Lowery issues big challenge

NBL champion Damon Lowery has thrown out the challenge to Illawarra star Sam Froling, saying he needs to up his production in NBL25.

Froling won the NBL’s Next Generation Award as the best emerging young player in the competition last season, and boasted career-high averages of 15.4 points and 7.8 rebounds a game.

But according to Lowery, the big man needs to take things to another level to make Illawarra a genuine championship contender. 

“Let me just go on record and say, Sam, I’m tired of your 17 (points) and 8 (rebounds), man. I need 22 and 15. It’s time to dominate,” he said on NBL Media’s The Roundtable. 

“You know you’ve got the talent there.”

Fellow panellist and former MVP Derek Rucker disagreed.

“Do you really need that from Sam? There’s a point where too much productivity from Sam makes them affect the balance of productivity throughout that team,” he said.

Instead, Rucker is keen for the Hawks to start NBA prospect Lachlan Olbrich and up his game-time from the 11.5-minute average he logged across NBL24.

“I need him in the starting lineup,” Rucker said.

“I don’t want to put pressure on an import who may be arriving late in the mix to have an impact as a starter.

“I need Olbrich in there. I need to find out what he’s all about.”

“I’m not starting Lachie Olbrich with all due respect,” Lowery continued.

“I feel like he could easily be in the NBA in another year or two years’ time, he’s got that much talent … (but) I’m trying to win an NBL championship. I don’t think starting Lachie would do that … but Lachie, you’re going to get major minutes.”

The Hawks took Melbourne United to the wire in last year’s semi-final series, and outside of the loss of key man Gary Clark, look to have improved their roster with the addition of Trey Kell III. 

Kell III was a star for Adelaide in the back of last season, and NBL Media’s experts see a key role for the 28-year-old in Wollongong. 

“Trey Kell is a very good basketball player. Trey Kell can get you 15, 16, 17 points game,” Rucker said. 

“They are deep … they lose Justin Robinson, but I think they upgrade with Trey Kell,” Lowery continued. 

“Their bench is rock-solid. Guys like Davo Hickey are going to have a bigger year. Todd Blanchfield we know what he can do.

“You talk about the edge the Tasmania JackJumpers used to have when they were underdogs. The Hawks bench has that edge.”

Rucker isn’t as sold on Illawarra’s rotation. 

“I don’t like anything about their bench … not much,” he said.

“I like Hickey a little bit, I like (Hyunjung) Lee, but in terms of if you’re comparing it to a Sydney bench, there’s a disparity. 

“Is this bench going to be able to produce like they did last year? Is this bench better than last year?”

While the pair had mixed views, both backed Justin Tatum to get the best out of his group. 

“He brings in everybody with the exception of Gary Clark,” Lowery said. 

“Now we get to see what he can do with his full group for the whole season.

“I think what the Hawks need now is stability, to start from go to woe and I feel like they’ll be right there in the end when it’s all said and done.

“I’ve got them as a top four team. Top four team because they’ve already got the taste of what it’s like to be in the semi-final. 

“Last year they didn’t get the start the way they got the finish … now Justin can just pick up where he left off.

“He doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel with this team.”

“I think that Illawarra (is) five, six-ish. There’s going to be so much enthusiasm in the Wollongong region based on the success they had last year, that they’re going to be a really tough team to beat,” Rucker concluded.

“If they can get off to a good start, who knows what can happen for this team?”