Tatum: 'Compete like life on the line'

Illawarra Hawks coach Justin Tatum has backed his team to bounce back from a “little slump”, but says the players must get back their urgency to compete.

Tatum said he was disappointed with the Hawks’ level of effort in the 14-point loss to Adelaide, and has labelled the effort on the defensive end in recent weeks as “unacceptable”. 

Illawarra’s current 6-4 record is a vast contrast to when Tatum stepped in last year, at 2-7, and complacency is simply not an option. 

“It's a lot different, because now guys might feel that we're going to go to the playoffs no matter what, but it's not set in stone,” Tatum told the Hawks’ website. 

“I want to build that sense of urgency, I want to bring that dog, that competitive nature, back into these guys and see them enjoy playing with each other, because I didn't see it on Sunday [against Adelaide]. I saw a lot of individuals, a lot of ‘I'm going to do it on my own’ type of deal.  

“We talked it out and the guys are pretty disappointed about our effort and how we played, so hopefully we won't see it again this year.”

There’s no better challenge than that of one of the most talented teams in the league, as Illawarra hosts Sydney on Saturday night. 

“I'm glad it is a rivalry to bring the fans out and hopefully get our guys going a little bit more, but at the end of the day it's another basketball game we need to win,” Tatum said. 

“I understand there’s a Freeway Series we want to bring back to Wollongong, but my thing is to get to these playoffs and win a chip. I can probably engage in all those [rivalries] after we have our own success.  

“Sydney’s had a lot of success, there’s a [overall] record gap, I get that, but this is a new modern-day thing. We don't look at it as we’re little brothers of Sydney or anybody. 

“There ain’t no big brother or little brother in my eyes, no matter who we’re up against, and I want my guys playing like that.”

Tatum said he expected a strong response from his players, after dropping three of their last four games.

“I think we're just a bit caught up on the offensive end thinking ‘hey, we're going to outscore you no matter what, so I'm going to give you minimal effort on the defensive end’ and that's unacceptable,” Tatum said. 

“I'm going to make sure that I find eight or nine guys who are going to be able to guard their yard for as long as they can and give us the best chance to win a game. Whoever that is, those are the guys that are going to be out there to help us, because defence is my thing.”  

Speaking to The Illawarra Mercury, Tatum said the current challenges for his team will set them up to succeed when it matters most.

“Adelaide's been blown out, Melbourne has been blown out. This is the first time we've lost by double-digits this year ... this is a tough league, on any given night somebody can have a really big win or upset,” he said.

“For us it's about getting better and better as the season goes on.

“I told the guys when we were on our three-game winning streak, that we were nowhere near where we want to peak. We have a long way to go.

“This adversity that we are going through right now is going to help us get to where we need to peak.”

Illawarra hosts Sydney at WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday night at 8pm AEDT, live on ESPN. 

“I want these guys to be competitors for 40 minutes and compete like their life is on the line,” Tatum added. 

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