Illawarra Hawks coach Brian Goorjian has conceded the team isn’t having fun as they’ve dropped out of the top four.

The Hawks have lost three of their past four games after Monday night’s heartbreaking last second defeat to a heavily shorthanded South East Melbourne Phoenix.

Goorjian says the club must unlock a mindset they’ve never had before if they want to get back to a championship contending level.

“It's not fun right now and basketball isn't always fun. This situation that we're in is good for the development of this program and the development of this team,” Goorjian said.

“We're definitely not having fun right now but that's not a bad thing. It's part of getting tough, getting nasty, going to some place where we haven't been before and playing under pressure.”

Illawarra took the league by surprise last season and soared to a semi-finals berth, which heightened expectations heading into this year.

Goorjian has explained how there is a different vibe amongst the group this season and it’s on them to try and turn it around. 

“It's a different situation completely from last year,” the master coach said.

“Last year, we were like the JackJumpers, you’re playing with the seat of your pants and the world is your oyster. And everything you do, everybody's clapping.

“Now, we've accomplished something, we've added, and now we're trying to hit with the big boys and we're under the microscope.

“It's an area that this organisation, over the course of time, has not been good (at).

“It isn't fun right now. It's definitely not fun, it's stressful, it's tough. You're getting hit mentally.”

The Hawks will look to turn their season around on Saturday night when they host the Cairns Taipans at 5:30pm AEDT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.