'We've made huge strides': West Yorkshire Hawks eyeing progress on and off basketball court

So says Mark Mills, West Yorkshire Hawks founder and former head coach.

The sun has only just started rising for the Hawks as they compete in their second season in National League Basketball in September.

Mills, who coached the squad in its first year to get them off the ground, took a step back in the summer and passed the reins to Danny Byrne who’s only lost one game so far this season.

Mills has used his extra time to expand the club and launch a women’s team playing in the local league.

“We’re working alongside a local league club in Deighton, we’ve launched West Yorkshire Hawks Deighton women’s team in the local league, which has been amazing,” said Mills.

“Women’s basketball in this county is completely under-represented, under invested, so it’s great that we’re able to start contributing towards that.

“We have aspirations of hopefully getting them to a National League standard either next season or the season after, and building out, hopefully, a pathway for girls’ basketball as well.”

Diversifying the club also ran nicely alongside the crowds they were getting at games, where around 150 people would come to watch the senior men’s team play at the University of Huddersfield.

“It has a really wonderful diverse mix within our crowd, such an inclusive environment, and we provide real good value,” said Mills, who helped launch Leeds Force from Leeds Carnegie University more than a decade ago.

“We know there’s a cost-of-living crisis. It isn’t easy right now for everyone, but people still deserve to have some fun nights out with their family.”

There has only been the one instance this season where the fans have witnessed a loss for the men but generally the team is on the up in National League Division Three.

“It was one of those days when nothing went our way, and we just didn’t really deliver a performance we know we’re capable of,” added Mills of the 90-56 defeat to Newcastle Knights.

“Outside of that game, in league play, we’ve been very, very impressive winning games by 20, 30, 40 points. I think we are where we should be right now.”

Of course, earning wins like these can only mean positives for the future of the men’s team.

“We should be in contention for top spot in the division and potentially promotion to Division Two, which would be amazing after just two years of even existing for us to achieve that,” added Mills, who has prioritised recruiting homegrown players.

“As long as they come to the floor, commit to what they’re doing, and give everything they’ve got, then that’s great. That’s what the fans want. You speak to fans of any team in any sport, that’s all they want.

“They want to see a team who care and give everything they’ve got when they’re playing and the results will be the results.”

The development that the club has made, on and off the court, is what Mills is most proud of and his ambitions for the team reflect that.

“It feels like we’ve got a strong enough team to push for a promotion,” said Mills, with the men’s team hosting Stockport Falcons in Division Three at the University of Huddersfield on Saturday night.

“But it’s not success or failure at the end of the season if we don’t get promoted. We’ve made huge strides and will continue to do so.”