Illawarra Hawks management has hit out at claims the franchise could be on the move amid reports the NBL is once again questioning the foundation club's long-term future in Wollongong.
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The club issued a statement on Tuesday dismissing the claims aired on News Corp's The Basketball Show as "baseless rumours" and "factually untrue."
It comes amid a horror 1-9 start to the season that sees the Hawks languishing at the bottom of the ladder under rookie coach Jacob Jackomas, who has not had a full roster at his disposal following a horror run with injuries.
The club this week acquired Michael Frazier II after parting ways with underwhelming import George King, while marquee import Justin Robinson suffered a season-ending injury in his first game for the club.
His replacement Peyton Siva missed Sunday's heartbreaking last-play defeat to the Kings with a calf complaint and is in some doubt for Sunday's road clash with the Phoenix.
Having lost Goorjian as its figurehead, the club's roster has experienced heavy turnover, while it also remains without a major sponsor.
It's had a discernible impact on crowd figures, though the NBL has done the club no favours in scheduling eight of the Hawks 14 home games on week nights, including four Mondays and a Tuesday - the most of any club.
They are rumblings the Illawarra faithful are all too familiar with, but the club got on the front foot on the issue with Tuesday's statement.
"Comments were shared overnight detailing that the NBL plans to move the Illawarra Hawks to Sydney in 2026," the statement read.
"Rest assured, these are baseless rumours. They are both factually untrue and without any credible substance.
"The Illawarra Hawks have no plans to move the team from the Illawrarra; to the contrary, we are taking steps to solidify our relationship with the region for decades to come.
"The Hawks are the league's only remaining foundation club. We are proud of our history, foundation status, and the regions we represent. The club has featured in the last two semi-final series.
"We are committed to developing a high-performance culture and sustained on-court success while continuing our role as an active corporate citizen in the Illawarra community."
Relocation rumours have long dogged the league's perennial battlers, with Canberra, Newcastle and Darwin all mooted locations with the NBL having shown a clear appetite for expansion in recent seasons.
Having created a fierce rivalry between South East Melbourne and Melbourne United in the southern capital, any long-term vision would logically include a second team in Sydney.
Reigning champions the Kings maintain exclusivity in Sydney via a stipulation in its license agreement preventing the introduction of a second team until 2026.
Under new ownership, the Hawks looked to have turned a corner on and off the floor over the past two seasons, reaching the finals on both ocassions and securing unprecedented corporate support in the form of a major sponsorship deal with Pepper Money.
The current season is a rapid shift in fortunes, with Goorjian telling the NBL's The Huddle podcast last week that quick decline has been surprising.
"My time in Wollongong was [through] COVID and through two years, that ownership group, Jared (Novelly)... everything he promised me he delivered," Goorjian said.
"We put that team together under the salary cap. We had Dorry (Kordahi), there was no one like him that I've worked with that [engaged] the community like he did. The sponsors, the interest, what he generated behind the team was phenomenal.
"Then I had the best in the business in (former NBA executive) Brian Colangelo delivering me import players; Justin Simon, Defensive Player of the Year; Tyler Harvey, first team all-league; Antonius Cleveland, first team and Defensive Player of the Year.
"I don't know what's gone on with the energy behind the team because I'm not there but, in my time there, when it finished, we had the community behind us.
"Right now, if you look at it, it's in a re-build situation. I was hoping that wasn't going to be the case and there was going to be more there for Jacob."
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Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
