It was the win Illawarra Hawks fans needed to see on Saturday, October 7, at the WIN Entertainment Centre, and when the final buzzer went, you could hear the relief in the crowd's cheers.
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Our photographer Sylvia Liber was there to capture all the action, including showboat Justin Robinson's epic last few minutes on court, where he showed the Illawarra exactly why we've waited 12 months to see him on court.
The charismatic player was chatty during the game and played up to an enthusiastic crowd (see pictures above). It will be a fun season watching Robinson's antics on the court.
It was an early game with a 5.30pm start time, so families and kids were out in force.
While former Hawks coach and now Basketball Australia's head coach Brian Goorjian was courtside apparently talent spotting for the Boomers Olympics bid.
Also courtside was NBL CEO Dave Stevenson and Hawks' billionaire owner Jared Novelly.
The Illawarra Hawks's next home game is Friday, October 20, at 7.30pm against Melbourne United.
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