Kings vs Hawks: Ep. 2 — Hawks/Kings defections and the rivalry grows through the 90's

We continue our deep dive into one of Aussie hoops’ fiercest rivalries — Sydney vs Illawarra — looking at the success of both teams during the 1990s.

Host Dan Boyce picks up where Episode 1 left off, bringing in Hawks legend Gordie McLeod to get his throughts on whether his move to Sydney in 1983 was the starting point of the Kings v Hawks rivalry, before moving their the success of both teams during the 1990s

Featuring first-hand accounts from Gordie McLeod, Greg Hubbard, Dwayne McClain, and Bob Turner, this episode continues to blends personal stories of the NBL's boom period, while continuing to flesh out the history of the Hawks v Kings rivalry season by season.

Topics include:

McLeod on how the feud predates the Kings: state-league roots and the Snakepit lore (02:00) The early Snakepit atmosphere and crowd legends (24:00) 1988–89 Kings v Hawks: Norman Taylor’s 41-point explosion as told by Greg Hubbard (33:30) Dwayne McClain and Bob Turner discuss how they helped turn Sydney into a contender (41:30) The 1993 defection: Greg Hubbard’s first return to Beaton Park in purple and gold (48:30) Why the 1993 Kings imploded — McClary’s exit, McClain’s frustrations, and Bob Turner’s rebuild (52:00) Discovering Leon Trimingham and Mario Donaldson — the new era of the Kings (56:00)

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Head to Aussie Hoopla to check out previous podcasts featuring:

Australian Basketball Legends: Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke, David Andersen, Andrew Vlahov, Phil Smyth, CJ Bruton, Chris Anstey, Brett Maher, Glen Saville, Sam MacKinnon, John Rillie, Tony Ronaldson, Damian Martin, Brad Newley Current NBL Stars: Bryce Cotton, Chris Goulding, Xavier Cooks, Tyler Harvey, Dejan Vasiljevic, Jordan Hunter, Flynn Cameron, Keli Leaupepe, Jason Cadee, Mitch McCarron, Anthony Drmic, Luke Travers, Sam Froling, Jesse Wagstaff Our Finest Coaching Minds: Brian Goorjian, Barry Barnes, Joey Wright, Adrian Hurley, Adam Forde, Aaron Fearne, Rob Beveridge, Ian Stacker, Shawn Dennis, Dean Vickerman, Trevor Gleeson, Lindsey Gaze, Ken Cole, Will Weaver, Bruce Palmer NBA Stars Past & Present: Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Stephen Jackson, Jack McVeigh, Randy Livingston, Torrey Craig, Jack White, Acie Earl, Josh Childress, Reggie Smith, Todd Lichti, Ryan Broekhoff, Doug Overton The NBL's Greatest Imports: Leroy Loggins, Darryl McDonald, Ricky Grace, Cal Bruton, Derek Rucker, Leon Trimmingham, Scott Fisher, Lanard Copeland, Dwayne McClain, Darnell Mee, Shawn Redhage, Al Green, Steve Woodberry, Doug Overton, Kevin Lisch The Men In Control: Larry Kestelman, Mal Speed, Paul Maley, Vince Crivelli, Jeremy Loeliger, Chris Pongrass, Jeff Van Groningen, Bob Turner, Danny Mills

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