Hawks go from strength to strength with key off-court acquisition

The Illawarra Hawks are pleased to announce former Cleveland Cavaliers strength and conditioning trainer, Alex Moore, will take up a role with the club starting next month.

Moore has spent the past three seasons with the North Melbourne Football Club as the head of high performance. He arrived back in Australia after spending six years in the NBA with the Cavaliers and following a stint with the US Ski and Snowboarding Team.

Moore was with the Cavaliers during the organisation's sensational NBA Finals runs between 2014 and 2018, culminating in the franchise's first ever NBA title in 2015/16.

He has worked with the likes of American stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, with Moore developing perhaps his closest relationship with star power foward Kevin Love.

"I had five seasons with the Cavs [Cavaliers] where I managed all areas of high performance and strength and conditioning, as well as physios and trainers. In the Summers I ended up training Kevin [Love], so wherever he went, I just travelled with him and trained him in preparation for the following season," Moore said. 

Illawarra Hawks President and Co-owner, Dorry Kordahi, said this was another big step forward in the professionalism of the club.

"To acquire someone of Alex's calibre is a big endorsement for the Hawks. He is an expert in his field and will ensure our players are in the best possible environment to achieve success this season. We are committed to improving all aspects of this basketball club and Alex's appointment is another step in the right direction," Kordahi said.

"What he's managed to achieve in the NBA and now in the AFL is testament to his ability and proves he clearly has what it takes to ensure our players are perfectly prepared and ready for another tough NBL season," Kordahi said.

Moore said initial discussions with Head Coach, Brian Goorjian, left him excited about the plan for the season and he is eager to get underway,

"I really like Brian's mentality and I love the team mentality they've described, my goal is to build a team that is the fittest in the league and very physical and strong. I want to impart the knowledge I have to make sure we are super competitive. The guys should be training hard and be able to withstand high intensities in practice and games, and hopefully I can help provide a team for the coach that is able to do that," Moore said.

"Out of all the sports, basketball is the one I think you need to tailor to the individual more than other sports. You've got guys over seven foot and guys who are five foot ten, and the physical attributes on the court are so different in terms of strength and explosiveness so we'll be training different stuff. Point guards will do agility and quickness power-based stuff, while tall guys who traditonally have issues with backs, knees and feet will need sound injury prevention programs," Moore said.

Moore said an offer to return to his home town of Wollongong was also too hard to turn down. 

"I've thoroughly enjoyed my time at North Melbourne but the perfect scenario popped up for me and my family which gave us the chance to return to New South Wales and work with the Illawarra Hawks," Moore said.

"We have a house in Bulli that we've been trying to move into for the last 10 years and this role with the Hawks came up and it's just the right timing. I've got three kids who are about to go into high shcol so we wanted to move to a place we really wanted to stay. My family is all there. my mum lives in Austinmer, we've travelled far and wide as a family, including spending a lot of time overseas, and now it's time to go home," he said.

A key member of the Kangaroo's high performance team, Moore's experience will be missed according to North Melbourne General Manager of Football, Brady Rawlings.

"It's hard to find someone with Alex's experience, knowledge, work ethic and commitment. Alex has added huge value to our strength and conditioning program, setting up a lot of our young players for long and prosperous futures in the game. He will be missed, but we are equally happy for him and his family to see them return home and settle down for the years to come," Rawlings said.