Hawks Welcome Famous Name

Experienced coach Justin Tatum has joined the Illawarra Hawks as its North American scout and special advisor to basketball operations.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Hawks are pleased to welcome Coach Tatum to Australia on an upcoming trip! ??<br><br>He will share his 18 years of coaching experience with junior and senior athletes and established and emerging coaches, with formal dates and locations announced shortly. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HawkNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HawkNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/TVi9RPduRr">pic.twitter.com/TVi9RPduRr</a></p>&mdash; Illawarra Hawks Basketball (@illawarrahawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks/status/1630404693708132352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Over the course of his coaching career, Justin has contributed to the Nike Elite Basketball League, multiple state championships in his home state of Missouri, and is currently an associate head coach for St Louis’ Global Women’s Basketball Association side – the St Louis Surge.

Tatum will also travel to Australia on an upcoming trip.

“I am looking forward to my visit 'down under' and working with the players and coaches in Illawarra and Sydney,” Tatum said.

“Basketball has played such a huge part in my and my family’s life, and the opportunity to share the lessons and learnings the game has taught me is a welcome one.

“Basketball in Australia and the Asia Pacific is experiencing unprecedented growth. I’m excited to see Australia’s love for the game first-hand and the work the Hawks are executing in this space.”

Tatum’s son, Jayson, currently plays for the Boston Celtics in the NBA. 

After being taken with the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Jayson has accumulated four NBA All-Star appearances, and All-Star game MVP award and an All-NBA First Team Selection.