Hawks sign NBL1 North champion Brodie McGregor

He turned 19 on the 1st of August. Seven days later he was standing at the free-throw line with a championship on it.

Fresh Off A Title

McGregor's second season with the Gold Coast Rollers ended with an NBL1 North championship. The Rollers swept the Ipswich Force 2-0 in the Grand Final Series at The Southport School, winning 118-85 on Friday 7th August and 120-116 the following night.

He scored 17 points in both games. In the decider he shot 5-from-6 from the field and 7-from-7 from the free-throw line, including two with 1:19 on the clock to put Gold Coast up 117-114.

The Name On The Back

If McGregor sounds familiar to anyone who watched the NBL through the late nineties and 2000s, it should. Brodie is the son of Scott McGregor, who played 413 NBL games across 14 seasons with Newcastle, Sydney, West Sydney and the Gold Coast, and who was named NBL Rookie of the Year in 1996. Scott averaged 10.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game and won gold with Australia at the 1997 FIBA Under 23 World Championships.

Pedigree doesn't get anyone minutes. But it does tend to show up in the small things: knowing where to stand, knowing what a professional program actually asks of you before anyone has to explain it.

What He Brings

McGregor has represented Queensland at Under 20 level. He arrives in Wollongong as a development player, which means his job for the next two years is to make our senior group work harder in training than they do on game night, and to be ready the week we need him.

That is not a token role at this club. Development players earn their way into rotations here, and Hawkheads have watched it happen. William "Davo" Hickey came through as a development player then a few seasons later was crowned the un-official Finals MVP. Johny Narkle arrived as a development player in NBL26. This season he has a roster spot.

You've Already Seen Him

Hawkheads got their first look last week at the Snakepit against the Saint Mary's Gaels. McGregor checked in alongside fellow development player Fletcher MacDonald for the final 4:21 and went 1-from-2 from the field. Short minutes, but the first ones in red and black.

You'll get a longer look on Tuesday 25th August, when we host the Sydney Kings in a members only preseason game.

Members Only, Tuesday Night (August 25th)

Tuesday's game against the Kings is for Hawks members. No public tickets.

If you're a member, check your emails if you haven't already purchased tickets.