The Sandpit is meant to strike fear into Illawarra's opponents, but the Perth Wildcats will be buoyed by happy memories heading into game two of the NBL grand final series on Wednesday night.
The Wildcats are 1-0 up in the best-of-five series after beating the Hawks 89-77 at Perth Arena on Sunday.
Illawarra now have the chance to exact revenge on their home court, and their hopes will be boosted by the return of import Marvelle Harris.
Harris missed game one after flying to the US to be with his seriously ill father.
But Hawks general manager Kim Welch confirmed Harris was due to arrive back in Wollongong on Wednesday morning, and would suit up for the match.
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The home team has won 23 of the past 25 grand final games, and the Hawks will be cheered on by a sellout crowd.
But the Wildcats are hardly quaking in their boots.
In fact, Perth credit their game in Wollongong on New Year's eve as the turning point of their season.
Down an import and with skipper Damian Martin still injured, the Wildcats pulled off up upset 95-87 win over the Hawks at the WIN Entertainment Centre.
It helped spark Perth's remarkable surge from last spot into the grand final.
Perth also won finals in Wollongong in both 2013 and 2014, giving Gleeson's charges plenty of confidence heading into Wednesday night's showdown.
"It was a really big game for us," Gleeson said of that New Year's eve clash.
"If we lose that game, we don't get home court in the finals, and we probably don't make the finals.
"It was a big point for us to make a stand, and we did that with the roster we had.
"A few of the older guys have been there a couple of times in the finals and played.
"I remember Shawn Redhage hit about five or six threes there when we won in 2014.
"So we have some happy memories there, and hopefully they get rekindled tomorrow night."
Hawks coach Rob Beveridge labelled his team soft after they lost the offensive rebound count 17-3 in the grand final opener.
Illawarra's players have vowed to bounce back, and Beveridge is hopeful their fighting spirit will shine through.
Centre AJ Ogilvy, who was restricted by an ankle injury in game one, is expected to play more minutes on Wednesday night as the Hawks attempt to level the series.
"I expect our players to lift," Beveridge said.
"I'm very proud of what we've achieved. But we're not ready just to be content with being in a grand final."
Gleeson said his team would be wary of Harris, despite the American's rushed preparation for the game.
"He's a quality player," Gleeson said.
"Sometimes it's better to get out on the court and leave everything else aside."
