AJ Ogilvy to Skipper Hawks in 2020/21

Hawks stalwart AJ Ogilvy has been announced as the captain of the Hawks for the upcoming NBL 2020/21 season. 

Ogilvy is the most tenured Hawks player on the current roster – after joining the club in 2015 - and is geared to be an important piece of the new Hawks puzzle this season. 

It will be Ogilvy’s first time captaining the club – after being part of the squad’s leadership group in previous seasons. 

“Goorj pulled me aside and gave me the news, it was a bit of a shock to be honest. But I’m honoured and excited to lead this group and to help try and get the best out of everyone,” Ogilvy said.  

When asked what leadership style he hopes to implement, Ogilvy was quick to preach the value of inclusion. 

“I’m going to lean on them [my teammates] for sure, I mean we’ve got guys who have played in the NBA in Cam [Bairstow] and Deng [Adel], imports who have played all over the world, so hopefully I can utilise the skills of every player in this squad, because they all have something to offer.

I want to lead by example on the court and be vocal in delivering messages to the team off it, but above all else, I want to help this team win. We haven’t had as much success over the last few seasons as we did when I first arrived here, and we want to get back to that level of performance.” 

Head Coach Brian Goorjian said he was excited to work with Ogilvy this season – with the six-time NBL title winner saying Ogilvy was “the clear choice” for the role. 

“When we came here and assembled this team, every player arrived with a clean slate. We were keen to see what everyone brought to the table, and after working with the team for a while, it’s clear that AJ is the right man to lead the squad this season,” Goorjian said. 

“I think leadership is a skill, and one that is just as important as shooting, passing or defending. AJ has that skill in spades. I’m looking forward to working with him to not only develop his role as a leader, but also help create a leaderful team around him throughout the season.

He’s earned this. He’s an important part of the club and an important player on our roster. It’s really great for him, for this team and for the Illawarra region.” 

Ogilvy will lead the team out for the first time tonight when they clash with the Perth Wildcats at RAC Arena in Perth at 9:30pm EST.  

All games will be streamed live and free on NBL TV and NBL’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Twitch channels. 

Ogilvy averaged 8.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, a steal and 0.9 blocks per game during the 2019-20 NBL season.