THE ILLAWARRA Hawks have started their warm-up to the 2024/25 National Basketball League (NBL) season in style, defeating the Shanghai Sharks in an exhibition match on Saturday night.

The Sharks made the trip overseas for a batch of NBL games, and their first matchup of the week was the Hawks, who were coming off an impressive campaign last season. Illawarra over-achieved to make the playoffs last season, falling to the eventual champions in the semi-finals, and are coming into the upcoming season as one of the contenders.

Fans were given their first look at the Hawks on Saturday, and the team certainly impressed, overcoming a valiant showing from the visiting team to claim a 13-point win and head towards the season with some form under their belt.

The most impressive factor of Illawarra’s performance was the showing of its starting frontcourt, with the duo of Sam Froling and Lachlan Olbrich proving too much for the Sharks’ big men to handle, and sending an ominous sign to the remainder of the competition.

Froling controlled the skies on the offensive end, soaring for big rebounds and getting on the end of some lob passes from teammates. His reach was simply too much for the opposition to handle, and could often get easy looks at the baskets with his height and strength. He finished the game with 22 points and 10 rebounds on 10/14 shooting from the field.

Proving to be a valuable partner in crime was Olbrich, who was a force on the offensive boards. Five of his seven rebounds came after an Illawarra miss, and he played a crucial part in the Hawks recording 21 second-chance points, which was the difference in the match. He finished the game with 17 points on 7/9 shooting in an exciting display.

As expected, Tyler Harvey fired from behind the arc, knocking down four triples on eight attempts to make his way to 18 points and five assists. If he can consistently put up numbers of this calibre on solid efficiency, it will be a huge boost for Illawarra.

The Hawks had to fight for the lead, especially in the first half when they were tested by the Sharks. This was largely due to the red-hot shooting of Darious Days, who came off the bench and lit up the Snakepit with some blistering offence.

He poured in 17 points in the first half alone (finishing with 22 points in 22 minutes), and his first half cameo kept Shanghai in the contest. Although the team faded in the final two quarters, it was still an exciting showing.

The Hawks were boosted by the fact that essentially the whole roster was available, with only Hyunjung Lee missing. Illawarra still has a roster spot available ahead of the season’s commencement, given former gun forward Gary Clark signed overseas. The Hawks look likely to be one of the top sides in the upcoming season, and Saturday’s performance echoed how dangerous they can be with Justin Tatum at the helm.