Faces in the crowd: Hawks legend Chuck Harmison

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.

After profiling Illawarra's three intern coaches and Hawks inaugural coach Joe Farrugia, we decided to feature the basketball journey of club legend Chuck Harmison.

Following his college career in the United States with his hometown Iowa State University, the German-born big man, headed back to Europe and spent a season with St Truiden in Belgium.

"My college coach at the time put me in touch with an agent in New Jersey, who was running a try-out camp, which spanned three or four days," he said.

"It just so happened the guy coaching my pick-up team there was a guy from Pennsylvania and was playing in Belgium and his team was on the lookout for a power forward.

"After spending a couple of days with me, he offered me a contract and the rest is history.

"Admittedly, Belgium in the 1980s was much different to today's world, with no English language television or radio and all the local players working during the day, which meant I did a lot of sightseeing and probably too much drinking.

"I, however had a ball during my nine months there, but three-quarters of the way through that season I knew I wanted a new challenge and after leafing through a book full of pictures of Australia at a local pub, I thought that might be a nice country to see and I started making plans to get myself to that country - including writing a letter to my dad.

"Fortunately, a guy from my home state, Dave Atkins, had coached in Australia previously and was recruiting players to head down there and play - including the likes of Cal Bruton, Ron Lemons and Bill Runchy before me, and Steve Carfino after me.

"After my dad put me in touch with Dave, he connected me to the Nunawading Spectres, and I was on my way to Australia."

His stint in Europe lasted a year before Nunawading brought Harmison to Australia in 1981 - marking the first of four years he spent in Melbourne (two with the Spectres and two with the Coburg Giants).

"I had a great four years playing and working in Melbourne, but most importantly I met my wife Leanne there," he said.

"After two seasons with the Spectres and two with the Giants, I decided to follow my good friend Damian Keogh to Sydney. Damian, who had moved up to Bankstown in 1985, as well as Rob Scrigni and Robbie Cadee (who was coaching at the time), recruited me to come up to West Sydney - which turned out to be a nice change.

"With the Westars, we had one really strong season followed by a tough year, which was due to a number of reasons, not least of which was the death of our good friend and teammate Rob Scrigni

At the end of that 1987 season, the Westars and Sydney Supersonics merged to form the Kings, and Harmison knew he needed a change.

With the now 64-year-old already having a relationship with the then Hawks coach David Lindstrum, a move to Wollongong appeared to be a natural fit.

"Earlier in my career, I had some good battles with David since he would still occasionally play in some pre-season games with the Hawks, and our relationship grew from there," he said.

"On top of that, I knew Gordie (McLeod) well from our countless battles over the years and played alongside Ray Borner at Coburg - it all just felt like a perfect opportunity to move to a smaller place, remain on the coast and play top-level basketball."

Along with the team, the passionate fans at the Snakepit attracted Harmison to Illawarra - having experienced it numerous times as an opposition player, including the famous replayed game against West Sydney.

"Even as an opposition player, the atmosphere at the Snakepit was always amazing, so having the chance to have that supporting you was definitely an appeal that drew me to the club," he said.

"I can still remember playing here for Coburg, when Benny Lewis was on our team, and we'd come down Bulli Pass and just be amazed by how beautiful the area was - we'd just sit down near the coastline and take it all in sometimes.

"Those trips planted the seed early on that this could be a spot I'd enjoy playing and living in one day."

Indeed, Harmison was correct, as that 1988 season proved to be the first of nine he spent with the Hawks - which featured countless, lifelong memories.

"A couple of moments that stand out to me as a player include when I tipped in a shot at the buzzer and started running down the court celebrating, before Jenny Fares jumped out and gave me a big hug - as fans were sitting two inches from the court in those days," he said.

"Another is when Mick Corkeran threw the alley oop to Melvin Thomas to beat Newcastle, which got us into the playoffs - which was exciting at the time.

"Of course, how could I forget all the dummy throws and the incredible tuxedos of Geoff Phillips - who would razz up the crowd and make the atmosphere electric, especially the northern grandstand.

"I still walk into the Snakepit now and think how did we ever play NBL games in there and how people never fell out of those corporate boxes upstairs is beyond me too - it was just so much fun in that intimate atmosphere.

Following his retirement from playing in 1996, Harmison became General Manager of the Hawks from 1997 to 2004, before moving into a similar role with the NBL for more than eight years.

"I just love everything the Hawks epitomises, from the small-town atmosphere to the fact everyone knows about the club wherever you go - compared to places like Sydney and Melbourne where you were sometimes an afterthought and forgotten about," said Harmison.

"Coming from a small town myself in Iowa, Wollongong has just been perfect for my family and I.

"On top of that, the people involved with the club are what makes it so special.

"From the early days as a club run by the association with the likes of Peter Brettell, John TrivellionScott, Syd Webb, Murray Claydon , Betty Hassen and Peter Hilton - all of which we became really close friends with - to where the club is now, I'm extremely proud of everyone that has played a role in getting it to where it is today."

His impact hasn't gone unnoticed either, with Harmison being one of five Hawks to have his jersey retired - alongside Gordie McLeod, Melvin Thomas, Mat Campbell and Glen Saville.

"That was a special and unexpected moment for me, as that's one of the highest honours a player can get at a club," he said.

After back-to-back semi-final appearances, Harmison believes the club is most definitely headed in the right direction.

"With the backing of our ownership group, we definitely have the right pieces in place to win a second NBL championship and it's up to the community to stay behind the team and believe in its direction," he said.

"You saw firsthand what impact big wins and finals games can have on the town and I'm excited to see what next season's group, under Jacob, can do on the court."