He has twice helped save the Hawks from the brink of collapse, but Mat Campbell insists the club is in an "outstanding" position as he becomes acting president following the sudden departure of Dorry Kordahi.
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The Hawks made the surprise announcement on Tuesday afternoon that Kordahi would stand down from the role. However, he will remain part of Illawarra's ownership group.
The timing raised many eyebrows with the NBL play-offs just around the corner. Former championship-winning captain and former general manager Campbell has stepped in as interim president, as the club begins the recruitment process to find a replacement.
Campbell has been the man that the Hawks have turned to during a crisis.
He was behind the embattled club's 'Save the Hawks' campaign in 2009 and helped them through two rounds of voluntary administration. Indian mining magnate Arun Jagatramka backed the Hawks financially after Campbell's campaign, before the club went through voluntary administration when James Spenceley stepped in. Campbell then oversaw the club through more trouble following the collapse of Simon Stratford's ownership era, which led to the NBL and the new owners dumping the Illawarra name under the latest rebuild (Kordahi was later instrumental in reinstating the name).
However, Campbell insists he is venturing into the role in far different circumstances this time around.
"I got a call from the ownership group to see if I was interested in coming on board. I've obviously got a soft spot for the club and been involved before from an operational point of view, so I was happy to make that transition until they find a CEO to come into the club to drive it forward," Campbell told the Mercury.
"It will be a non-operational role,'' he said.
''From my end, it's wrapped around strategic direction and support for the team and the staff where needed, and just wrapping around community too. We should be excited and celebrating that we've got an NBL team based here in the Illawarra and we want to make sure that continues forever. That was my push when I first got involved as the GM, so I'll just continue that and help out the business.
"The club is an outstanding position. From a finance point of view, the ownership group has the capacity to handle a basketball team which is great, and they've certainly spent [money] on the team. You could walk in there at the start of the season and see this was a competitive team on paper straight away, and that competitive team has delivered and will go into the finals with a chance to win the championship."
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In a statement, the Hawks said Kordahi would step down from the role to focus on his other business interests in Sydney and overseas. The announcement came as Illawarra sit third on the ladder and prepare to play in Perth on Friday, before facing Sydney in their last regular-season game on Sunday.
"Having been GM, I know the time that's needed to be put into the role. And it would have been difficult from Dorry's point of view to be able to do both, especially with his business commitments," Campbell said.
"From a timing point of view, it gives the club a nice clean slate, so there's continuity heading into finals."
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
