NBL EXPERIENCE

Jerry Steurer made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 24 years of age. He scored 20 points in his first game.

Illawarra entered 1983 in flux: captain/playmaker Gordie McLeod departed to the Sydney Supersonics, import Alonzo Weatherly returned to the US, and Charlie Ammit took over as head coach—marking the Hawks’ fourth different coach in four seasons after Adrian Hurley (1980), Joe Farrugia (1981) and Tom Pottinger (1982). Teenager Tim Morrissey returned to the roster after missing 1982, while former MVP Mike Jones rejoined to headline the attack. Retirements hit the frontcourt with Ray Hannett and Ted Holcomb stepping away. Club structure settled around Ammit with assistant Tom Penrose; Mike Jones served as captain, with support from Commissioner Hugh Brandon, Manager Barry Lee and Trainer Paul Whiteman. Off court, $400,000 additions to Beaton Park were underway, with plans to seat more than 2,000 and pack the venue each home date. One game, above all, the Hawks coveted: Sydney in Wollongong.

The revamped imports saw Jerry Steurer replace Weatherly. Morrissey stepped into a starting role on the wing and Simon Cottrell joined as a rookie. Bret Flanigan helped cover the playmaking duties in McLeod’s absence.

The opening game foreshadowed the team’s rough season—a 95–113 road loss at Newcastle—despite big nights from Jones (35 points), Cottrell (24) and Steurer (20). It began an eight-game losing streak in which the Hawks dropped several close contests, including Adelaide (87–90) and West Sydney (84–85), plus blowouts to Sydney (71–91), led by ex-Hawk McLeod, and West Adelaide (109–126). By early April the Hawks sat 0–8.

Relief came in Round 8: Illawarra recorded its first win over Devonport (102–100), with Jones (33 points), Jim Slacke (29 points, 8 rebounds) and Steurer (24 points, 8 rebounds) leading the way.

Another skid followed, the lone bright spot being Steurer’s season-high 31 (13–22 FG, 5–5 FT) in a 71–82 home loss to Bankstown, with Jones adding 22.

The closing weeks finally brought reward. Illawarra beat Hobart 89–79 on the road, then strung together consecutive home thrillers—89–88 over Coburg, with Steurer (31 points, 5 rebounds) and Jones (30 points, 11 rebounds) starring, and 92–90 over Frankston, where Steurer (30) and Jones (25) delivered the club’s first back-to-back wins of the campaign.

Michael Jones (32.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals) was electric throughout (30+ in 16 of 22 games), with Steurer (23.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals) forming a potent one-two punch. Jim Slacke (11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds) and Tim Morrissey (7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds) finished the season as the other key contributors.

When the dust settled, Illawarra finished 4–18, seventh in the Eastern Division, and missed the playoffs.

1984
After a one-season stint with the Sydney Supersonics, Gordie McLeod returned to Illawarra and reclaimed the captaincy under Charlie Ammit, the first Hawks coach to be retained for consecutive seasons.

With former MVP Michael Jones heading overseas and not returning for a third year, the club reshaped its frontline by bringing in American seven-footer David McGuire to join returning import Jerry Steurer, who came back for a second season. Wing and depth roles were also retooled, with Rick Fowle and Michael Roodenrys arriving to cover the departures of Simon Cottrell (to Hobart) and Brett Flanigan (to Sydney), while Illawarra leaned on a stronger local core heading into what would become a landmark season for the franchise.

Illawarra launched the season in style by routing McLeod’s former club Sydney 119–93 at the Snakepit. McLeod (24 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals on 11-of-21 shooting) set the tone, while Steurer controlled the interior and produced an all-round line of 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting, 15 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers, going 6-of-8 from the foul line and Tim Morrissey (18 points and 8 rebounds) was active on both ends, despite fouling out, as Illawarra shot 49-of-97 from the field with 21 team assists in the 119–93 win.

A three-game losing streak followed, but the Hawks reset at home with a 97–84 victory over St Kilda that again showcased the balance of their core. McLeod ( 21 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals) orchestrated the offence, allowing Morrissey (22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block) to produce one of his best performances of the season. Steurer (19 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 2 turnovers) delivered another double-double and Fowle (14 points and 4 steals) was a terror on defence as Illawarra held St Kilda to 36-of-83 from the field.

Ten games into the season, with Illawarra sitting 5–5 and determined to finally reach the playoffs, management decided that McGuire (16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.2 steals, 3.1 blocks across 10 games) was not the right long-term fit. The Hawks made their first in-season import change by releasing the seven-footer and replacing him with former NBA forward Marlon Redmond (29.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.7 blocks across 15 games). Redmond announced himself with a stunning debut in a 107–103 win over Perth, scoring 45 points on 17-of-33 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three and 7-of-10 from the foul line, while adding 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 3 turnovers. Steurer (23 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals) backed him with another strong performance, with McLeod (10 points and 12 assists) delivering a double-double as Illawarra shot 44-of-84 from the field and 4-of-9 from long range to edge the Wildcats 107–103.

Across the season, Steurer averaged 23.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.3 blocks across 25 games, providing balanced inside-out production that complemented Redmond (29.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.7 blocks across 15 games). His campaign included standout efforts such as 31 points against West Adelaide, 33 points against Melbourne, 32 points against Frankston and a string of high-20s scoring nights while routinely grabbing 7–11 rebounds and dishing 3–9 assists. Around him, McLeod (15.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 2.4 steals across 25 games) remained the organising principle, Morrissey (18.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals across 22 games) delivered the best season of his career.

Illawarra converted that production into the first winning record and maiden playoff berth in club history, finishing the regular season 13–12 and transforming from battlers into genuine playoff participants. Their Elimination Final came on the road against Newcastle, where the Hawks ultimately fell 101–108 despite another strong showing from their core group. Redmond led the way with 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including 3-of-7 from three and 4-of-4 from the line, along with 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. Steurer again delivered a high-level performance, adding 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting and 5-of-8 from the stripe, plus 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 5 personal fouls. McLeod produced an elite playmaking line with 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting, 14 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks, while Tim Morrissey finished with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting and 6-of-7 from the free throw line, together with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, alongside 4 turnovers and 4 personal fouls. Jim Slacke contributed 13 points and 9 rebounds, and Fowle added 2 points as Newcastle advanced behind a balanced attack led by Ian Davies (26 points, 6 rebounds), Michael Johnson (23 points, 8 rebounds), Jim Bateman (21 points, 12 rebounds, 1 block) and Jerry Dennard (15 points, 11 rebounds).