2025–26 Illawarra Hawks season

2025–26 Illawarra Hawks season
Head coach Justin Tatum
Co-captains Sam Froling
Tyler Harvey
ArenaWollongong Entertainment Centre
NBL results
Record13–20 (39.4%)
Ladder8th
Finals finishDid not qualify
Intercontinental CupFifth place
(Defeated Utsunomiya 69–93)
Stats at NBL.com.au
Ignite Cup results
Record2–2 (50%)
Ladder7th
Ignite Cup finishDid not qualify
All statistics correct as of 20 February 2026.

The 2025–26 Illawarra Hawks season was the 48th season of the franchise in the National Basketball League (NBL).

As reigning NBL champions, the Hawks will compete in the 2025 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, becoming the second team from Oceania to play in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.[1]

Roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Illawarra Hawks roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt.
C 0 McGee, JaVale (I) 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) 122 kg (269 lb)
G 1 Harvey, Tyler (I & C) 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 84 kg (185 lb)
G 2 Ball, Jackson (DP) 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 82 kg (181 lb)
G 6 Hickey, William 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 92 kg (203 lb)
G/F 9 Swaka Lo Buluk, Wani 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 88 kg (194 lb)
G 10 McDowell-White, Kobe 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 98 kg (216 lb)
G/F 11 Grida, Daniel 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 93 kg (205 lb)
F/C 13 Froling, Sam (C) 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) 109 kg (240 lb)
G 14 Bayles, Biwali 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 84 kg (185 lb)
G 16 Narkle, Johny (DP) 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) 79 kg (174 lb)
F/C 19 Yates, Luca (DP) 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 102 kg (225 lb)
F 21 Blanchfield, Todd 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 98 kg (216 lb)
F 22 Peatling, Mason 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 105 kg (231 lb)
C 31 Froling, Harry (IRP) 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) 123 kg (271 lb)
F 43 Bolden, Jonah  2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 106 kg (234 lb)
G 77 Peterson, Quentin (I) 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 84 kg (185 lb)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Tom Cranney
  • Matt Flinn
  • Sam Gruggen
  • Joel Khalu
Strength & conditioning coach(es)
  • Alex Moore
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Development player
  • (I) Import player
  • (TP) Training player
  • (IRP) Injury replacement player
  • (NRP) Nominated replacement player
  • (NS) Next Star player
  • Injured
Updated: 24 December 2025

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Development Bench 3 Injured
PG William Hickey Biwali Bayles Kobe McDowell-White (DP)
SG Tyler Harvey (I) Quentin Peterson (I) Jackson Ball (DP) Jonah Antonio (NRP)
SF Wani Swaka Lo Buluk Todd Blanchfield Daniel Grida Johny Narkle (DP)
PF Sam Froling Mason Peatling Harry Froling (NRP) Jonah Bolden
C JaVale McGee (I) Luca Yates (DP)

Standings

Ladder

Pos 2025–26 NBL season
Team Pld W L PCT Last 5 Streak Home Away PF PA PP
1 Sydney Kings 33 24 9 72.73% 5–0 W11 13–4 11–5 3276 2879 113.79%
2 Adelaide 36ers 33 23 10 69.70% 2–3 L1 12–5 11–5 3042 2890 105.26%
3 S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 33 22 11 66.67% 3–2 L1 11–5 11–6 3324 3061 108.59%
4 Perth Wildcats 33 21 12 63.64% 4–1 W1 10–7 11–5 2996 2840 105.49%
5 Melbourne United 33 20 13 60.61% 2–3 W1 11–6 9–7 3041 2905 104.68%
6 Tasmania JackJumpers 33 14 19 42.42% 2–3 L2 6–10 8–9 2873 2884 99.62%
7 New Zealand Breakers 33 13 20 39.39% 2–3 W1 7–9 6–11 3022 3058 98.82%
8 Illawarra Hawks 33 13 20 39.39% 3–2 W2 7–9 6–11 3074 3205 95.91%
9 Cairns Taipans 33 9 24 27.27% 1–4 L2 4–13 5–11 2754 3194 86.22%
10 Brisbane Bullets 33 6 27 18.18% 0–5 L13 2–14 4–13 2710 3196 84.79%

Updated to match(es) played on 20 February 2026. Source: NBL.com.au

The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.

Ladder progression

Leader and qualification to semifinals
Qualification to semifinals
Qualification to play-in
Last place
2025–26 NBL season
Team ╲ Round12345678910111213141516171819202122
Adelaide 36ers—212233322111111111122
Brisbane Bullets37897777889999910101010101010
Cairns Taipans7477810910101010101010109999999
Illawarra Hawks—99810810879888878878888
Melbourne United2121111111223234444555
New Zealand Breakers6101010998997677787787777
Perth Wildcats5643655554455555555444
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix1564322233332422223333
Sydney Kings—856564445544343332211
Tasmania JackJumpers4335446666766666666666
Updated to match(es) played on 20 February 2026. Source: NBL.com.au

Game log

Pre-season

Main article: 2025 NBL pre-season

The 2025 NBL Blitz will run from 27 to 31 August 2025 with games being played at the AIS Arena, Canberra.[2][3]

2025 NBL Blitz game log
Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
August: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 27 August @ Adelaide L 104–83 William Hickey (14) Daniel Grida (10) H.Froling, McLaughlin (3) AIS Arena
n/a 		0–1
2 29 August Perth W 100–92 JaQuori McLaughlin (24) Blanchfield, Bolden (7) JaQuori McLaughlin (5) AIS Arena
n/a 		1–1

Regular season

Main article: 2025–26 NBL regular season

The regular season will begin on 18 September 2025.[4] It will consist of 165 games (33 games each) spread across 22 rounds, with the final game being played on 20 February 2026.[5]

2025–26 game log
Total: 13–20 (Home: 7–9; Road: 6–11)
September: 0–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 27 September Tasmania L 86–91 JaVale McGee (32) JaVale McGee (13) JaQuori McLaughlin (6) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
5,123 		0–1
October: 2–4 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
2 2 October @ Perth L 92–84 JaVale McGee (26) JaVale McGee (14) Tyler Harvey (5) Perth Arena
11,572 		0–2
3 8 October @ New Zealand L 117–88 Tyler Harvey (22) Todd Blanchfield (8) Tyler Harvey (6) Spark Arena
3,101 		0–3
4 11 October Brisbane W 116–89 Tyler Harvey (22) JaVale McGee (12) Tyler Harvey (10) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
4,709 		1–3
5 18 October @ S.E. Melbourne L 116–76 JaVale McGee (22) JaVale McGee (11) Tyler Harvey (3) John Cain Arena
5,615 		1–4
6 25 October @ Perth W 84–85 Harvey, McGee (24) JaVale McGee (11) Tyler Harvey (8) Perth Arena
12,497 		2–4
7 31 October New Zealand L 60–102 JaVale McGee (13) JaVale McGee (10) William Hickey (6) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
4,080 		2–5
November: 2–4 (Home: 1–2; Road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
8 2 November @ Adelaide L 90–88 William Hickey (20) JaVale McGee (11) William Hickey (8) Adelaide Entertainment Centre
9,983 		2–6
9 5 November Melbourne W 107–93 JaVale McGee (37) JaVale McGee (14) Hickey, Peterson (7) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
3,012 		3–6
10 7 November @ Cairns W 90–107 JaVale McGee (28) William Hickey (12) William Hickey (12) Cairns Convention Centre
4,025 		4–6
11 16 November Sydney L 71–98 William Hickey (19) three players (9) William Hickey (8) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
5,378 		4–7
12 19 November @ Adelaide L 97–85 Tyler Harvey (21) JaVale McGee (10) William Hickey (7) Adelaide Entertainment Centre
9,964 		4–8
13 21 November Melbourne L 102–105 JaVale McGee (28) JaVale McGee (12) William Hickey (7) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
3,872 		4–9
December: 3–4 (Home: 3–2; Road: 0–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
14 4 December S.E. Melbourne W 113–109 (OT) Quentin Peterson (42) McGee, Swaka Lo Buluk (13) William Hickey (10) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
3,432 		5–9
15 6 December Cairns L 76–93 Daniel Grida (18) Hickey, McGee (11) William Hickey (6) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
3,946 		5–10
16 11 December Brisbane W 100–85 JaVale McGee (30) JaVale McGee (10) Quentin Peterson (8) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
3,481 		6–10
17 18 December @ Melbourne L 97–75 Harvey, McGee (18) JaVale McGee (10) William Hickey (6) John Cain Arena
7,205 		6–11
18 20 December Adelaide L 78–84 Quentin Peterson (21) William Hickey (10) William Hickey (7) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
4,432 		6–12
19 25 December @ Sydney L 108–84 JaVale McGee (20) Sam Froling (12) Hickey, Peterson (3) Sydney SuperDome
7,732 		6–13
20 31 December Tasmania W 92–90 Froling, McGee (16) Sam Froling (10) Quentin Peterson (5) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
5,359 		7–13
January: 3–5 (Home: 1–2; Road: 2–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
21 3 January Cairns W 96–78 Tyler Harvey (18) JaVale McGee (10) William Hickey (6) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
4,921 		8–13
22 8 January @ S.E. Melbourne L 124–113 (OT) Froling, Peterson (22) Froling, McGee (9) William Hickey (7) State Basketball Centre
3,422 		8–14
23 11 January New Zealand L 96–101 Quentin Peterson (22) Todd Blanchfield (7) three players (6) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
5,323 		8–15
24 16 January @ Perth L 92–87 Todd Blanchfield (16) JaVale McGee (14) William Hickey (7) Perth Arena
12,507 		8–16
25 24 January @ Tasmania W 91–101 JaVale McGee (23) JaVale McGee (8) Hickey, Peterson (6) Derwent Entertainment Centre
4,340 		9–16
26 26 January @ Brisbane W 75–113 Tyler Harvey (22) JaVale McGee (10) William Hickey (7) Brisbane Entertainment Centre
4,075 		10–16
27 29 January @ Sydney L 122–104 Tyler Harvey (25) JaVale McGee (9) Froling, Hickey (5) Sydney SuperDome
7,740 		10–17
28 31 January Perth L 99–106 Quentin Peterson (22) JaVale McGee (11) Hickey, Peterson (6) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
4,234 		10–18
February: 3–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
29 5 February Adelaide W 100–99 Harvey, Hickey (22) JaVale McGee (14) William Hickey (10) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
3,457 		11–18
30 7 February @ New Zealand L 106–95 Blanchfield, Harvey (19) William Hickey (10) William Hickey (9) Spark Arena
2,750 		11–19
31 13 February Sydney L 94–120 Tyler Harvey (16) Mason Peatling (9) Froling, Harvey (5) Wollongong Entertainment Centre
5,098 		11–20
32 15 February @ Melbourne W 91–100 JaVale McGee (22) JaVale McGee (13) Quentin Peterson (6) John Cain Arena
10,175 		12–20
33 18 February @ Tasmania W 70–103 Tyler Harvey (21) Froling, McGee (10) Tyler Harvey (4) Derwent Entertainment Centre
4,340 		13–20
2025–26 season schedule

NBL Ignite Cup

Main article: 2025–26 NBL Ignite Cup

The NBL introduced the new NBL Ignite Cup tournament for the 2025–26 season, with all games except the championship final counting towards the regular-season standings.[6][7]

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PP BP Pts Qualification
1 Adelaide 36ers 4 3 1 390 329 118.5 12 21 Ignite Cup final
2 New Zealand Breakers 4 3 1 441 385 114.5 11 20
3 Perth Wildcats 4 3 1 399 365 109.3 9.5 18.5
4 Melbourne United 4 2 2 390 359 108.6 9.5 15.5
5 Tasmania JackJumpers 4 2 2 349 338 103.3 8.5 14.5
6 S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 4 2 2 408 402 101.5 8 14
7 Illawarra Hawks 4 2 2 372 397 93.7 7 13
8 Brisbane Bullets 4 1 3 334 411 81.3 6 9
9 Sydney Kings 4 1 3 350 381 91.9 5 8
10 Cairns Taipans 4 1 3 340 406 83.7 3.5 6.5
Updated to match(es) played on 28 January 2026. Source: Ignitecup.com.au


Transactions

Free agency began on 4 April 2025.[8][9]

Re-signed

Player Date Signed Contract Ref.
Daniel Grida 1 April 2025 2-year deal [10]
Mason Peatling 1 April 2025 2-year deal [11]
Todd Blanchfield 7 April 2025 3-year deal [12]
Sam Froling 29 April 2025 3-year deal [13]

Additions

Player Date Signed Contract Former team Ref.
Jackson Ball 28 July 2025 1-year deal Hawke's Bay Hawks [14]
JaVale McGee 1 August 2025 1-year deal Vaqueros de Bayamón [15]
Jonah Bolden 5 August 2025 1-year deal Capitanes de Arecibo [16]
Quentin Peterson 30 October 2025 1-year deal Xinjiang Flying Tigers [17]

Subtractions

Player Reason left Date Left New team Ref.
Lee Hyun-jung Parted ways 31 July 2025 Nagasaki Velca [18]
JaQuori McLaughlin Released 10 October 2025 n/a [19]

Awards

Club awards

  • Club MVP: JaVale McGee
  • Most Improved Player: Daniel Grida
  • Player's Player award: Daniel Grida
  • Defensive Player: Wani Swaka Lo Buluk
  • Coaches' award: Kobe McDowell-White
  • Club Person of the Year: Kumar Manix
  • Phil Driscoll OAM Volunteer of the Year Award: Bob Purcell

See also

References

  1. ^ "Line-up for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2025 in Singapore is set as ticket sales start today". FIBA Basketball. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Blitz heads to Canberra". NBL.com.au. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Canberra back on NBL agenda with hosting of Blitz". CanberraTimes.com.au. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  4. ^ Uluc, Olgun (20 June 2025). "Storylines everywhere as NBL releases schedule for 2025-26 season". ESPN Australia. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  5. ^ Jackson, Andrew (20 June 2025). "'Personal' rivalries as 'hurt' US star, five-time MVP face former teams: NBL and WNBL Schedule". Fox Sports. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  6. ^ Uluc, Olgun (7 October 2025). "NBL Ignite Cup: Everything you need to know". ESPN Australia. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  7. ^ Shadlow, Jai (7 October 2025). "'All roads lead to Gold Coast': In-season tournament reveal adds to NBL expansion rumblings". Fox Sports. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Free agency begins April 4". NBL.com.au. 19 March 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  9. ^ "NBL26 Roster Tracker: Every signing, extension and departure". NBL.com.au. 22 June 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  10. ^ "Illawarra Hawks are excited to announce the re-signing of Dan Grida on two-year deal". Illawarra Hawks | Official NBL Website. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Illawarra Hawks are excited to announce the re-signing of Mason Peatling on two-year deal". Illawarra Hawks | Official NBL Website. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Hawks lock in veteran presence". NBL.com.au. 7 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  13. ^ Uluc, Olgun (9 April 2025). "Sources: Sam Froling sticks with Hawks on three-year deal". ESPN Australia. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  14. ^ "Hawks ink rising star for NBL26". NBL.com.au. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  15. ^ Uluc, Olgun (1 August 2025). "Illawarra Hawks sign three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee". ESPN Australia. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  16. ^ Uluc, Olgun (5 August 2025). "Sources: Jonah Bolden joins Illawarra Hawks for NBL title defence". ESPN Australia. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Prolific scorer joins reigning champs". NBL.com.au. 30 October 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  18. ^ ""Lee for Three!": Hyunjung Lee Departs Hawks for Japan Opportunity". Illawarra Hawks | Official NBL Website. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  19. ^ "Hawks part ways with import guard". NBL.com.au. 10 October 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
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