Harvey and Robinson Can Be “Special”

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Illawarra Hawks star Tyler Harvey believes the return of Justin Robinson creates a backcourt capable of something “special” next season.

Robinson will return to the Hawks in NBL24, after suffering a campaign-ending knee injury during the season opener last October.

The 25-year-old showed flashes of his potential during the NBL Blitz in September, with him and Harvey looming as a dangerous guard combination. Robinson averaged 17 points and 6 assists during the Blitz.

Harvey is confident with another offseason of work under their belts, the two will return stronger than ever in Illawarra.

“It’s unbelievable news to see he is coming back here,” Harvey said.

“I know he loved his time here and for the short time he was here, the community got around him, everyone on the team loves him. It’s good to have him come back and we are going to do something special next year, him and I.

“Having him in the backcourt with me was unbelievable for the five preseason games we had. We were starting to figure out each other’s games as it went on, to see him go down was tough, but to know he is coming back reassures me he is in it to win this thing.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JUST-IN ? ... HE'S BACK ? ?? <br><br>The Illawarra Hawks are excited to announce the re-signing of import guard Justin Robinson!<br><br>Read more at <a href="https://t.co/JymfjFETNf">https://t.co/JymfjFETNf</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HawkNation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HawkNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/rEpyph7zBo">pic.twitter.com/rEpyph7zBo</a></p>— Illawarra Hawks Basketball (@illawarrahawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks/status/1620210476750868480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Hawks have suffered a horror run with import injuries, with Robinson, Peyton Siva, George King and Michael Frazier II all sidelined for the season with ailments.

Coach Jacob Jackomas says the re-signing of Robinson injects some much-needed positive energy into the club around its imports.

“We needed some good news coming out about our Americans. We haven’t had much in the last couple of months,” Jackomas said.

“To reunite him with the boys and Tyler is a major advantage coming into next season…with all the disadvantages we have had, this sort of levels it out in my eyes.”

Jackomas added discussions around how Illawarra builds its NBL24 roster are already underway, ahead of its last two games of the season this week.

“The good and bad about what’s going on right now is we are at an advantage for recruiting,” he said.

“We can’t do anything until free agency but in the American front we can do a lot of work. That’s where we are putting our focus right now.

“We have said to the players we are waiting for the season to be done in regards to discussions with the guys who are here. There will be a lot of movement early because we have had a leg up.”