Rucker praises Hawks trio

When the chips have been down for the Illawarra Hawks in NBL24, they’ve been able to rely on one of Gary Clark or Tyler Harvey to lift them up and guide them to victory. In last night’s elimination Play-In Game against New Zealand though, it was a different trio who stood tallest.

Clark looked hampered by an apparent ankle injury in the win and scored just seven points while committing six turnovers. He contributed strongly with four blocks, two steals and six rebounds, but offensively he looked far from his best.

Harvey, on the other hand, scored just seven points on 3-10 shooting.

Enter Justin Robinson, Sam Froling and William Hickey.

Hickey was surprisingly injected into the starting lineup in an attempt to cull the impact of Parker Jackson-Cartwright – and he did so with great effect. Robinson top scored for the team with 26 points, and Froling ended the game with 21 points and nine rebounds after he was monstered by Will Magnay in last week’s Seeding Qualifier.

Derek Rucker praised all three talents for their impact on the do-or-die victory.

“I thought he (Hickey) did a fantastic job with his energy, and the fact Justin Tatum had the courage to make that kind of change and instill Hickey into the starting lineup and use his energy, use his athleticism, and his love of the basketball game,” Rucker said on the Coca-Cola Cooldown.

“He plays with a spirit you love to see and he’s someone you want in this program for a very long time because of what he represents as a player and as a person.

“Sam Froling showed why he’s such a valuable Australian talent. He delivered hugely, especially down the stretch. He took it upon himself on the offensive end to make plays and get big-time buckets for the Hawks when they needed it.

“[Robinson] He was able to get them big time scoring but in a highly efficient manner. He only took 11 shots but he was 14-14 from the free throw line – I’m sure that’s some type of NBL Playoff record – but his 26 points were vital.

“This game was in jeopardy for the Hawks, they had a chance to go down right here on their home court and those guys stepped in and made the plays when needed.”

The Hawks now face the difficult task of side-stepping the top-seeded Melbourne United in a best-of-three Playoff Series if they’re to continue their fairy tale post-season run.

United won all three of the side’s regular season meetings by 10, 12 and five points respectively.

Rucker believes the Hawks’ best chance of a Game 1 win will come due to the fact United hasn’t hit the court since the Round 20 clash between the two sides on February 18.

“Melbourne United have so much depth and if I was the Hawks I’d be praying for rust from Melbourne United,” Rucker said.

“Maybe they’re not as sharp with an extended amount of time off but the reality is they have so much depth, rust isn’t going to create right throughout that lineup. There are going to be some players that are ready.”

Game 1 of the Playoff Series between Melbourne and Illawarra will tip off on Thursday night at 7:30pm AEDT, live on ESPN via Kayo, and 10 Play.