Hawks legend Glen Saville, one of the select few to have his number hanging high in the rafters at WIN Entertainment Centre, just wants to know what the trade-off will be.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
If a new ownership team can build a successful, sustainable future, with the majority of games still played in Wollongong, then dropping the Illawarra from the team name to attract new members, supporters and financially-lucrative game day venues will be worthwhile.
But he is adamant the incoming owners must also be prepared to understand and maximise the potential of the Illawarra and South Coast market as well.
"It's hard, the Illawarra is a very different environment than Sydney or Melbourne," he said.
"We all like winners and this region will get behind a team it believes in, I've seen that as a player and as a fan myself.
"So if we're giving away a few games to make it commercially successful and that's the trade-off with the Illawarra team name going well, then let's make it work.
"But as a player, who loves the club dearly, we can't just drop our identity, we're the only foundation club, that alone has to be something really important to the NBL and everyone in basketball here who has been involved."
Saville was MVP in the 2000-01 title-winning team, which beat Townsville in the grand final series in game three.
Debuting in 1995, Saville played at two Olympic Games, retiring to 2013, having spent his entire career at the Hawks, aside from controversially defecting to the Sydney Kings for the 2007-08 season.
Subscribe to our newsletters
Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
