'Hawks have championship formula'

It’s a busy round of NBL action and once Friday night is completed, all eyes will be on the Freeway Series matchup on Sunday afternoon.

The rivalry between the Sydney Kings and the Illawarra Hawks continues to grow, but perhaps this season it will be as competitive as it’s ever been.

“They’ve got a deep roster,” Alice Kunek said of the Hawks on NBL Now.

“I think they're really going to impress us this season. And I think they've got scoring ability and they’ve got a strong inside presence.”

“They’ve got a Sydney Kings type roster.”

The Hawks will host the Brisbane Bullets on Friday, before traveling down to Qudos Bank Arena to take on their city rival.

After their strong performance in Round 1, Illawarra no longer looks like the team that won just three games two seasons ago.

“I wouldn't say it's that underdog mentality anymore. It's like that next level of underdog mentality, whatever that is,” Kunek said.

“They still play that blue collar style of basketball. It's nothing fancy. They just work. They’re always in games. Even if they’re down four to six points, it never goes further than that. They always keep it close.”

New import Darius Days impressed in his first game for his new club, putting up 20 points and 12 rebounds against Cairns.

“Everyone's just been super-impressed with Darius Days,” Kunek added.

“From day one he’s been alert. He was engaged with his teammates. He was hustling. He was rebounding. He was passing the ball. He just seems like a great guy and, the perfect fit for that team.”

It was a 27-point margin in the end for Illawarra to begin their NBL25 campaign with a win, and while their offensive performances stood out on the box score, it was the other end which caught Kunek’s attention.

“They kept Cairns to 75 points. And if you can keep teams to 75 points in the NBL, that's a championship-winning formula right there.”