Hawks return home to face powerhouse Melbourne United

The Hawks return to the WIN Entertainment Centre for the first time this NBL 2020-21 season with a matchup against competition heavyweights Melbourne United.

The Round 5 fixture will take place on Wednesday 10 February at 7:30pm and it will be the first time The Hawks step foot on their home court for more than a year.

The return to Wollongong will also give Hawks fans their first glimpse of coach Brian Goorjian and an exciting Hawks roster including new faces Tyler Harvey, Justin Simon and Justinian Jessup – and returning stars Sam Froling, AJ Ogilvy and Emmett Naar.

The Hawks have enjoyed their best start to a season since 2013 after notching four straight road wins over the Brisbane Bullets (twice) and Cairns Taipans (twice) and will be looking to keep their winning streak alive against United.

The Hawks also face off against fierce rivals the Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday February 14 to round out their Round 5 action.

Hawks Co-Owner and President, Dorry Kordahi, said he was excited to welcome fans back to home court before the team heads away to the NBL Cup.

“It’s fantastic news to finally be back at home and great that our fans can come and see this new Hawks line up. The team has done a fantastic job on the road winning four straight games and now that they're home, we need the fans to come out and support them on our home floor,” Kordahi said.

“We want to fill the WIN Entertainment Centre and deliver our guys a home court advantage against one of the best teams in the league in Melbourne United. We’ve been on the road since Boxing Day, it’s been a long off season and a very challenging journey so far, so this will be a great chance to celebrate our fantastic start to the year,” Kordahi said.

Hawks head coach Brian Goorjian said his young team were excited by the prospect of playing in front of home fans for the first time this season.

"There's gonna be an energy about coming here for the first time and it's gonna be how you deal with emotion. There's gonna be a lot flowing through the body...excitment is gonna be running through everybody's veins come Wednesday night," Goorjian said.

"We came here yesterday and the three imports (Justin Simon, Tyler Harvey and Justinian Jessup) are taking pictures of the ocean and the beach and talking about what a great atmosphere it would be to play in front of a full home crowd," Goorjian said.

The master coach also acknowledging the strength of Melbourne United and urging Hawks fans to come out and see two of the league's best sides do battle.

"On Wednesday night on our home court we'll be playing, regardless of records, the best team that's played in the league in a long while. It's a really big challenge. When you look at that team play, when you look at them on paper, it's as talented a team as I will have been coaching against in my time in the league so it presents a real challenge," Goorjian said.

NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said the league was delighted to be able to host the first games this season in New South Wales.

“This is a great result for The Hawks and The Kings as well as the many fans in both cities. The two teams will also play the first NSW derby of the season at Qudos Bank Arena. This will be the final round of games before the NBL Cup starts in Melbourne on February 20 when all nine teams will play 36 games in what will be the biggest event we have staged. At the end of the NBL Cup teams will return to their home cities to complete the season,” Loeliger said.

Tickets will go on sale for our home game against Melbourne United on Friday 5 February at 12 noon.

Please visit ticketmaster.com.au to be part of the excitement.