Tyler Harvey has felt the highs and the lows of the past few years. He's ready for another high.
And you get the feeling that starts straight out of the blocks - in the season opener against the Hawks "archest of arch rivals", the Sydney Kings.
Much has been written about the Hawks' last campaign. Three wins was little reward for such a brutal season. A season filled with injuries and caked in misfortune.
But the future starts now. Read the full article here
C'mon then Kings, says Gary Clark
Illawarra Hawks import Gary Clark has featured in his fair share of intense basketball rivalries during his 170-game NBA career.
It is this experience that the 28-year-old hopes will help him thrive come Saturday night when the Hawks open their NBL campaign against the Sydney Kings at WIN Entertainment Centre. Read the full article here
AJ Johnson facing up to hard NBL reality
'Learn the realities of playing in a men's league' - check.
It didn't take Hawks star AJ Johnson long to tick the first box on his Next Stars journey. The face mask he's donning for the early part of the Hawks campaign - courtesy of a stray elbow from seven-foot teammate Sam Froling - says it all. Read the full story here
Why Jacob Jackomas can lead Hawks out of the wilderness
"I don't care who you are, you could be Phil Jackson, no one's going to survive that many injuries" said Tasmania coach Scott Roth after the JackJumpers snuck past a severely depleted Illawarra by three points in Wollongong. Roth was part of a chorus of Jacob Jackomas' peers virtually falling over themselves to praise a rookie head coach dealt a maliciously cruel hand in his first season. Read more here
Biwali Bayles couldn't say no to the Hawks
Hawks development player Biwali Bayles has labelled coach Jacob Jackomas 'one of the best' as the side prepares to open their NBL campaign against rivals the Sydney Kings. After playing 27 times for the Kings, the 21-year-old point guard signed with the Hawks as a development player under one of his old mentors Jackomas on a two-year deal. Read more here
Todd Blanchfield means business - again
The Hawks will be hoping Todd Blanchfield's second coming at the club is just as successful as his first. He was named the Illawarra's most valuable player in the two seasons he played in Wollongong. "I've been part of the Hawks v Kings rivalry in the past so I'm expecting a lot. Read the full story
Lachie Olbrich is keen to keep pre-season vibe going
Pre-season is one thing, but Lachlan Olbrich says he wants to emulate his form from the Blitz into round one when the Hawks face the Sydney Kings. Olbrich raised plenty of eyebrows during Illawarra's run in the Blitz on the Gold Coast. Read what he did
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk's been there, done that
He knows what it takes to win an NBL championship, and small forward Wani Swaka Lo Buluk says the chemistry is great at the Hawks as they ramp up preparations for the upcoming season. Swaka Lo Buluk - who has won two titles with the Wildcats and one with the Kings - is gearing up for his second campaign in Wollongong, which tips off against Sydney.
Sam Froling, we know what you did in the off-season
Back in May, the 22-year-old had only recently returned home from a stint in Japan playing for Levanga Hokkaido. He then jetted off to the US to play in the summer league competitions. And what else? Read on
Still want more?
The playing roster plus a season 2023-24 fixture guide PLUS a downloadable schedule: right here
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