This is a defining moment for basketball in Australia.

Well at least, it should be.

As the national football codes continue guerilla warfare for the dollar generated by free-to-air and subscription television coverage, the NBL chased the only thing that matters to a league desperate for exposure. Credibility.

Showing every game on Fox Sports will not be a pay day to send basketball into the corporate sporting stratosphere.

Far from it.

But it creates a platform where basketball officials in Australia can be taken seriously, instead of shouting on a street corner while the average punter takes a wide berth.

Kudos to Larry Kestelman. The NBL has taken one misstep after another in recent times, but he took a controlling share in the league and delivered the most significant deal in NBL history.

And kudos to Hawks owner James Spenceley and general manager Kim Welch for pursuing an aggressive recruitment agenda.

Let's face it, the voluntary administration period was brutal, testing the patience and belief of players, sponsors and fans alike.

The Hawks emerged with no other choice but to make a statement by recruiting talent and rebuilding trust.

At this stage, the broader Wollongong community is yet to fully grasp what it has on its doorstep.

Lisch and Penney are world-class talents leading an exciting roster, even it if took a lot of heartache and the sacking of a much-loved player in Dave Gruber and coach to reach this point.

Wollongong will always love Gordie McLeod, but Rob Beveridge provides a ruthless edge as a highly-credientialled outsider to the region. This, after all, as the NBL frames it, is #hardball. So let's embrace it, Wollongong.

The Hawks are no longer the little team punching above their weight.

The parade of high-profile signatures allows hardcore and casual fans alike to dream of scenarios like the 2001 success when Wollongong was title town.

Moreover, Fox Sports' commitment to the game allows the Illawarra public to invest in the Hawks in a way they've never been allowed to before.

Every game. Every week. Live. In Perth, Townsville, New Zealand, Adelaide.

The A-League, in its infancy, recruited the likes of Dwight Yorke and later Robbie Fowler and Alessandro Del Piero to build a national brand.

The NBL has attracted NBA stars James Ennis and Josh Childress and the Hawks took MVP Rotnei Clarke into our hearts.

The fact this column is about basketball as NRL finals approach is evidence in itself of the significance of the television deal and basketball's immense potential.

Less than a year after the Hawks wanted to take games to Canberra to remain financially viable, basketball in the Illawarra has the bright future the region deserves.

SHARE YOUR PHOTOS

It's finals time and the Illawarra Mercury wants to share the action with you.

During the finals series of all senior and junior sport in September, use the #mercuryfinals hashtag of your team in action.

So if you are at the Illawarra Premier League, Illawarra Coal League, Group Seven, Illawarra rugby, hockey, baseball, netball or AFL South Coast, send us your photos and we will post them online.

We'll also provide score updates through the finals series. But you don't have to be involved with the Illawarra's premier sporting competitions, we're looking for the best senior and junior photos from across the region.

The Mercury will have prizes during the finals for the best photos, just make sure you include the hashtag #mercuryfinals. You can find the Mercury sport Twitter account using @illawarramerc and @mercury_sports, or the Mercury Facebook page.