Illawarra Hawks on the move again amid Victorian border closure

The Illawarra club was set to remain in Albury until January 5 to finalise preparations for its January 14 tip-off against the Phoenix. However, plans have taken a dramatic shift following the Victorian government's decision to implement a hard border closure with NSW at midnight on Friday.

The governments of Western Australia and South Australia have also implemented hard border closures with NSW and Victoria, complicating any plans to have NSW teams fly to interstate games out of Melbourne.

NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger confirmed the Phoenix will shift to Hobart along with the Breakers - who were to be based in Victoria while New Zealand border restrictions remained in place - but whether the Hawks and Kings follow remains to be seen.

"Given the current situation in Melbourne we have decided it's prudent for both clubs to relocate to Hobart and they will be accommodated and train there under strict COVID protocols," Loeliger said.

"This will give us time to assess and work through the next steps required as we prepare for the forthcoming NBL Season. We hope the current restrictions and resulting border closures will be eased as quickly as possible but we will need to stay flexible in our approach and we will continue to be guided by the advice of the relevant state health authorities.

"We are also working to move both the Sydney Kings and the Hawks from their current location in Albury given the ongoing situation in New South Wales."

The league is also considering the situation of Melbourne United, who are currently in Queensland for two preseason clashes with the Taipans on Thursday and Saturday night.

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The Hawks made the dash to Albury on Boxing Day amid Sydney's Northern Beaches outbreak, with plans to spend two weeks in a 'green zone' before moving into Victoria for preseason games and their season-opener.

Those plans have now been thrown into chaos, though Hawks co-owner and president Dorry Kordahi says the club must simply roll with the rapidly changing scenarios.

"Right now we're in Albury, our aim was to go to Melbourne eventually but Melbourne's got a couple of cases now," Kordahi said.

"The league has always been very fluid with their ability with relocations. We could go anywhere in Australia. It's all about which states are going to keep their borders open for our teams

"We're very fortunate that we've moved out of Wollongong and spent this time in Albury, in a green zone. Had we stayed in Wollongong, it would've been very detrimental to the team and the league.

"It was a good decision by the league to forward think about the risks if we did stay and how quickly it could change. This is a prime example of things moving very quickly.

"It's a challenging time for all teams, all clubs and all sports. We're in a pandemic and things are going to move very quickly."

The league has released a home and away schedule for the opening five rounds, but that will almost certainly be abandoned amid tightening restrictions around the country.

The league is also set to shift all nine teams to Melbourne for the inaugural 'NBL Cup' from February 20, with games to played exclusively in the southern capital for a month.

The league will likely move heaven and earth to see that retained given the huge outlay from the Victorian government, with the Cup also adding what could be a crucial eight games to the league's broader schedule.

Coach Brian Goorjian has said his young team is going to use the extended time on the road to its advantage and Kordahi says success in a revamped season will depend on its ability to do so.

"The team that's going to adjust and adapt to this kind of season is the one that'll win a title," Kordahi said.

"We're all in the same boat, the ones that can adapt in this climate and turn a negative into a positive are the ones that are going to win games. We're treating it as a boot camp and it's about mindset.

"We've got take the positives for what they are and not worry about the negatives because we can't fix them, we can't fix COVID, we can't manage what states are doing.

"I've spoken closely with Goorj and we're just looking to embrace this experience. We're going to be with each other 24-7 and, when we get out there on the floor, we're going to have that connection and that harmony more than any other club."