Kings vs Hawks: Ep. 4 — Sydney's Three-Peat Response To Wollongong’s 2001 Title

We continue diving deeper dive into one of Aussie hoops’ fiercest rivalries — Sydney vs Illawarra — picking things up from the Wollongong Hawks’ historic 2001 championship and tracking how the Kings and Hawks battled for New South Wales bragging rights through the mid-2000s.

Host Dan Boyce revisits Wollongong’s underdog run to become the first NSW club to win an NBL title, then jumps into Sydney’s response — the arrival of Brian Goorjian, the recruitment of Chris Williams and Kavossy Franklin, and the three-year stretch that saw the Kings finally shed the “Violet Crumbles” tag and dominate the league.

Featuring first-hand accounts from Glenn Saville, Shane Heal, Bill Tomlinson and Brian Goorjian, this episode blends locker-room stories, X-and-O breakdowns and playoff memories to show how the “Freeway Series” evolved from a regional feud into a clash between genuine title contenders.

Topics include:

How the 2001 Hawks title changed the rivalry and put a target on Wollongong’s back (02:00) Glenn Saville on trying to defend the crown in 2001–02 and suddenly becoming the hunted (05:00) Brett Brown to the Spurs, the Titans folding and how Brian Goorjian ended up in Sydney (13:50) Bill Tomlinson on recruiting Chris Williams, early doubts about the Kings’ chemistry and fixing the “Violet Crumbles” reputation (16:00) Shane Heal’s version of the 2003 title run — ownership drama, Chris Williams’ rise and finally delivering a championship to Sydney (21:30) Goorjian breaks down the 2003 finals, the comeback vs Perth and how the Kings’ culture flipped overnight (27:00) Inside the 2003–04 repeat: Nielsen’s MVP breakout, CJ Bruton’s arrival and losing Jason Smith mid-season (32:30) 2004–05 sees both clubs become true championship at the same time and culminate with an all-NSW grand final (38:30) Goorjian on the 1–1–3 zone that Wollongong “had no answer for” and how the Kings swept the 2005 series (48:00) Glenn Saville’s memories of facing that Kings juggernaut and what the 2005 grand final meant to Hawks players and fans (54:00)

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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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