2025–26 Illawarra Hawks season

2025–26 Illawarra Hawks season
Head coach Justin Tatum
Co-captains Sam Froling
Tyler Harvey
ArenaWollongong Entertainment Centre
NBL results
Record6–12 (33.3%)
Ladder8th
Finals finishTBD
Intercontinental CupFifth place
(Defeated Utsunomiya 69–93)
Stats at NBL.com.au
Ignite Cup results
Record1–2 (33.3%)
Ladder6th
Ignite Cup finishTBD
All statistics correct as of 20 December 2025.

The 2025–26 Illawarra Hawks season will be the 48th season of the franchise in the National Basketball League (NBL).

As reigning NBL champions, the Hawks will compete in the 2025 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, becoming the second team from Oceania to play in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.[1]

Roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Illawarra Hawks roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt.
C 0 McGee, JaVale (I) 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) 122 kg (269 lb)
G 1 Harvey, Tyler (I & C) 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 84 kg (185 lb)
G 2 Ball, Jackson (DP) 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 82 kg (181 lb)
G 6 Hickey, William 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 92 kg (203 lb)
G 8 Antonio, Jonah (NRP) 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 88 kg (194 lb)
G/F 9 Swaka Lo Buluk, Wani 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 88 kg (194 lb)
G 10 McDowell-White, Kobe 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 98 kg (216 lb)
G/F 11 Grida, Daniel 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 93 kg (205 lb)
F/C 13 Froling, Sam  (C) 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) 109 kg (240 lb)
G 14 Bayles, Biwali 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 84 kg (185 lb)
G 16 Narkle, Johny (DP) 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) 79 kg (174 lb)
F/C 19 Yates, Luca (DP) 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 102 kg (225 lb)
F 21 Blanchfield, Todd 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 98 kg (216 lb)
F 22 Peatling, Mason 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 105 kg (231 lb)
C 31 Froling, Harry (IRP) 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) 123 kg (271 lb)
F 43 Bolden, Jonah  2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 106 kg (234 lb)
G 77 Peterson, Quentin (I) 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 84 kg (185 lb)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Tom Cranney
  • Matt Flinn
  • Sam Gruggen
  • Joel Khalu
Strength & conditioning coach(es)
  • Alex Moore
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Development player
  • (I) Import player
  • (TP) Training player
  • (IRP) Injury replacement player
  • (NRP) Nominated replacement player
  • (NS) Next Star player
  • Injured
Updated: 2 November 2025

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Development Bench 3 Injured
PG William Hickey Quentin Peterson (I) Kobe McDowell-White (DP)
SG Tyler Harvey (I) Biwali Bayles Jackson Ball (DP) Jonah Antonio (NRP)
SF Wani Swaka Lo Buluk Todd Blanchfield Johny Narkle (DP)
PF Mason Peatling Daniel Grida Jonah Bolden
C JaVale McGee (I) Harry Froling (NRP) Luca Yates (DP) Sam Froling

Standings

Ladder

Pos 2025–26 NBL season
Team Pld W L PCT Last 5 Streak Home Away PF PA PP
1 Adelaide 36ers 19 15 4 78.95% 4–1 W1 8–2 7–2 1762 1642 107.31%
2 Melbourne United 21 14 7 66.67% 1–4 L1 8–3 6–4 1991 1868 106.58%
3 S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 19 13 6 68.42% 4–1 W3 7–3 6–3 1832 1671 109.63%
4 Sydney Kings 18 11 7 61.11% 4–1 W4 5–3 6–4 1690 1546 109.31%
5 Perth Wildcats 20 11 9 55.00% 2–3 W1 4–6 7–3 1771 1725 102.67%
6 Tasmania JackJumpers 20 9 11 45.00% 3–2 W1 2–7 7–4 1718 1717 100.06%
7 New Zealand Breakers 20 7 13 35.00% 2–3 L3 4–5 3–8 1778 1788 99.44%
8 Illawarra Hawks 18 6 12 33.33% 2–3 L2 4–6 2–6 1597 1732 92.21%
9 Brisbane Bullets 20 6 14 30.00% 1–4 W1 2–7 4–7 1720 1910 90.05%
10 Cairns Taipans 19 5 14 26.32% 2–3 L1 2–9 3–5 1558 1818 85.70%

Updated to match(es) played on 22 December 2025. Source: NBL.com.au

The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.

Ladder progression

Leader and qualification to semifinals
Qualification to semifinals
Qualification to play-in
Last place
2025–26 NBL season
Team ╲ Round12345678910111213141516171819202122
Adelaide 36ers—212233322111
Brisbane Bullets3789777788999
Cairns Taipans74778109101010101010
Illawarra Hawks—99810810879888
Melbourne United2121111111223
New Zealand Breakers6101010998997677
Perth Wildcats5643655554455
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix1564322233332
Sydney Kings—856564445544
Tasmania JackJumpers4335446666766
Updated to match(es) played on 23 December 2025. Source: NBL.com.au

Game log

Pre-season

Main article: 2025 NBL pre-season

The 2025 NBL Blitz will run from 27 to 31 August 2025 with games being played at the AIS Arena, Canberra.[2][3]

2025 NBL Blitz game log
Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
August: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 27 August @ Adelaide L 104–83 William Hickey (14) Daniel Grida (10) H.Froling, McLaughlin (3) AIS Arena
n/a 		0–1
2 29 August Perth W 100–92 JaQuori McLaughlin (24) Blanchfield, Bolden (7) JaQuori McLaughlin (5) AIS Arena
n/a 		1–1

Regular season

Main article: 2025–26 NBL regular season

The regular season will begin on 18 September 2025.[4] It will consist of 165 games (33 games each) spread across 22 rounds, with the final game being played on 20 February 2026.[5]

2025–26 game log
Total: 6–12 (Home: 4–6; Road: 2–6)
September: 0–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 27 September Tasmania L 86–91 JaVale McGee (32) JaVale McGee (13) JaQuori McLaughlin (6) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
5,123 		0–1
October: 2–4 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
2 2 October @ Perth L 92–84 JaVale McGee (26) JaVale McGee (14) Tyler Harvey (5) Perth Arena
11,572 		0–2
3 8 October @ New Zealand L 117–88 Tyler Harvey (22) Todd Blanchfield (8) Tyler Harvey (6) Spark Arena
3,101 		0–3
4 11 October Brisbane W 116–89 Tyler Harvey (22) JaVale McGee (12) Tyler Harvey (10) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
4,709 		1–3
5 18 October @ S.E. Melbourne L 116–76 JaVale McGee (22) JaVale McGee (11) Tyler Harvey (3) John Cain Arena
5,615 		1–4
6 25 October @ Perth W 84–85 Harvey, McGee (24) JaVale McGee (11) Tyler Harvey (8) Perth Arena
12,497 		2–4
7 31 October New Zealand L 60–102 JaVale McGee (13) JaVale McGee (10) William Hickey (6) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
4,080 		2–5
November: 2–4 (Home: 1–2; Road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
8 2 November @ Adelaide L 90–88 William Hickey (20) JaVale McGee (11) William Hickey (8) Adelaide Entertainment Centre
9,983 		2–6
9 5 November Melbourne W 107–93 JaVale McGee (37) JaVale McGee (14) Hickey, Peterson (7) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
3,012 		3–6
10 7 November @ Cairns W 90–107 JaVale McGee (28) William Hickey (12) William Hickey (12) Cairns Convention Centre
4,025 		4–6
11 16 November Sydney L 71–98 William Hickey (19) three players (9) William Hickey (8) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
5,378 		4–7
12 19 November @ Adelaide L 97–85 Tyler Harvey (21) JaVale McGee (10) William Hickey (7) Adelaide Entertainment Centre
9,964 		4–8
13 21 November Melbourne L 102–105 JaVale McGee (28) JaVale McGee (12) William Hickey (7) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
3,872 		4–9
December: 2–3 (Home: 2–2; Road: 0–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
14 4 December S.E. Melbourne W 113–109 (OT) Quentin Peterson (42) McGee, Swaka Lo Buluk (13) William Hickey (10) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
3,432 		5–9
15 6 December Cairns L 76–93 Daniel Grida (18) Hickey, McGee (11) William Hickey (6) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
3,946 		5–10
16 11 December Brisbane W 100–85 JaVale McGee (30) JaVale McGee (10) Quentin Peterson (8) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
3,481 		6–10
17 18 December @ Melbourne L 97–75 Harvey, McGee (18) JaVale McGee (10) William Hickey (6) John Cain Arena
7,205 		6–11
18 20 December Adelaide L 78–84 Quentin Peterson (21) William Hickey (10) William Hickey (7) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
4,432 		6–12
19 25 December @ Sydney Sydney SuperDome
 –
20 31 December Tasmania Wollongong Entertainment Centre
 –
January: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
21 3 January Cairns Wollongong Entertainment Centre
 –
22 8 January @ S.E. Melbourne State Basketball Centre
 –
23 11 January New Zealand Wollongong Entertainment Centre
 –
24 16 January @ Perth Perth Arena
 –
25 24 January @ Tasmania Derwent Entertainment Centre
 –
26 26 January @ Brisbane Brisbane Entertainment Centre
 –
27 29 January @ Sydney Sydney SuperDome
 –
28 31 January Perth Wollongong Entertainment Centre
 –
February: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
29 5 February Adelaide Wollongong Entertainment Centre
 –
30 7 February @ New Zealand Spark Arena
 –
31 13 February Sydney Wollongong Entertainment Centre
 –
32 15 February @ Melbourne John Cain Arena
 –
33 18 February @ Tasmania Derwent Entertainment Centre
 –
2025–26 season schedule

NBL Ignite Cup

Main article: 2025–26 NBL Ignite Cup

The NBL introduced the new NBL Ignite Cup tournament for the 2025–26 season, with all games except the championship final counting towards the regular-season standings.[6][7]

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD BP Pts Qualification
1 New Zealand Breakers 3 3 0 325 262 +63 9 18 Ignite Cup final
2 Perth Wildcats 3 2 1 298 272 +26 7 13
3 Tasmania JackJumpers 3 2 1 259 246 +13 6.5 12.5
4 Adelaide 36ers 2 1 1 190 182 +8 5 8
5 Brisbane Bullets 2 1 1 194 206 −12 5 8
6 Illawarra Hawks 3 1 2 280 307 −27 5 8
7 Sydney Kings 4 1 3 350 381 −31 5 8
8 Melbourne United 2 1 1 200 200 0 4 7
9 S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 1 0 1 81 89 −8 1.5 1.5
10 Cairns Taipans 1 0 1 78 110 −32 0 0
Updated to match(es) played on 17 December 2025. Source: Ignitecup.com.au


Transactions

Free agency began on 4 April 2025.[8][9]

Re-signed

Player Date Signed Contract Ref.
Daniel Grida 1 April 2025 2-year deal [10]
Mason Peatling 1 April 2025 2-year deal [11]
Todd Blanchfield 7 April 2025 3-year deal [12]
Sam Froling 29 April 2025 3-year deal [13]

Additions

Player Date Signed Contract Former team Ref.
Jackson Ball 28 July 2025 1-year deal Hawke's Bay Hawks [14]
JaVale McGee 1 August 2025 1-year deal Vaqueros de Bayamón [15]
Jonah Bolden 5 August 2025 1-year deal Capitanes de Arecibo [16]
Quentin Peterson 30 October 2025 1-year deal Xinjiang Flying Tigers [17]

Subtractions

Player Reason left Date Left New team Ref.
Lee Hyun-jung Parted ways 31 July 2025 Nagasaki Velca [18]
JaQuori McLaughlin Released 10 October 2025 n/a [19]

Awards

Club awards

  • Club MVP:
  • Members Choice award:
  • Player's Player award:
  • Defensive Player:
  • Most Improved Player:
  • Community award:
  • Club Person of the Year:
  • Phil Driscoll OAM Volunteer of the Year Award:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Line-up for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2025 in Singapore is set as ticket sales start today". FIBA Basketball. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Blitz heads to Canberra". NBL.com.au. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Canberra back on NBL agenda with hosting of Blitz". CanberraTimes.com.au. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  4. ^ Uluc, Olgun (20 June 2025). "Storylines everywhere as NBL releases schedule for 2025-26 season". ESPN Australia. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  5. ^ Jackson, Andrew (20 June 2025). "'Personal' rivalries as 'hurt' US star, five-time MVP face former teams: NBL and WNBL Schedule". Fox Sports. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  6. ^ Uluc, Olgun (7 October 2025). "NBL Ignite Cup: Everything you need to know". ESPN Australia. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  7. ^ Shadlow, Jai (7 October 2025). "'All roads lead to Gold Coast': In-season tournament reveal adds to NBL expansion rumblings". Fox Sports. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Free agency begins April 4". NBL.com.au. 19 March 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  9. ^ "NBL26 Roster Tracker: Every signing, extension and departure". NBL.com.au. 22 June 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  10. ^ "Illawarra Hawks are excited to announce the re-signing of Dan Grida on two-year deal". Illawarra Hawks | Official NBL Website. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Illawarra Hawks are excited to announce the re-signing of Mason Peatling on two-year deal". Illawarra Hawks | Official NBL Website. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Hawks lock in veteran presence". NBL.com.au. 7 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  13. ^ Uluc, Olgun (9 April 2025). "Sources: Sam Froling sticks with Hawks on three-year deal". ESPN Australia. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  14. ^ "Hawks ink rising star for NBL26". NBL.com.au. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  15. ^ Uluc, Olgun (1 August 2025). "Illawarra Hawks sign three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee". ESPN Australia. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  16. ^ Uluc, Olgun (5 August 2025). "Sources: Jonah Bolden joins Illawarra Hawks for NBL title defence". ESPN Australia. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Prolific scorer joins reigning champs". NBL.com.au. 30 October 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  18. ^ ""Lee for Three!": Hyunjung Lee Departs Hawks for Japan Opportunity". Illawarra Hawks | Official NBL Website. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  19. ^ "Hawks part ways with import guard". NBL.com.au. 10 October 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
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