Kings vs Hawks: Ep. 3 — The Race To New South Wales First NBL Championship

About this episode

This episode explores the intense rivalry between Sydney and Illawarra, focusing on the late 1990s and the Hawks' 2001 championship run.

We continue our deep dive into one of Australian basketball's greatest rivalries... Sydney versus Illawarra. This episode we continue on through the late 1990s and into the Hawks' historic 2001 championship run. Host Dan Boyce picks up the rivalry from 1995 onward, exploring the coaching swaps, player defections, and the rise of a new generation of stars — from Shane Heal 's move to Sydney and Marcus Timmons ' breakout in Illawarra, to the emergence of Glen Saville , who would soon become the face of the Hawks. Featuring first-hand accounts from Bob Turner , Shane Heal, Gordie McLeod , Greg Hubbard , Bill Tomlinson, Stephen Jackson , and Glen Saville, this episode covers a turbulent era for both clubs — the Kings' struggles to live up to their star power, and the Hawks' transformation from underdog to champion under Brendan Joyce . Topics include: Alan Black's move from Illawarra to Sydney and the fallout that followed (06:00) Shane Heal on leaving Brisbane, joining Sydney, and facing the "Violet Crumbles" stigma (08:00) Gordie McLeod on discovering Glen Saville and his early Hawks journey (11:30) Marcus Timmons' 30-point debut and Illawarra's rebuild under Brendan Joyce (16:00)…

People in this episode

Host: Dan Boyce

Guests: Shane Heal, Gordie McLeod

Topics covered

• Australian basketball rivalry
• NBL championship history
• player transfers
• coaching changes
• team dynamics
• championship runs

Keywords

• Sydney Kings
• Illawarra Hawks
• NBL
• basketball history
• championship
• player defections
• coaching
• rivalry

Sponsors

dunk.com.au

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hawks, Kings, Brisbane, Wollongong

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