Illawarra Hawks | |
---|---|
Leagues | NBL1 East |
Founded | 1954 |
Arena | Beaton Park Stadium |
Capacity | 1,500 |
Location | Wollongong, New South Wales |
Team colors | Red, Black & White |
General manager | Nathan Loveday |
Ownership | Illawarra Basketball Association Ltd. |
Affiliation(s) | Illawarra Hawks (NBL) |
Championships | NBL1 East mens’s: 4 (1998, 1999, 2001, 2011) NBL1 East women’s: 1 (2013) |
Website | SnakePit.com.au |
Basketball Illawarra is the governing body of basketball [1] in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia and is based in the city of Wollongong. The club fields both men's and women's teams in state representative conceptions including the semi-professional basketball competition the NBL1 East who compete as the 'Illawarra Hawks'.
The Illawarra Basketball Association was established in 1954 [2] as a local basketball competition among seven teams who registered to play. Their first venue was the Unanderra Hostel before moving to their current home in 1965, Beaton Park Stadium. In 1979, Basketball Illawarra entered into the newly formed National Basketball League for its inaugural season that year. [3] Since then, the NBL side has become largely independent of the Illawarra Basketball Association with separate ownership. [4]
Basketball Illawarra's senior men's and women's representative teams compete in the NBL1 East, formerly known as the Waratah League. Playing as the 'Illawarra Hawks', they were champions of the men's state premier division championship in 1998 and 1999 prior to the formation of the Waratah League. The Hawks men's side were champions of the inaugural Waratah League in 2001 and again in 2011. [5]
The women's side were runners-up in the 2003 Waratah League season. [5]
The Hawks and recreational competitions operated by the association, play games at the Beaton Park Stadium, nicknamed 'The Snake Pit'. [6] The stadium opened in 1965 and is located in the Illawarra suburb of Gwynneville, New South Wales. The stadium previously hosted home games for the professional NBL side of the same name until their move to WIN Entertainment Centre. [7] The NBL side's front office is still based at the stadium and the team use it as a training facility. [8]
West Adelaide Bearcats is a NBL1 Central club based in Adelaide, South Australia. The club fields both a men's and women's team. The club is a division of the overarching West Adelaide Basketball Club (WABC), the major administrative basketball organisation in Adelaide's western suburbs. The Bearcats play their home games at Port Adelaide Recreation Centre.
NBL1 East, formerly the Waratah League, is a semi-professional basketball league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2021, Basketball New South Wales partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to bring NBL1 to New South Wales in 2022. NBL1 replaced the former Waratah League to create more professional pathways and opportunities for males and females playing basketball in New South Wales. As a result, the Waratah League became the east conference of NBL1. The league was previously a member of the Australian Basketball Association (ABA) from 2001 to 2008.
The Illawarra Hawks are an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at WIN Entertainment Centre, known colloquially as "The Sandpit". The Illawarra Hawks are the only remaining NBL team to have competed in every season since the league's inception in 1979. The team won their first and so far only NBL Championship in 2001 and finished as runners-up in 2005, 2010 and 2017.
NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to bring NBL1 to Western Australia. NBL1 replaced the former SBL to create more professional pathways and opportunities for males and females playing basketball in Western Australia. As a result, the SBL became the west conference of NBL1.
Andrew James Ogilvy is an Australian-Irish former professional basketball player. He played three seasons of college basketball for Vanderbilt before playing in Europe for the first three years of his professional career. After a season in his hometown with the Sydney Kings, he returned to Spain for a second stint. In 2015, he joined the Illawarra Hawks and helped lead them to a grand final appearance in 2017. After seven seasons with the Hawks, he retired from the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2022.
Daniel Alexander Jackson is an Australian former professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) for the Wollongong Hawks.
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Beaton Park Stadium is an Australian basketball centre in Gwynneville, New South Wales. It was the home of National Basketball League side Illawarra Hawks between 1979 and 1998, and is the home to local basketball in Wollongong. It was nicknamed "The Snake Pit" during its time with the Illawarra/Wollongong Hawks.
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Warwick Senators is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Churches of Christ Sport & Recreation Association (CCSRA) and serves as the major administrative basketball organisation in the City of Stirling. The Senators play their home games at Warwick Stadium.
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Mandurah Magic is an NBL1 West club based in Mandurah, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Mandurah Basketball Association (MBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the region. The Magic play their home games at Mandurah Aquatic & Recreation Centre.
Emmett Naar is an Australian professional basketball player for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL). He is also contracted with the Rockingham Flames of the NBL1 West. He played college basketball for the Saint Mary's Gaels between 2014 and 2018 before debuting in the NBL, where he played four seasons for the Illawarra Hawks.
The NBL1 is a semi-professional basketball league in Australia run by the National Basketball League (NBL). The league consists of five conference: NBL1 South, NBL1 North, NBL1 Central, NBL1 West and NBL1 East, with each consisting of both men's and women's competitions. Each conference is run by their respective state governing body, with the league including 72 clubs from across every state and territory.
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