I do remember my first game here (at the Snakepit) and I remember my last game here, so I guess it's fitting my jersey will end up hanging from the roof here.
"It's the home of basketball in Wollongong," Saville added.
Every Hawks player is bound to receive a heartfelt cheer from the near-capacity crowd tonight.
But fans will be at their loudest when Campbell and Saville are introduced for the last time in the club's 31-season history.
"I'm not the most emotional person, but this is going to rank up there with things that have tested me out, so there might be one or two tears," Campbell said.
"I went through the angry stage last week and all I want to do is focus on enjoying this week.
"There's 31 seasons of history at this club and I've been here for 14 of those. I'll probably be angry again after this week when it sinks in that it's over. But being my last ever home game, I just want to soak it up and hopefully we'll put on a good show for the crowd.
"This is probably the last time I'll get to shake hands and high-five the fans and I hope to get around to each and every one of them that turns up and personally thank them for supporting me throughout my career and supporting the Hawks.
"We'll be even more determined to get a win with a big crowd and everything on the line for the last time," Campbell said.
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