25 Years of Brotherhood: The Scrappers, the Free Throws, and the Framed Jersey

The sports world loves a dynasty, but it has a special, warm place in its heart for the team that wasn’t supposed to be there. We celebrate the star-studded rosters that overwhelm opponents before the ball is even tipped, but we remember the teams built on pure resilience, grit, and a stubborn refusal to lose.

As we approach April 29, 2026, we mark exactly a quarter of a century since the Wollongong Hawks claimed their first-ever NBL Championship. It remains the ultimate underdog story—a narrative of a brotherhood so tight that the echoes of their 2001 triumph are still vibrating through the WIN Entertainment Centre today.

The 2001 Season: No Stars, Just a Team

When you look back at the 2000/01 roster, you don't see a collection of superstar egos. You see a blue-collar unit that mirrored the city it represented. Under Head Coach Brendan Joyce, the Hawks finished the regular season in fourth place with a 21-7 record. On paper, that's impressive. In reality, it was a miracle of geometry and will.

They won 12 games on the road—a grueling feat in this league—and went a flawless 12-0 in games decided by three points or fewer. They didn't just win close games; they lived for them. They breathed the pressure that makes other teams choke.

Yet, when the league awards were handed out, the "experts" looked elsewhere. Not a single Wollongong player was named to the All-NBL First or Second Team. Instead of sulking, they relied on chemistry. Melvin Thomas was the immovable anchor. Charles Thomas pulled the strings. Co-captains Glen Saville and Mat Campbell set a defensive standard that bordered on the fanatical. Axel Dench provided the rookie spark, and Damon Lowery—a journeyman guard who had seen it all—brought a relentless energy that became the heartbeat of the bench.

The Playoff Gauntlet

To reach the mountaintop, the Hawks had to go through the giants that had spent years holding them down.

The Quarter-Finals: They faced the Perth Wildcats. After splitting the first two, they headed into the furnace of Western Australia for a do-or-die Game 3. Saville put the league on notice with 26 points and 16 rebounds, leading the Hawks to a 98-88 win.

The Semi-Finals: Then came Adelaide—another hoodoo team. The Hawks stole Game 1 on the road, 84-83. But the 36ers responded by taking Game 2 in the Gong. It all came down to a Game 3 that will be told to grandchildren in Wollongong forever. Trailing by two in the dying milliseconds, Damon Lowery launched a midcourt heave and was fouled. No time on the clock. Three shots for the season.

The first bounced around the rim and dropped. The second did the same. The third? It hit the iron three times, teasing a whole city, before miraculously falling through. A 109-108 victory that felt like destiny.

The Grand Final: Against the Townsville Crocodiles, it was a war of attrition. After a Game 1 thriller and a Game 2 blowout loss, the Hawks regrouped overnight for a decider held less than 24 hours later. They survived a heart-stopping final quarter to win 97-94. Saville was named Finals MVP, and the Hawks became the first regional team and the first from NSW to hoist the trophy.

The 20-Year Reunion: The Script You Couldn’t Write

That 2001 squad forged a bond that time—and distance—couldn't break. During the 2020/21 season, the club hosted a 20-year reunion. Even with a global pandemic, the brotherhood showed up. US imports Charles Thomas and Matt Garrison joined via FaceTime in the middle of the American night, drinks in hand, laughing with their brothers.

The highlight was a moment of pure theatre. The club asked Damon Lowery to recreate his famous free throws. Mat Campbell later confessed that Lowery was in the bathroom "almost throwing up" with nerves before walking out. But with his old teammates watching from the sidelines, Lowery stepped up. All three shots rattled the rim and dropped—just like 2001. He sank all three, and the crowd went into absolute delirium.

The Legend Lives On

That unbroken brotherhood came full circle during the club's 2024/25 title run. The legends of 2001 didn't just watch from afar; they converged. They traveled to Melbourne for Game 4 to cheer on the new generation, then packed into the WIN Entertainment Centre for the decider.

Amid the falling confetti, one image stood out. Melvin Thomas and Mat Campbell—the heart and the architect—found each other in a tearful embrace. A few feet away, Glen Saville quietly soaked it in with his family. He was wearing his actual, game-worn #12 jersey from 2001. He had physically removed it from the glass frame it had called home for 24 years, just for that day.

Two championships, separated by two and a half decades, but united by the same "Wings of Determination." In the Illawarra, you don't just play for a team. You join a family. And as we've seen, that family never stops showing up.

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Joel Armstrong | Hawks Media