Day by day it offers up little snippets of wisdom or guidance from various sources. As athletes go, Harvey's as spiritual as it gets.

Talk to the California native down the phone and you may catch yourself drifting away, not because it's boring, because it's soothing; soothing like the news he'll anchor the Hawks franchise for the next three seasons.

In all previous circumstances, the Illawarra faithful would not dare think that far ahead. They've been conditioned that way.

In the same vein, they were virtually resigned to the fact Harvey would be one-and-done in Wollongong, like so many breakout stars before him.

Gary Ervin, Rotnei Clarke, Kevin Lisch were league MVP's and gone a year later. Nic Kay and Mitch Norton truly emerged as NBL stars with the Hawks only to be snapped up by the Wildcats.

A glance at history reveals a club that gets guys on the way up, or on the way back down. In guys like Ervin or David Andersen, they got both.

Even club greats Gordie McLeod, Melvin Thomas and Glen Saville - whose numbers hang in the WEC rafters - were lured away, if only momentarily.

A guy who was All-NBL First Team and ran second in MVP voting has traditionally had one foot out the door by the time the end-of-season prezzo is over.

Little wonder the champagne corks were popping when Harvey recommitted, though the reaction was surprising for the man himself.

"I really didn't know until after [I signed] and people told me about that tradition [of stars leaving]," Harvey said.

"You can tell people thought I'd go there for a year and bounce out. I want to change that narrative around Illawarra and Wollongong and I want to bring winning back there.

"I always try to stay present and not think too far ahead, but I enjoyed every part of my experience there, especially when we were winning. I mean, that playoff atmosphere was amazing.

"It felt like the right place for me and I'm glad to be back. I want to leave there knowing, whenever I'm done, that I made an impact and people know it's a winning organisation.

"I don't want to be one and done and just go there to leave the next year. I want to win there, that's my goal and I know it's Goorj's (coach Brian Goorjian) goal too. We really want to win and bring even more excitement to the city."

Of course the flip-side to any deal of such length is expectation. For a player so well-travelled, he's never signed a longer term lease.

There's pressure that comes with being a franchise player, but he insists it's nothing on the standards he sets for himself.

"I think I put more pressure on myself than anyone could ever put on me," he said.

"I don't really look at external pressure, it doesn't faze me. Goorj wants to win, I want to win, and between us we put enough pressure on ourselves to do that.

"It's not going to be easy, it wasn't easy for us last year. I don't look at as pressure, it's a journey, it's a process.

"No championship run is going to be easy, we'd be foolish to think it will be. It's exciting, it's a process but I feel we got a good jumpstart on that process last year."

That season ended in a 2-1 semi-finals series' defeat to Perth. As far as external opinions, barring those who gave enough weight to the 'Goorjian factor', reaching the playoffs exceeded most expectations.

Within the Hawks camp, and certainly in Harvey's view, it was a missed opportunity ,having beaten the Wildcats in Perth in game one only to surrender home floor in game two.

Commentary around the Hawks will no doubt fluctuate again, even around Wollongong, but Harvey says the bar will set high internally.

"I look back on the season and I don't think anyone expected us to be in that position but, internally, we always believed we'd get there," Harvey said.

"Once we did, you had people saying 'oh we always knew the Hawks were good' but I feel like our belief stayed the same throughout the year.

"We always knew we were a playoff team and we ran into a good Perth team. They were a a bit more experienced in certain parts of the game, as I look back.

"That just gives me more motivation for us as a team and for myself personally. I've seen the level you have to get to and sustain to win at that level.

"I do want to get better and when you lose tough games like that, it motivates you to get better. I'm approaching this off-season the same way, trying to become a better player."

Did it leave him "worn" as Goorjian described it?

It appeared that way. While he often talks about "taking what game offers", it more often looked like he was taking it by the scruff of the neck.

He didn't have much of a choice, with the Hawks other marquees Deng Adel and Cam Bairstow not seeing out the season.

Golden State Warriors Draftee Justinian Jessup showed flashes of brilliance, but also the inconsistency you'd reasonably expect from a rookie pro.

By mid-season it was clear, if the Hawks were going to get there, it was going to be on Harvey's shoulders.

He pulled them over the playoff hump, averaging 20 points and three assists to finish behind only eventual winner Bryce Cotton in the MVP race.

It did leave him looking weary come the post-season, with Goorjian and President Dorry Kordahi since moving to ensure it won't be the case again.

Travis Trice will return to the NBL in Wollongong via stints in both Euro and NBA G Leagues, while Antonius Cleveland has NBA experience and averaged 15 points and five rebounds in the most recent G League season.

Read more: NBL locks in November tip-off for new season

The Hawks also have an Australian marquee in Tokyo Olympian Duop Reath who was part of the Boomers watershed bronze-medal campaign under Goorjian.

While Illawarra unquestionably remains Harvey's team, the club is banking on him having fresher legs come the post-season.

"Everyone's worn at the end of the year," Harvey said.

"I don't think you find one player who's a hundred per cent towards the end of any year. I don't like to make excuses like that but I trust those guys, I let them do their job.

"I do what I can to get myself ready, they take care of all the rest. I have complete trust in Goorj, you'd be foolish not to right?"

Trust runs both ways. While they're chalk and cheese in terms of personality, coach and player share a special bond.

Goorjian made no secret that bringing Harvey back was priority one, two and three the moment the last campaign ended.

The fanfare it brought may have surprised Harvey but, with more than two decades experience in the cut and thrust of the NBL, the significance is not lost on the mastercoach.

"I've been around the NBL a long time and the Hawks have had good seasons before," Goorjian said.

"They've won a championship, but whenever they've had a player that's First Team All-League or can go, and the league sees they can go, [they] just pluck them.

"It's the Kings the next year, New Zealand, one of the power clubs. To be honest, Wollongong's been horrible [in retention].

"The club was top four, [Nic] Kay's gone, Mitch Norton, they're in Perth the next year and it's starting all over again.

"That's what we're trying to build with the Hawks, we're not second tier.

"We're here to be a championship franchise where every year you're bringing something to the table."

The signing of an Aussie marquee in Reath fits the bill, despite the fact the 25-year-old big was pursued hard by NBL rivals.

"To sign [Harvey] back is big and the second guy that was very, very important to me was Duop Reath - a national team player," Goorjian said.

"In the Boomers you've got all these guys that are NBA players, sprinkled with [Chris] Goulding, [Nathan] Sobey, Jock [Landale] who's not going to be there anymore.

"It's the elite of the NBL and we've signed one. Those two singings for me [show] we're not here to make up the numbers.

"We've got a lot of pieces. [Dan] Grida's a guy we're excited about, we've got [Emmett] Naar back, we've got [Sam] Froling back.

"With the addition of Harry [Froling] you've got a big that stretch the floor and shoot it.

"We've knocked that door down and made it an environment that the guys want to be here and know we're taking this seriously."