'I made a promise to this city': Harvey's mission to be a man of his word

A new three-year deal is a giant leap of faith for both the 30-year-old sharp-shooter, and the 45-year-old club, but the former NCAA scoring leader had a pretty simple explanation when the freshly inked contract was unveiled on Friday - he's a man of his word.

"To sign for those first three years to come back here (in 2021), I wanted to do something special," Harvey said.

"I made a promise to this city that I was going to help bring a championship here. I like to be a man of my word and I like to keep good on my promises.

"It just hasn't sat right with me that we haven't been able to deliver that for this community, because it deserves that. I want to make good on that.

"JT (coach Justin Tatum) is the man to lead us to that direction. Everything that he brought to us last year, and the way he helped change the culture around here, helped change our season around.

"I want to go to war with him again for another three years and pursue our goal."

Given the franchise has reached the final four in three of Harvey's four seasons in Wollongong, his retention was always a top priority for the club, but the California native's leadership qualities at its lowest ebb played no small role in it going all in.

"I think in his four years with the club he's missed one game," CEO Stu Taggart said.

"Through those four years he's been at the club we've been consistent in terms of finals appearances. We had one tough year, and Tyler was the face of that. As co-captain, he fronted up through good times and bad and that just shows his true character."

Fresh off another trip to the post-season - and certainly the most compelling of his three as a Hawk - Harvey said those hard times of a 5-32 run before Tatum's ascension to the head coaching role were where his true bond with the Hawks faithful was forged.

"The true test of your character as a man is how you are when things aren't going your way," Harvey said.

"Within basketball, within a season, within a couple of seasons, you're going to experience some things that aren't going to be pleasant. You're going to have stretches where you're not playing well, you're going to have stretches where the team is not doing well.

"You can shy away from it and only want to be the face when things are going well, and that's easy to do. My whole journey as a basketball player and as a person, things have never been easy for me. I enjoy the struggle.

"When I first got here, the team was coming off a really tough season and our goal was to bring that winning culture back here. That's what I wanted to do [again], I wanted to make a commitment to this city to let them know that I'm a loyal guy, I love this community.

"I love being out there, going to school visits, walking around the city, talking to the fans. It's something that I enjoy, and I enjoy winning in this place as well."

That, more than longevity, is the legacy he's most bent on leaving.

"This is the first place that I ever had a long term deal at," he said.

"As a player, it's tough to find a place where they really want you and they appreciate you. I felt that from day one here, but obviously chips have to fall the right way for things to work out. Fortunately for me the have.

"I hadn't been a free agent in three years, so the whole process was a tough process, but I'm extremely happy that it ended up working out here because this place is home to me. I love this community, it's been an honour to call this place home.

"There was a buzz about this place last year. For us to have the season we did, it brought a lot of joy to a lot of people. I felt that, and I want to have that year after year after year.

"I'm committed to keeping this train going with JT at the helm and bringing a championship here."