Spotlight on Lachlan Dent

To many Illawarra Hawks fans, you could consider him the poster boy. With one of the loudest cheers when he hits the court, Dent’s presence always brings an extra punch. It’s hard not to ignore the hometown support the 22-year-old has behind him.

Born in Campbelltown, Dent moved to Wollongong at a young age, and is a familiar face to the Illawarra. With the likes of Angus Glover and Xavier Cooks, Dent attended Holy Spirit College, a school in the heart of Illawarra’s Northern suburbs.

Playing all his junior hoops in the Illawarra system, Dent excelled, representing both NSW Country and Australia in the under 17’s division alongside fellow Hawks teammate Sam Froling in Zaragoza.

Shortly after, Dent decided to test the waters in the AFL, spending much of 2018 in the Sydney Swans Academy playing NEAFL and featured in an U18’s National game. Whilst it was a great experience for Dent, it ultimately led him back to basketball.

Through hard work and dedication, the Hawks recruited Dent who was signed with the Hawks for one year as a training player in the NBL20 season.

“My agent just kind of called me and said, ‘we've got some good news for ya’. I just yelled some expletives out. I was just so happy,” Dent said.

Dent would debut at the age of 19, playing two games in his first season, while in NBL21 and 22, Dent played a combined 18 games.

Dent was limited to just 12 minutes of play in NBL22, a portion of his total 66 minutes in his NBL career. Dent was hungry for more opportunity, and Illawarra Hawks fans were about to be treated to a lot more of the point guard in NBL23. 

Off the back of a successful NBL22, the Hawks season opener against the Kings on October 1 marked the long-awaited return of basketball in the Illawarra. With the WIN Entertainment Centre at near capacity and an intense rivalry at an all-time high, the night had finally arrived.

The game between the Freeway Series rivals ebbed and flowed, but always remained close. For much of the first half, the Hawks were trailing. Head Coach Jacob Jackomas needed to make a change and called for Dent.

The Illawarra native embraced the call and provided incredible punch off the bench. 19 points, 3 rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes of game play was nothing short of impressive. Much of those buckets were timely, whether it was to change the momentum of the game or to push the Hawks in front.

After picking up an injury in the opening game, Hawks import Justin Robinson was declared out for the rest of the 23 season, marking the beginning of Dent’s best season thus far.

In his first three games for the Hawks in NBL23, Dent played more minutes than his previous three seasons combined. In fact, the point guard played 25 of the 28 possible games in NBL23, playing a significant role within the team.

Dent proved to be a dependable mainstay for the Hawks in NBL23 through stand-out performances such as against the Kings on 15 January. The team was down by 11 points with 5 minutes to play in the game, and were looking for offensive punch.

Enter Lachlan Dent.

With nothing to lose, Dent shot the ball with great confidence, shooting two clutch threes along with some help from Tyler Harvey to tie the game with a minute of play left. The Hawks would go on to lose the game, but people will remember the last placed Hawks pushing the title favourites Kings to the final seconds of the game, a feat they previously pulled off earlier in the season. 

"It's nice to have some confidence, to play at this level and know that I can do it", Dent said. 

"It's about doing it consistently now and learning each game. I feel like I have the shot, and I feel like I can pass the ball. There's always stuff we're working on but it's exciting". 

Four of five imports succumbed to season ending injuries, leaving the broader Hawks roster as the least experienced side during the NBL 23 season. However, the team remained competitive, and Dent played an integral part in ensuring Hawks fans filled the WIN Entertainment Centre regardless of their record.

While NBL23 wasn’t the most successful season on the court, they certainly kept the Hawks faithful entertained, that including the success of Lachlan Dent.

Off the back of his best season in the NBL, Dent will be playing NBL1 for the Brisbane Capitals, tipping off this weekend on Saturday 25 of March.