Founders Award Just Reward for Lee

I guess for Ringwood Hawks Youth League Men’s Coach Russell Lee, he was a little bit smarter than most us. Lee figured out a teenager that he was not going to be a successful NBA or NBL player and decided to do something he thought he could be very good at, coaching. This was a stroke of luck for the Hawks who this week announced that Lee has been awarded the prestigious “Founders Award” for 2021.

For the past 12 years, Lee has either been an assistant or head coach of the Hawks successful Youth Men’s program and Under 21s coach. Most of those seasons were as YYCM head coach where we he has continued to develop Hawks kids to reach their potential and goals whilst also winning at a consistent rate.

Lee is a teacher by trade and this has no doubt helped him become the premier Youth League coach in Big V. There have been countless kids either head to college in the USA or make their way through to NBL1 or Big V programs.

“Whether it’s helping another Hawks junior coach or pushing a young player to be better, Russ is all about it.” Hawks NBL1 coach Ken Harrington said.

“His support around the club has been profound on every level.”

Lee didn’t start at Youth level, he cut his teeth coaching in the Hawks junior program before current Hawks NBL1 assistant coach Mark Sutton and Youth Head coach at the time, bought Lee in as his assistant.

“You could see he was doing a great job with his junior team and he always seemed wise beyond his years. He fitted right in.” Sutton said.

With the Hawks large junior program, Lee has always been the first to put his hand up to assist junior coaches who have questions or oversee the difficult VJBL tryouts process. His support of the Hawks Big V Championship team and NBL1 team has also been a key reason the Hawks have enjoyed so much success over the past decade. Lee is simply the glue that holds great Clubs together.

The Committee of the Ringwood Basketball Association wish to congratulate Russell Lee on his award and will make a formal presentation at a more appropriate time in the near future.