Round 2: Hawks vs Phoenix

Thursday night hoops return to the WIN Entertainment Centre as your Illawarra Hawks welcome the South East Melbourne Phoenix to the Gong.

The Hawks pushed the defending champion Sydney Kings to the brink in the season opener and will build on the positives of Saturday night’s performance in search of their first win of the new season.

Questions on the Hawks’ depth were answered emphatically, led by local product Lachie Dent, who had a career-high 19 points on a perfect 7-7 shooting performance.

Dent, George King, Tim Coenraad, and Mangok Mathiang provided a much-needed spark off the Hawks bench and will be important pieces again on Thursday night for Jacob Jackomas and his coaching staff.

The Phoenix overcame the Tasmanian Jack Jumpers to open their NBL23 account at home.

Phoenix co-captain Kyle Adnam had a career night on his way to a 30-point performance, while Mitch Creek was his usual damaging self with a 23-point, 6-rebound outing.

Keep a Hawk eye on

 Sam Froling. After an off-season that saw him start for the Asian Cup-winning national team, Froling is ready to establish himself as a leading big man in the competition.

The 22-year-old, in his fourth season in the Illawarra, has taken on extra responsibility after being named a co-captain alongside Tyler Harvey.

Froling’s length has always seen him excel on the defensive end of the floor. However, at the offensive end, his game continues to develop, working with Assistant Coach Paul Mellett to extend his range and become a consistent perimeter threat.

With the ability to anchor the defence, rebound and start the break, and keep the scoreboard ticking over on the offensive side of the ball, Froling will continue to be a key cog in the Hawks’ system in NBL23.

 Opposition Watch

 The Phoenix enters their fourth season in the NBL, having missed the playoffs for the first time in their short history.

They are led again by Mitch Creek, Kyle Adnam, and Ryan Broekhoff, providing stability to a team that welcomes three new imports to the NBL23 roster.

Having missed several key players in their opening-round win against the Jack Jumpers, the Phoenix will be hoping for some good news on the injury front as they take on a hungry Hawks team.

 Protect the Pit

We are calling on all of Hawk Nation to turn out in force and "Protect the Pit."

Tip-off 7:30 pm – tickets from $30, and $70 for families, available through Ticketmaster now.