Wollongong Hawks likely to fly again

Hawks owner James Spenceley is tight-lipped about developments with a potential investor he met with last week, but the club is closing in on a couple of sponsors to secure their future in the short-term.

The $1.1 million defecit revealed at Wednesday's creditors' meeting looks bad, but more than of the $800,000 owed is to the NBL or Spenceley himself.

Provided Spenceley remains committed, it means the vast majority of cash doesn't need to be paid out with any urgency.

The biggest hurdle is fixing the awful situation where the players are out of pocket and owed superannuation payments, as well as the legalities of clawing their way out of voluntary administration.

However, players talk - and those at other NBL clubs already believe both the Hawks and Crocodiles will suit up next season.

For their part, the Hawks players continue to be remarkable ambassadors for the club, with Oscar Forman and Tim Coenraad leading the push for community support.

But as Hawks general manager Kim Welch told the Mercury earlier this week, the Hawks need to gain a heavy corporate hitter prepared to invest $200,000 or more, or otherwise become a part-owner of the club.

Part of the problem isaway from the Hawks' financial woes ... it's what's next for the club and the league, to build successful and sustainable model.

News that Spenceley held talks with the ACT government and Canberra officials raises questions about where the Hawks will play games should they live to play another day.

And it's understood Campbelltown was also thrown around as a potential alternative to take games. Meanwhile at Wednesday's creditors meeting, there was discussion about playing at the University of Wollongong using temporary seating.

playing 14 home games a year at the WIN Entertainment Centre is an expensive exercise - even though it makes vision of the NBL in Wollongong more attractive for TV coverage.

So why is the NBL content to push on regardless of whether there will be six, eight or nine teams next year?

NBL chairman Graeme Wade told the Mercury he was "fine with either scenario" when asked what it meant to the league if the Hawks survived.

Wade also made reference to the Big Bash Twenty20 cricket competition and its ability to capture the imagination of the wider sporting public during summer. Arguments rage on between officials and punters alike about the best format for success.

Basketball legend Andrew Gaze spoke on Melbourne radio this week about shutting down the league in the short-term to return with a better model, like the A-League was to the NSL.

When Gaze talks, basketball people in Australia listen, but his idea was dismissed by many.

There is a push to revamp the competition by reducing the length of the season and possibly having one city host a full round over three or four days, or having two pools of four, provided there's eight teams.

It would cut travel and logistical costs, while providing a concentrated offering to television networks, instead of the current league format meandering along struggling to attract interest.

It's the wow factor they're looking for.

Well, that's the theory anyway.

The Twitter hashtag #WeAreTheNBL has at the very least put some positive vibes into a sport in need of them.

But keeping eight teams - or nine if the Brisbane on-again, off-again situation actually comes to fruition - is just the beginning.

The Hawks can't continue to be on their knees begging - in order to survive - every few years and the NBL need to provide a vision for basketball in Australia to allow clubs - particularly regional clubs - to thrive.