BIO: Jim Slacke was born in San Jose, California (USA) in 1953, and lived there until going away to college. He attended California State University at Chico, playing one season for the basketball team in 1972–73 before graduating in 1976 and spending the next 10 years playing professional basketball in Australia.

Slacke finished his career as one of the NBL’s all-time best free throw shooters with a 86 percent clip while plaing in 143 games, all for the Illawarra Hawks.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Jim Slacke made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 24 years of age. He scored 22 points in his first game.

When the NBL was launched in 1979, Illawarra entered the competition with a roster primarily made up of players local to Wollongong, including Slacke (23.8 ppg), as well Slacke (23.8 ppg), who led the Hawks in scoring. The team also featured talented point guard Gordie McLeod (10.1 ppg) and Bob Kubbinga (8.1 ppg) was appointed as the Hawk’s first team captain. Illawarra managed 5 wins, 13 losses during the inaugural season of the NBL, finishing eighth out of ten team’s.

To crown the first champions of the national league, the first and second team’s would play off in a single game Grand Final clash. This saw St Kilda (1st) defeating Canberra (2nd), 94–93, to become the league’s first champions.

1980
In 1980, Adrian Hurley took over from Joe Farrugia as head coach of the Hawks and Gordie McLeod (13.0 ppg), who also played with the Boomers at the Moscow Olympics this year, would take over from Bob Kubbinga (4.7 ppg) as team captain. Slacke (22.6 ppg) would lead the team in scoring for the second year in a row, as well as record the league’s highest free-throw shooting percentage (68/78). Slacke’s scoring also helped Hawks record their first winning season, finishing in sixth place with a 13-9 record.

1981
The biggest off-season move by the Hawks in 1981 was the decision to move into their new home venue, Beaton Park Stadium, commonly known as ‘The Snakepit.’

Joey Farrugia, who coached the team during the Hawks’ inaugural season, was reappointed as head coach. The team saw Kevin Becker, Ted Holcomb, and Bob Kubbinga leave, while new imports Michael Jones and Benny Lewis were added. Local talent, 17-year-old rookie Tim Morrissey, also joined the roster, tipped by many to be a future star in the league. Returning players Ray Hannett, Jim Slacke, and captain Gordie McLeod filled out the team’s starting five.

The Hawks’ biggest game in 1981 was perhaps before the season even started when they defeated European powerhouse Partizan in an exhibition game. Riding off a strong preseason, the Hawks’ season began poorly with a 20-point loss to Newcastle (73-93). Although they managed to bounce back with a win against the City of Sydney (92-80), the Hawks struggled to maintain momentum, dropping four straight games between Rounds 3 and 5, including their worst loss of the season to West Adelaide (66-104).

The Hawks were led by Michael Jones (30.5 points), one of the first legitimate big men in the league. Jones’s scoring ability had never been seen from a centre before, as he led the league in scoring and free throw percentage (87.6%) before being voted as the league’s Most Valuable Player.

Their best win came in Round 12 when they upset West Adelaide (108-91), a team that finished the season in the top three. While the Hawks were formidable in their new home (8-3), their away form was disappointing, managing only one win out of ten road games.

Benny Lewis (20.5 points), Jim Slacke (12.7 points), Ray Hannett (8.4 points), and Gordie McLeod (7.5 points) delivered solid seasons, but the Hawks’ inconsistent form, particularly in away games, saw them miss out on a postseason berth.

Illawarra closed the season strongly with a victory over Bankstown (98-86), but despite a few notable wins, their inconsistencies, particularly on the road, resulted in them finishing eighth during the regular season (9-13).

1982
In 1982, Illawarra returned with much of their roster intact, missing only import Benny Lewis and Alan Yates. The Hawks added import Alonzo Weatherly to replace Lewis and were able to retain last season’s MVP, Michael Jones.

The Hawks faced a season of inconsistency. They performed strongly at home, posting an 8-5 record at Beaton Park Stadium, showcasing their ability to defend their home court effectively. Their season opener was a highlight, securing a victory over Launceston Casino City (98-91). However, road games proved to be a stumbling block, as they managed only three wins from thirteen matches away. The lack of consistency on the road, combined with narrow defeats such as the loss to Adelaide City (87-88), highlighted their struggles to close out tight contests.

The Hawks were led by team captain Gordie McLeod (10.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists) on the court, while U.S. talent Michael Jones (23.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists), Alonzo Weatherly (23.7 points and 9.2 rebounds) and Jim Slacke (16.8 points and 5.0 rebounds) provided the offensive firepower.

Throughout the season, the Hawks experienced both promising moments and challenging stretches. They had notable home victories, demonstrating their potential as a competitive team, but also faced tough losses, including a defeat to Brisbane (99-105). These mixed results were emblematic of the team’s difficulties in maintaining momentum, especially when playing away from home.

Ultimately, the Hawks concluded the season in ninth place with an 11-15 record.

1983
The Hawks’ season began on a challenging note, with the departure of team captain Gordie McLeod to the Sydney Supersonics and import Alonzo Weatherly returning to the USA.

McLeod’s exit marked the loss of a long-serving and pivotal figure whose leadership had been a cornerstone for the team.

To fill the gap, the Hawks brought in import Jerry Steurer (23.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals) to pair with veteran forward Jim Slacke (11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.7 assists).

They also had the services of Michael Jones (32.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists), the former NBL MVP, who returned to the club after a season’s absence and went on to lead both the team and the league in scoring.

Despite the impressive contributions of Jones and the addition of Steurer, McLeod’s absence was sorely felt.

The Illawarra Hawks opened their season with a loss to the Newcastle Falcons (95-113), marking the beginning of an eight-game losing streak.

They finally broke the streak with a narrow victory against Devonport (102-100) in Round 8, which stood as their only road win of the season.

Local talent such as Tim Morrissey (7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game), Simon Cottrell (7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds), and Brett Flanigan (3.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists) stepped up their production, but despite these efforts, the Hawks struggled to find cohesion and consistency.

Throughout the season, the team faced several more losing streaks, including a significant stretch where they dropped six consecutive games from March 5 to April 23.

Even with Jones’ league-leading scoring performance, the Hawks could not overcome the challenges on and off the court.

The absence of McLeod’s leadership and playmaking left a void that the team could not fill, resulting in the worst finish in club history.

The Hawks managed only four wins from 22 games, concluding the season with a disappointing 4-18 record.

Jim Williams (2.2 points, 1.0 rebound, 1.0 assists) saw limited playing time this season but managed to appear in all 22 games.

While his numbers were modest, his consistent effort and defensive presence added depth for the Hawks during a challenging season.

1984
After a one season stint with the Sydney Supersonics, Gordie McLeod returned to the Hawks in 1984. McLeod would regain the club captaincy from import Michael Jones who would not return for a third season, the club instead replacing him with big man David Mcguire (16 points, 9 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks).

10 games into the season it was felt Mcguire wasn’t the right fit for the Hawks and he was replaced by Marlon Redmond (29.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals) who would lead the Hawks in scoring over the last 15 games of the season.

The local talent on the team really stepped up this season. Wollongong born talent players McLeod (15.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 2.4 steals) and forward Tim Morrissey (18.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 steals) both delivered the best season of their careers and were a huge reason the Hawks were able to make the NBL playoffs for the first time in the club’s history. The Hawks finished with a record of 13-12, their first winning season in Hawks history, before losing the Elimination Final 101–108 to the Newcastle Falcons.

Slacke would miss the majority of the season through injury, averaging 14.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 7 games.

1985
Once again the Hawks were forced to re-tool their starting lineup after losing Tim Morrissey to Canberra after his breakout season and imports Jerry Steurer and Marlon Redmond who were not re-signed. Local product Graham Kubank was brought in as Morrisey’s replacement and Greg May and Learando Drake signed as the team’s new import duo.

May (27.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks) and Drake (26 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.8 blocks) didn’t disappoint, filling the stat sheet in every column most games and naturalised import Jim Slacke (19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks) helped form a formidable frontline for Illawarra. However, the Hawks would struggle against other team’s with a brutal schedule. Round 14 for example saw the Hawks travel through three states in three days. Friday night the Hawks lost to Perth by 15 points, Saturday they travelled to Adelaide and lost by 75 points and then Sunday morning it was off to Melbourne to play St Kilda where somehow the Hawks came away with a one point victory.

Illawarra failed to build on their history making postseason appearance from last year, the Hawks finished the season with both a losing record at home (6-7) and away (4-9). Team captain Gordie Mcleod (10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 10.2 assists, and 2.8 steals) led the league in assists. Kubank (10.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2 assists) impressed during his debut season, narrowly missing out on rookie of the year award to Mike McKay (Adelaide).

Jim Slacke played seven seasons the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 17.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 143 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (833 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.