ILLAWARRA Boomers product Angus Glover is set to join an illustrious list of Hawks players lured north by their arch-rivals, with sources revealing he will link with the Kings on a multi-year deal.
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It's expected to be one of a splurge of deals announced on Wednesday when NBL free agency officially opens after several postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it's effect on roster management.
Glover was under contract for this coming season - along with Sunday Dech and Sam Froling - but his deal was voided when the club was placed into administration, leaving the trio free agents.
It will be a tough pill for the Illawarra faithful, who've not only had their name dropped from the Hawks logo, but lost two of their most exciting local products to their arch-rivals in as many seasons.
The Kings pulled Xavier Cooks straight out of the Snakepit last season, with the Wollongong-raised star playing a key role in their grand final run. He initially opted out of his deal to explore other options before opting back into the NBL.
A precocious talent as a teenager, Glover's career looked like it might not take off after suffering three ACL tears before he was 20. The Hawks still signed him to a two year deal and saw the fruits of it last season, with Glover enjoying a breakout NBL campaign.
It saw him earn a maiden Boomers call-up at season's end where he played under Kings coach Will Weaver in the early rounds of Asia Cup qualifying.
The news is reportedly similar on Dech, who's tipped to link with a Melbourne franchise given he has family in the southern capital and has been based there through the COVID crisis - though he's also been linked to the 36ers and Wildcats.
The loss of Glover and Dech will no doubt see fingers pointed at the NBL over the drawn out process in awarding the Hawks license to a new ownership group, the window providing a long courtship window for rival clubs.
A new consortium headed by Sydney businessman Dorry Kordahi was announced on June 17, a fortnight out from the original free agency date of July 1. It was ultimately pushed back to this coming Wednesday, but the birds had already flown.
The Hawks are set to begin announcing its own raft of signings from Wednesday, with Emmett Naar tipped to be one of them after reportedly agreeing to terms to remain with the club.
Incoming coach Brian Goorjian is huge fan of Naar's playmaking abilities, while Froling is also tipped to remain in Wollongong to draw on Goorjian's tutelage.
The mastercoach's arrival and the clout of the new ownership group, which includes former NBA executive Brian Colangelo, will also see the club wield a much bigger stick in the import market.
Goorjian added another heavy hitter to his support staff this week, bringing in strength and conditioning coach Adam Roberts as fulltime high performance manager in what may well be a first for the club.
Roberts worked with Goorjian in China over the past two years and has also held positions with English Premier League clubs West Ham United and Fulham FC and the Chinese Olympic Association.
"We know how important having an effective high performance program is to on-court success and having Adam on board will give our Hawks players access to one of the best in the business," Goorjian said.
