Faces in the crowd: HawkHead Phil Brown

During the Illawarra Hawks' 43-year existence, 221 players have pulled on the club's jersey.

But the number of fans who have supported the foundation club during that period is exponentially more.

As such, the club has decided to profile some of the most prominent and longest-serving HawkHeads with our new 'faces in the crowd' series.

After profiling Illawarra's three intern coaches, we decided to feature another long-time HawkHead Phil Brown, who's supported the club since its inaugural season.

"I went to Wollongong High School and we had a great basketball rivalry with Keira at the time," Brown said.

"I watched Wollongong High's Greg Orphin hit a full-court buzzer-beater to beat Keira in the Shell Cup final, which was the NSW high school basketball knockout championship and seemed to be only won by Wollongong or Keira for a couple of years there.

"A couple of years later, the whole school went to the Snakepit and watched Keira High’s Geordie McLeod fly around like the Road Runner and beat Wollongong High in the Shell Cup final.

"We joked about the Dunlop Volleys he was wearing smelling like burning rubber and having to be extinguished and changed at half-time. 

"From there I was hooked - I used to go with my Wollongong High schoolmates to watch the Hawks' State League and Club Championship games a few years before entering the NBL."

Just like him, the 62-year-old's family lives and breathes hoops too.

"Our family has a long involvement with Hawks basketball," he said.

"My wife Wendy played for the Kitty Hawks and has coached junior and senior Hawks representative teams. 

"I have coached junior and senior Hawks representative teams, served on the IBA board and been involved with the administration of Illawarra representative programs - not to mention both our children have played in both junior and senior Hawk rep teams. 

"My 89-year-old mother has even started coming to Hawks games over the past six years and her goal is to learn one rule a season.

"Further to that, I remember watching Robbie Cadee for St Kilda playing against Geordie and the Hawks at the Hawks' first Home game.

"Interestingly, Robbie married Debbie Lee who my wife Wendy played with in the NSW open women’s basketball teams.

"Last year our daughter Maddison was Robbie’s assistant coach for North Sydney under 18 division one women’s team."

As much as Brown loves basketball, there's more to his affinity to the Hawks than that.

"I always loved how the Hawks were a regional club backed by local volunteers and punched well above their weight, he said.

"The investment by the volunteers to help get things done really helped all the board members who committed themselves financially to the survival of the club.

"It didn’t matter that much if the team lost as long as they played to their full potential and gave it 100 per cent - and of course, if they beat the Kings (or going back the Sydney City Astronauts/Supersonics).

"Having Geordie, Bevo [Rob Beveridge] and Brendan Joyce putting back into the association with coaching and coach development reinforced that community involvement with the club.

"Hawks players would come and help with development camps and Norm Taylor and Bob Kubbinga also would come in and help with developing the bigs in our junior teams."

Despite being ticket holders for more than 40 years, the only season Brown and his family missed was Illawarra's lone championship campaign.

"During the 2000-01 season, my work involved a 12-month expat assignment in Northern Ireland, which was of course the season we won it all," he said.

"We listened to the final game of the grand final series via speakerphone in Belfast through some friends who were watching it live on TV in Australia.

"When I returned and was organising season tickets for the next season, then GM Chuck Harmison offered to send me overseas again for a year in the hope of winning another championship."

Along with experiencing that maiden title differently, Brown has made countless memories supporting the foundation club - including ones around a fateful 'dummy'.

"I remember coming in with my future wife for one of our first dates while we were on holidays to paint the green rubber padding on the walls of the backcourts," Brown said.

"Also remember serving in the bar with good friend Neil Mettam on one of the last home games before going to the WIN Entertainment Centre.

"I am also lucky enough to be a very close acquaintance of the person who threw 'the dummy' at the Snakepit games.

"Some of my fondest memories were of the dummy being hurled onto the court when opposition players and teams got tech fouls - the dummy ended up with a fair bit of notoriety. 

"I remember a night against the West Sydney Stars when the dummy was thrown and it was kicked off to their bench.

"The strapper for the West Stars grabbed the dummy and proceeded to cut it up with tape scissors.

"After this was done, the grin was wiped off his face when another dummy was produced.

"I remember when Bruce Palmer ran onto the court thinking the game was over after a Scott Fisher basket and he got a tech foul - the dummy landed perfectly at his feet as Greg Hubbard hit the free throws to win the game.

"At the last game at the Snakepit, there was an incident on the court where the dummy needs to be presented.

"It sailed onto the court near Townsville player Grant Kruger and he kicked it off the court in disgust.

"Roger Shield gave him a tech foul for kicking the dummy.

"At the famous 'last home game' dinner on the backcourts after this game, Grant Kruger came over to us and laughed his head off saying it was one of the funniest things he has seen.

"Over the years, Phil Driscoll, Roger and some of the old school referees all made sure the dummy was returned - I remember we had a few drinks with the refs in the bar after games discussing how timely the dummy had arrived.

"The Illawarra Mercury published photos of the crowds at the last game at the Snakepit and the first full house at the Sandpit which I believe was against the Sydney Kings in 2005.

"I would love to get copies of those photos, as they show where the club has come from, and how far it has gone - this is even further when you look at today's team."

Others that stick out to Brown include;

• The milk crates we all stood on to get an extra row to see the game and then the milk crates were left above the bar for the next game.
• The last game at the Snakepit vs Townsville. 
• The night we beat the Kings 145 -121 and Terry Johnson had 41 points ( I think he only shot left-handed in the last quarter).
• Watching 1981 scoring champion and MVP Michael Jones play. He had the best fade away jump shot I have ever seen. Great bloke off the court as well.
• Melvin Thomas won a game at the Snakepit with a sideline inbounds buzzer-beater alley-oop from Mike Corkeron.
• Stormin’ Normin’ torching Dean Utoff for 54 points.
• Andrew Gaze dropping 40 point games for fun.
• Watching Doug Overton warm-up - his ball-handling skills were amazing. Then watching Doug Overton be so amazing on the court.
• Watching Glen Saville and Mat Campbell come in as kids and see how they developed into champions playing for the Hawks.
• The rain blowing the lights during the double-overtime game vs Brisbane - actually, the lights went out in many fourth quarters unexpectedly (or when the team needed a lift).
• Dressing up in the same clothes as the ushers during the Ron Cross ownership days. Bluecoats, red ties and white shirts with clipboards then sending people in all sorts of incorrect directions.

While admitting he's loved the chance to reminisce on his time as a Hawks fan, he's just as excited for what the future holds for the Wollongong-based franchise.

"I must admit I’m not used to the stability that the current ownership and Goorj and his coaches have provided," he said.

"We should embrace the new club however we need to acknowledge and recognise the roots, the effort people have put in over the 43 years of history and how the only remaining foundation NBL club got to this point."