Quest for Adrian Hurley Cup tips off this Saturday

By Matt McQuade

 

You hear this statement a lot – games between the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks have always been special.

And maybe you might think it’s a bit overblown.

But the fact is that ever since the purple and gold began play in the National Basketball League in 1988, there has been that extra bit of spice; that raised intensity and increased physicality whenever the Kings and Hawks square off.

There’s no question it’s a rivalry that has stood the test of time.

Illawarra is the only franchise to boast an unbroken history in the NBL. From the league’s inception in 1979, the Hawks have been there.

Association-born and based in what is a blue-collar, working-class region, Illawarra has delighted over the years in sticking it to the big city interlopers. The old semi-joke used to go that new Hawks’ players or coaches were told by the Illawarra faithful that they didn’t care about how well they performed during the season, just so long as they beat Sydney.

It’s an attitude that exists to this day – and it’s that kind of passion that makes games between the Hawks and the Kings so compelling.

It’s also something that has filtered down to association level. The Illawarra association – based out of the infamous Snakepit in Beaton Park – has always delighted in knocking off the likes of the Sydney Comets and the Bankstown Bruins, two associations that share significant DNA with the Kings through their connection to old Sydney NBL clubs the Sydney Supersonics and the West Sydney Westars.

Of late, this rivalry even gone to yet another level.

Both ownership groups have been sniping at one another through both traditional media and social media over the past couple of weeks. There’s a genuine enmity between the two organisations and some heavy shots have been fired in both directions as we head into a Round Two blockbuster on Saturday night at Qudos Bank Arena.

Over the years, there has always been the odd confrontation of this nature between the Kings and the Hawks. And it isn’t just for show. This thing is real – especially right now. Saturday night will be a game played at near playoff intensity – you better believe the Hawks want nothing more than to come into the Hoops Capital and send a message.

And the Kings know what’s coming. They’ll be ready.

It will be a battle for the ages.

It’s also going to be the start of a seasonal battle for something other than just bragging rights – something tangible.

The Adrian Hurley Cup.

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Created in the 2015/2016 NBL season to honour one of the seminal figures in New South Wales basketball and fought out over the regular season series between the clubs in each season, the Cup has belonged to the Kings for the past five seasons after Illawarra claimed the inaugural trophy.

In NBL21, Sydney memorably retained the Cup with a sensational road win at the WIN Entertainment Centre, led by a pair of awesome performances from Xavier Cooks and Jarell Martin.

And while the NBL22 title is of course the main goal for both the Kings and the Hawks, the Adrian Hurley Cup is something Illawarra would love to have back, particularly given they would need to beat Sydney in the Kings-Hawks regular season series to do so.

“There’s no doubt they want it back,” said Sydney Kings CEO Chris Pongrass.

“They didn’t want to present it to us last year.”

“I joke that the Cup has been collecting dust on a shelf in our office, but we’ve cleaned it up and it’s ready to go this season.”

“It’s important that we highlight what Adrian Hurley did for the sport in this state and in this country, but the main thing is that the Hawks want to take it back and we’re keen to bring it back home.”

Despite the fact the current Sydney Kings squad is a relatively young group, with six new players and a new head coach, the team is well aware of the importance of winning these games against the Hawks and understands the history of what is now the biggest rivalry in the National Basketball League.

“I think one of the first things that (Sydney Kings Chairman) Paul Smith told the guys is that there are a couple of games that we really want to win every year. One is Perth, but particularly Illawarra,” Chris said.

“Having the Hawks so close to us means that there’s a real desire to show who is the number one team in New South Wales. These new guys coming in know about the history of the rivalry and that trophy, and having a couple of Wollongong natives on the roster I think also drives that in.”

“Everyone is very much on board and is locked in on both getting the win on Saturday and then retaining the Cup at the end of the season.”

“One of the biggest drivers of this rivalry is wanting to retain the Cup. Obviously, we want to win every single game, but being able to take that Cup home year in and year out in what is a bitter rivalry with the guys just down the road – we always want to prove who the best team is in New South Wales.”

But what of the man whose name adorns the Adrian Hurley Cup? What does he mean to basketball in New South Wales and what are his connections to both franchises?

The resume of Adrian ‘Doc’ Hurley is astounding.

After a playing career that began in Wollongong in the 1960s, he became the Illawarra Hawks head coach in 1980, before moving to Canberra to become the foundation head coach of the Australian Institute of Sport in 1981, a position he held for nearly a decade.

Highly respected worldwide for his coaching acumen, he was the Head Coach of the Australian Boomers from 1985 to 1992, leading them in two Olympics and two World Championships. Memorably, he led Australia to a fourth-place finish at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 – the first time Australia appeared in the medal rounds at the Olympics.

At NBL level he won a championship with the Perth Wildcats in 1995 with another Grand Final appearance in 1993, coached the Hunter Pirates to a playoff appearance in the 2004/05 season and was an assistant coach with the Sydney Kings for two years, not to mention one of the very first WNBL head coaches when the competition opened in 1981.

Adrian was the President of Basketball NSW and has been honoured with several accolades, including the Order of Australia, entry into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame and the NBL Coach of the Year award, plus had the honour of being a torch bearer at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

A Life Member of the Illawarra Basketball Association and Basketball Australia, he truly is one the greats. This is a man who has done an enormous amount for the sport in this country, and particularly New South Wales.

Back in 2018, ‘Doc’ Hurley talked about his thoughts on having his name on a cup that is fought out between two teams and regions he has had a lot to do with during his remarkable career in the sport.

“To be honest, I think there’s a lot of people more deserving than me to have their name on the cup,” he said.

“It’s humbling and quite surprising.”

“The funny thing is that when I was around, Sydney was always the enemy. As the little brother in Wollongong, we always wanted to beat the Sydney teams like the Supersonics.”

“Then out of the blue a few years back (ex-Kings Head Coach) Damian Cotter asked me to work with the Kings, which was a real switch.”

“But basketball is basketball. When Damian rang, I was quite flattered, and I enjoyed working with players like Angus Brandt and Jason Cadee.”

“I really became a Kings’ fan then, but I still have connections with both clubs. It’s an honour to have something named after you and I guess a recognition for what I’ve done in basketball in New South Wales.”

‘Doc’ also highlighted the importance of these Kings-Hawks games to all the associations and their members in both the greater Sydney and Illawarra regions.

“I was Chairman of BNSW for five years and the first Director of Coaching in New South Wales,” he said.

“So, I had a lot to do with the associations, and I got to know a great deal of people. It was something I was really passionate about and I thought we achieved a lot there in that time.”

“One thing was I really tried to get the associations to work together.”

“So, this has been a great initiative from Basketball New South Wales, the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks to keep driving those connections from the associations to both the Kings and the Hawks.”

This Saturday night at Qudos Bank Arena, Game One of the BNSW Adrian Hurley Cup for NBL22 will be fought out between two teams with rich history and an intense rivalry that has been built up over three decades. And you best believe that every game this season between the Kings and the Hawks will be must-see events.

There’s a lot on the line. Pride is at stake. And a cup to be won.

 

Don’t miss Game One of the Adrian Hurley Cup this Saturday night at Qudos Bank Arena, as the Sydney Kings take on the Illawarra Hawks in what will be a war on the floor! Tickets are selling fast, but seats are still available via Ticketek.

 

DR ADRIAN HURLEY CUP

YEAR BY YEAR

2015/2016 season – Illawarra wins series 4-0. Hawks win

2016/2017 season – Sydney wins series 3-1. Kings win

2017/2018 season – Series tied 2-2. Kings retain

2018/2019 season – Series tied 2-2. Kings retain

2019/2020 season – Sydney wins series 3-1. Kings retain

2020/2021 season – Series tied 2-2. Kings retain