Former Hawks captain Oscar Forman is taking on the role of the Illawarra Basketball Association's executive manager.

After leading one of the longest careers in the National Basketball League, becoming only the thirteenth player to reach 500 games, Forman is turning his focus to developing a new generation of talent.

His vision is to build a stronger basketball community and a high-quality competition.

"It's a new dawn for the association," Forman said.

"There is change coming. Some things happen slowly and some happen quickly, but we'll see the fruition of our efforts."

Illawarra Basketball Association's new semi-professional teams are part of this change, Forman said, creating a pathway for young players to reach the NBL.

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The association has entered a men's and women's team in the inaugural NBL1 East conference, allowing New South Wales players to step into a national competition.

"The inaugural program is really creating that pathway, so there is somewhere to go from under-18s," Forman said.

"It's a complete pathway, right through from the Juniors, who can play rep, and then they get through Waratah Youth League and to NBL1," he said.

For young women, there's no Illawarra NBLW team to aim for, but Forman hopes a strong NBL1 team might eventually attract one.

Both the men's and women's NBL1 East teams have new American imports in point guard Kiwi Gardner and guard Tyler Scaife, who Forman said will be strong additions to their side.

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Despite big plans for his teams, Forman's vision of the association extends beyond the players, to the community behind the game.

"One of the things we're trying to create is for people to come and watch, to make it an affordable night for the family to see some good quality basketball," he said.

Through stadium sponsorships and other initiatives, Forman is hoping to build a greater community that members can be proud of, and he's even keen to get back on his old court.

"I always loved it here as a player," he said.

"I'm keen to play a couple of games, to put the boots back on and help out."

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