Wollongong Hawks rookie James Quinn almost had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming when his name was called during last week's pre-game introductions against the Sydney Spirit.The former Illawarra and NSW junior representative made his NBL debut in the dying stages of the clash, racking up an assist and turnover in his 95-second cameo.Signed by the Hawks as a development player, Quinn savoured the occasion, which was witnessed by his most ardent supporters."It was a really good moment - one I won't forget," the 19-year-old guard said."I've been watching the Hawks play at the WEC since I was under 14s and it was one of my dreams since I was little to play NBL. I had a lot of mates there on the night, so it was good to have friends and family there to see it."That he got to be on the court with his long-time friend, Hawks forward Dan Jackson, only highlighted the experience for Quinn."It was awesome to run out there, and it was even better to be with Jacko as well," he said."I've been a team-mate of his for almost my whole life so it was good to share the moment with him."Born in Wollongong, Quinn moved south of the border before he turned one and was soon playing AFL like just about every other Victorian youngster.He got serious about basketball when he returned to Wollongong and quickly became a regular in Illawarra and state teams.Despite being a promising junior, he took a break from the hoops game to play a season of AFL with the Wollongong Lions.Playing with the Lions helped him rediscover his passion for basketball. He took up an invitation to train with the Hawks and impressed coach Eric Cooks enough to earn the job as the team's 11th man."I've always loved playing Aussie rules, so it was good to have a year of that. It's not as serious but it was a lot of fun," he said."Having a year off made me want to play basketball even more. It gave me hunger to get back into it. I watched a state camp and just thought 'I've got to come back and play'."Flinny (Hawks assistant coach Matt Flinn) mentioned that he was going to put my name forward. I did a couple of pre-season trainings and they called me aside and told me they wanted me to be a part of the team."I've learned so much really quickly. The guys push you all the time, so you get a little better with every training."Basically, I'm just more confident in myself, because at the start I didn't want to shoot too much, but all the boys tell me to shoot it if I'm open."As far as this season goes, I'll take whatever comes my way and hopefully do well when I get the opportunities. I definitely want to give (a basketball career) a real shot and see where it takes me."Being an Aussie rules man, Quinn had a grand final tip."I follow Essendon, but all my family go for Hawthorn, so I'm a bit of a Hawthorn fan as well. Hopefully they'll win," he said.