Hawks' shining light on Christmas night

The result may have spoiled Sam Froling’s Christmas, but his return to the floor was a win the Illawarra Hawks will gladly take.

Illawarra’s loss on Christmas night pushed them further away from sixth spot, but the bigger picture centered on the return of their co-captain, who made a remarkable comeback just nine months after rupturing his Achilles tendon.

Froling suffered the injury in Game 4 of last season’s Championship Series, a series the Hawks went on to win against Melbourne United. From that moment, the focus shifted to one thing: getting back as soon as possible.

That moment arrived on Christmas night at Qudos Bank Arena against the Sydney Kings.

The Hawks were beaten by 24 points, slipping to a 6–13 record and leaving their championship defence hanging in the balance. But amid the disappointment, Froling showed exactly why his return matters.

In 24 minutes, he finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, moving confidently and competing at both ends after weeks of full training.

"We've done six weeks of practice now in full training and the body felt good, and we passed all the tests and I mean I trusted it and I know how we've played for a long time," Froling said.

"So it's quite easy having done it for seven years now for me to get that basketball side back after that six weeks of prep as well."

The performance was encouraging. The result was not.

"But I mean, it sucks that we lost and it kinda ruined Christmas."

Froling’s seamless return was helped by the familiarity around him. With much of Illawarra’s championship core and coaching staff still in place, he was able to step back into the system without missing a beat.

What is new in NBL26, however, is the addition of another true centre in three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee.

The assumption was the two big men would simply spell each other at the five. Instead, on Christmas night, coach Justin Tatum rolled them out together, hinting at a combination that could become more than a one-off.

It’s been a long time since Froling regularly played at the four, but if it means sharing the floor with McGee, he’s open to the adjustment.

"I mean he's (McGee) so talented and for me he wants to be a guy that passes the ball and he's telling me to seal and when he catches it I'm trying to get to the spots," he said.

"It's been a long time since I've played the four spot but some of the stuff we're putting in is good too and I think we ran that big-to-big screen and they all crashed in, and it worked because we got our guys and shooters open.

"I think it's pretty productive for both me and him, but for other guys as well."