NBL EXPERIENCE

Alan Yates made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks on 22/2/1981. He scored four points in his first game.

1981
Illawarra’s third NBL season opened with major changes: coach Adrian Hurley exited and foundation coach Joe Farrugia returned; veterans Kevin Becker and Ted Holcomb departed, and stalwart Bob Kubbinga retired. In came high-scoring imports Michael Jones and Benny Lewis, plus 17-year-old local Tim Morrissey, with forward Alan Yates added for depth. The club also shifted full-time into Beaton Park Stadium—“The Snakepit.” A preseason scalp over touring Partizan set an upbeat tone.

The Hawks split opening weekend—down at Newcastle (73–93) before beating City of Sydney (92–80), where Yates debuted with 4 points (2-of-2 FT) and Jones hit 30. A 91–71 dismantling of Canberra followed, then momentum stalled on the Melbourne double: St Kilda (100–114) despite Jones 37 and McLeod 20, and Nunawading (74–95) to sit 2–2. Mid-March proved brutal—Launceston (91–104), the season’s heaviest loss at West Adelaide (66–104), then Forrestville (88–94) despite Jones’ season-high 43 (9-of-9 FT).

Home form steadied the campaign: Forrestville (97–76), City of Sydney (98–81) and a statement upset of West Adelaide (108–91) behind Jones 42 and Ray Hannett 22. The run-in featured tight wins over Nunawading (76–74), Coburg (87–85) and Bankstown (98–86), a near miss against first-placed St Kilda (100–102), and a final-night road loss at Brisbane (69–82). Illawarra finished ninth of twelve at 9–13, near-unbeatable at home (8–3) but just 1–10 away (last five: 3–2).

Jones (30.5 ppg) claimed league MVP—remarkably without an All-NBL First Team nod—while Lewis (20.5), Slacke (12.7), Hannett (8.4), and captain Gordie McLeod (7.5) anchored the core. Yates contributed 3.4 points across 7 games, with Jim Williams (5.4), Morrissey (2.3), Oliver Tams (1.7), Ian Bartholomew (1.3), Alex Sakuns (1.3), and Michael Roodenrys (0.3) rounding out the rotation. Illawarra’s season ended short of finals but cemented The Snakepit’s aura and introduced a refreshed cast around Jones’ MVP year.

Alan Yates played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3.4 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists in 7 NBL games.