Hawks' "Belief" Not Faltering

Illawarra coach Jacob Jackomas has called for calm after his side’s round three loss to New Zealand, with the coach insisting the Hawks’ poor form is just an early season blip.

The Hawks have opened the season with a 1-4 record, with Monday night’s 26-point loss to the Breakers marking the lowest point for the team in the early stages of the NBL23 campaign.

Co-captains Tyler Harvey and Sam Froling once again struggled to influence proceedings, while the rebounding prowess of the Breakers saw them outscore Illawarra 24-8 on fast-break points.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Full time here in Wollongong <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HawkNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HawkNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/IO3QAmZK3k">pic.twitter.com/IO3QAmZK3k</a></p>&mdash; Illawarra Hawks Basketball (@illawarrahawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks/status/1581951868422742017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jackomas says he won’t change his preparation for games despite the slump.

“I don’t think we’re going to soul-search, I don’t think we’re going to have meetings on meetings. We’re going to get to what we usually do,” Jackomas said.

“We’re not going to change anything we do – I think that’s a sign of desperation and a sign of no belief. We have belief and we have a piece coming in. If we start doing stuff like that it’s just not where we need to go.

“We got enough talent in the room and we believe in each other … we’ll be fine.”

Despite having established NBL talents Tim Coenraad and Kevin White on the bench along with import George King and the emerging Alex Mudronja and Mangok Mathiang, Jackomas has called for more consistency from his second unit.

While Illawarra’s scoring struggles aren’t just limited to those who start the game on the pine, he says those players he calls on are struggling to impact games.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">???? ???? ?<br><br>It&#39;s been a tough second quarter for the <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@illawarrahawks</a>, but Will Hickey finishes it in style ?<br><br>Catch the second half of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> action live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel. <a href="https://t.co/2ygSTfIteb">pic.twitter.com/2ygSTfIteb</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1581937862895104001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“I thought when we made subs it went a bit downhill. The bench has been pretty good when they’ve come in – they’ve created energy,” he said.

“The biggest thing that’s concerning me right now is getting a scope on who’s going to do well in the game.

“I’m struggling to figure out who I can go to that’s a consistent piece. Maybe I need to be a little bit smarter and the boys have got to show me a little bit more, so I’m not just putting it on them.”

“We need to figure out where we go when we go into little slumps.”

Largely due to the intense, blanket defence played by New Zealand guard Izayah Le’afa, Tyler Harvey once again struggled to hit the scoreboard like he has the potential to against the Breakers.

The star import shot just 5/15 for the game, and despite top scoring for the Hawks on the night he finished the game with five turnovers.

While Harvey has echoed Jackomas’ sentiments of belief in the side, he’s also backing himself to return to scoring form.

“We have the pieces, we have the belief, it’s a tough time right now there’s no doubt about that, but our belief in our team, each other and the coaches doesn’t go anywhere,” Harvey said.

“If there’s one thing I know about myself it’s I don’t have a problem scoring – it’s nothing really I worry about too much.

“We have to figure out as a team how to get everybody involved and get our offence going.

“For me individually, I don’t worry about scoring, it will come to me – it always has and always will and my track record proves that. We’ve got to get some wins, and it starts with defence with us.”

The Hawks will look to snap their losing streak on Monday night when they host the winless Brisbane Bullets.