He was in charge at the West Sydney Razorbacks when the move to try and embrace all of the city led to the demise of the Sydney Spirit after just one season, in the wake of the Kings' collapse in 2008.

But Beveridge is confident the Hawks, with or without the Illawarra in their name, can thrive under the regional NSW plan to remodel the club.

A new consortium, led by Sydney entrepreneur Dorry Kordahi, controversial former Philadelphia NBA general manager Bryan Colageno and US basketball figure and businessman Michael Proctor took over the club's ownership this week.

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But it came with the proviso from the NBL that Illawarra would be dumped from the name.

"When the Kings folded and they decided to change the Razorbacks name, it didn't work," Beveridge said.

"It killed the club, there was a big backlash from the Western Sydney fans about the identity.

"Every team has to have an identity and it will be a challenge for the new owners, but they've got a lot of really good, experienced operators there to drive it.

"The Hawks have had white knights come in and try and save the club before and it hasn't worked, so whether they're Illawarra or not, everyone has to get behind them and make this club successful again."

Beveridge coached Perth to the NBL crown in 2010, before taking over at the Illawarra Hawks to a grand final series in 2017, where they lost in three games to the Wildcats.

He left the club at the end of the 2018 season amid ongoing internal turmoil, before the Hawks were placed into voluntary administration at the end of Simon Stratford's time of ownership.

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A new era brought the NBL decision to drop the Illawarra name as part of the deal with the owners in a bid to expand the supporter and commercial reach of the club, potentially in Canberra, regional NSW and further interstate. However, Beveridge believes the Hawks will be successful if they embrace the working-class culture of the foundation club.

"This is what the club is about, the fighting, underdog mentality," Beveridge said.

"They've got to be out there diving over the sideline, where every possession counts, not taking a backward step. We know what makes the Hawks successful, we've seen how this club works and we need to build that up again.

"But the important thing is we get behind the club and ensure we're not Geelong, or Newcastle, Canberra or Hobart, that this club continues to be in the league and be competitive."

Beveridge said it was important to build an off-court structure at the club - with a coach expected to be announced next week - before developing the playing group.

"This is an opportunity for the new guys as owners to build something special, something the fans can get behind," Beveridge said.