Hawks Vs Kings Post Game Wrap

Illawarra coach Justin Tatum remains unbeaten against Sydney after the Hawks overcame a late fightback to see off their arch-rivals 86-79 at a sold out WEC on Saturday night. 

With the ‘house full’ sign erected well in advance of tip-off, Illawarra built a 19-point cushion with four minutes remaining in the third term, only for Sydney to get back within two with 3.26 left on the clock. 

It made for some nervous moments for the Hawks faithful, but their side steadied to score 11 of the final 17 points to notch a home win and halt a two-game losing slide that sees them in third spot at 7-4 heading into the FIBA window. 

Having implored his team to rediscover the graft and grind that has marked his tenure as coach, Tatum was most pleased to see his side keep a team with the Kings’ arsenal under 80 points. 

“I just take my hat off to our practices this week at the Snakepit,” Tatum said. 

“I think that we had really good practice, we got after each other, we had to go back to the basics with this group and then it showed tonight. 

“Mainly, the effort was there. We didn't see that the last couple of weeks. 

“I [saw] multiple efforts, we chased some rebounds down, there was times when we got on the floor. Those things we weren't doing in the past couple of weeks. 

“They really wanted it more than the Sydney Kings, so I tip my hat off to my team.”  

 Lee cameo a game-changer 

“They lost track of one of the best three-point shooters in the league."

That was Tatum’s summation of HJ Lee’s 11-point explosion in less than two minutes midway through the second quarter. It saw the Hawks shoot out to a lead they never surrendered after the scores were locked at 32 apiece.  

Lee went 4-4 from the field and 2-2 from the line to notch 14 of his 16 points in the final five minutes of the first half as the Hawks led by nine at the break. On a night on which regular offensive focal points Tyler Harvey (13 points) and Trey Kell (19 points) were a combined 7-20 from the field, it was a vital cameo. 

 “HJ came out here and opened the game up for us,” Tatum said. 

“We needed some three-point shooting. They were really tight on Trey and Tyler a little bit … when he gets going anything can happen.”  

With the ability to produce those match-swinging showings, and effort plays like the put-back of a wayward Lachlan Olbrich lay-up that took the never surrendered lead, it’s little wonder the Korean sharpshooter has become a fan favourite in Wollongong. 

“I always expect the crowd is going to go crazy, I always love the crowd and playing here,” Lee said. 

“I was really focusing on just getting to the corner and spacing out [the floor]. 

“The assistant coaches told me to stay in the corner and that’ll just make the team better, so that's an easy job for me. 

“I was just spacing out, just reading the game, and luckily my teammates found me open and set good screens, so shout out to my teammates. 

“Once you get all the trust level from your teammates your confidence level goes up and I think our chemistry is really good on the court, and off the court as well.”  

Lee’s 16 points came on a night his team did it by committee, with four of the starting five notching double digits. In addition to Kell and Harvey, Sam Froling had 14 points with six rebounds and three assists. 

Wani Swaka Lo Buluk had 12 points at 5-8 and six rebounds but, as usual, his effort at the defensive end was most telling, playing a major role in a 7-20 night from the field for Kings’ former MVP Jaylen Adams – who was 1-10 from two-point range. 

Welcome jump in free-throw column 

Kell’s 19 points came at 4-12 shooting, but 9-10 from the line, with his ability to regularly find the stripe essential for the Hawks in a season where they’ve notably struggled to get to the foul-line. 

Going 24-34 from the stripe would not have been pleasing for Tatum, but its progress of a kind given it was10 more trips than they made in losses to Perth and Adelaide combined. 

“I told my big guys to keep playing off two feet, showing the ball a little bit, guards when you get in that paint show and play off two,” Tatum said. 

“Unless you’ve got a wide-open layup, play through the contact, if we get it we get it, if we don't, come on down let's find a way to get a stop. It was a blessing to get to the free throw line that much.”  

 FIBA break a chance to reboot. 

 Tatum admits the FIBA window, and the toll it could potentially take on his squad has given him “nightmares.” Sam Froling, Will Hickey and Lachlan Olbrich have all been called up for national duty while Lee will suit up for his native South Korea.

“I lose about forty per cent of my team for the next 10 days and I get them back two days before we play the number one team in the league in New Zealand,” Tatum said. 

“But I'm really happy for those guys and the opportunity that they have. 

“I'm pushing for it, at the end of the day I'm proud of what these guys can do for their country and the opportunity they have down the road. 

“When they get back, we'll figure it out, but right now I’m just keeping my thumbs up for those guys and the opportunity [they have].” 

The Hawks will be back in action on the other side of the FIBA break when they host New Zealand at the WEC on November 28.