Illawarra Hawks fans could receive a major boost ahead of the team's final game of the year, with injured co-captain Tyler Harvey pushing to return for the New Year's Eve showdown.
Harvey's fitness a last-minute call
Head coach Justin Tatum confirmed the star guard is back in training but remains under an injury cloud for the crucial home game against the Tasmania JackJumpers at WIN Entertainment Centre. Harvey's back tightened up during the team's recent trip to Melbourne, forcing him to miss the Christmas Day loss to the Sydney Kings.
"He is training," Tatum stated on Tuesday. "We'll see how he goes, and he'll be a game time decision. He took about a week and some change off and he's starting to get back into it the last couple of days."
The coach emphasised the need for a thorough assessment, saying the medical staff want to "put him through some physicality and see how he responds" before clearing him for the December 31 contest.
Hawks seek to end losing streak against resurgent JackJumpers
The match carries significant weight for both clubs' playoff aspirations. The Hawks currently sit in eighth position with a disappointing 6-13 record, while Tasmania occupies sixth spot at 10-12 after a morale-boosting win over South East Melbourne on Monday night.
Tatum acknowledged his team's inconsistent form, particularly the unexpected Christmas Day performance. "Playing how we did on Christmas Day wasn't expected," he admitted. "We felt that, especially coming off the Adelaide game where intensity was high, we were going to give a lot more. But, the ball didn't roll our way."
However, the coach struck a positive note about recent training sessions. "These last couple of practices, we've had a couple of guys out due to hurt and sickness, but Tuesday is our first full day of practice with everybody here, so I'm feeling pretty positive about New Year's."
Key matchups and team changes since round two
The two sides have undergone considerable changes since their last meeting in round two, which Tasmania won 91-86 on the Hawks' banner drop night. That game featured a spectacular 32-point, 13-rebound NBL debut from JaVale McGee.
Three months later, the personnel looks different. The JackJumpers will be without Anthony Drmic (back) and Kobe Williamson (foot) but welcome back David Johnson from a calf injury. For Illawarra, Jonah Bolden is out with an achilles issue, while Sam Froling has returned from his own achilles problem.
Tatum downplayed the importance of individual statistics from his big men, focusing instead on the collective result. "If Sam and JaVale both have 10 and 10 and we win by 20, I'm fine with that too," he said. "We just want to make sure that the guys are playing well on both ends of the court. At the end of day, we've just got to find the wins together."
The coach is wary of a Tasmania team riding momentum. "I know they had a little rough patch as well, and they're starting to get back up," Tatum observed. "The expectations coming into this game is that they can probably do the same thing against us, who have been up and down on a three-game losing streak."
With the top six still mathematically within reach, Tatum stressed the urgency for his squad to start stacking victories. "We want to nip that in the bud and find a way to turn that around... get on the same high that Tasmania is on," he said. "We've got to find a way to start getting that win column number up to even give ourselves a chance. It's not going to be easy, but top six is well within reach."
