"We’re no one’s little brother" - Coach Tatum

That’s the blunt take of Illawarra coach Justin Tatum heading into Saturday’s Freeway Series clash with arch-rivals Sydney. While he’s well aware of the rivalry, its origins as a big brother-little brother showdown remain utterly foreign to the Hawks coach. 

It stands to reason given Tatum is 3-0 against the Kings, with all three victories coming on the road. Saturday’s showdown at the Sandpit will be his first home Freeway Series outing and, while he’s happy for fans to continue a long-simmering feud, Tatum’s focus is on returning to the winner’s circle. 

“I'm glad it is a rivalry to bring the fans out and hopefully get our guys going a little bit more, but at the end of the day it's another basketball game we need to win,” Tatum said. 

“I understand there’s a Freeway Series we want to bring back to Wollongong, but my thing is to get to these playoffs and win a chip. I can probably engage in all those [rivalries] after we have our own success.  

“Sydney’s had a lot of success, there’s a [overall] record gap, I get that, but this is a new modern-day thing we don't look at it as we’re little brothers of Sydney or anybody. 

“There ain’t no big brother or little brother in my eyes no matter who we’re up against, and I want my guys playing like that.”  

Tatum has the same take on his head-to-head battle with Kings coach Brian Goorjian, who’ll return to Wollongong in rival colours for the first time since taking the Hawks on consecutive playoff runs in his last stint as an NBL coach. 

While they’re polar opposites in the resume stakes, the rookie and the vet do share some striking similarities having both taken the Hawks from franchise-low campaigns to the playoffs in the space of a single season.  

Tatum holds the six-time championship-winner in high regard, but not at the expense of his relentless competitive streak. 

“As a coach it’s an honour to be on a sideline with somebody who has so many accolades knowing that, if I stay on path, I can be somewhat like it or even better,” Tatum said.  

“Me being on the same sideline with somebody who's had so much success is great, but at the end of the day we’ve got to find a way to get a win.  

“The respect factor is there, but it's not to the point where it makes me not want to be the better coach or get my team to win. I want to kick their tail every time I'm on the sideline.” 

The Hawks have lost three straight games just once since Tatum took over and will be looking to avoid that fate against the Kings on Saturday. It will require a sense of urgency Tatum did not need to conjure when he took over as an interim coach at 2-7 this time last year.  

He’ll be looking for a return to the same tooth-and-nail fighting principles that drove his team’s run from last place to the playoffs last season.  

“It's a lot different because now guys might feel that we're going to go to the playoffs no matter what, but it's not set in stone,” Tatum said. 

“I want to build that sense of urgency I want to bring that dog, that competitive nature, back into these guys and see them enjoy playing with each other because I didn't see it on Sunday [against Adelaide]. I saw a lot of individuals, a lot of ‘I'm going to do it on my own’ type of deal.  

“We talked it out and the guys are pretty disappointed about our effort and how we played so hopefully we won't see it again this year.” 

After setting a cracking offensive pace this season, the Hawks have been defensively lacklustre in consecutive losses. Tatum makes no secret of where he wants to see a response on Saturday night.  

“I think we're just a bit caught up on the offensive end thinking ‘hey, we're going to outscore you no matter what so I'm going to give you minimal effort on the defensive end’ and that's unacceptable,” Tatum said. 

“I'm going to make sure that I find eight or nine guys who are going to be able to guard their yard for as long as they can and give us the best chance to win a game. Whoever that is, those are the guys that are going to be out there to help us because defence is my thing.”  

Tip-off at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday is at 8:00 pm, doors from 7:00 pm.