Preview: South East Melbourne vs Illawarra - Round 11, NBL24

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Can South East Melbourne bounce back from its horror defeat to Melbourne on Thursday?

Saturday, December 16 at 5:30pm AEDT | Gippsland Indoor Regional Sports Stadium

Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo Sports | International viewership details
Box scores: Download the free NBL App

South East Melbourne suffered a 28-point loss to crosstown rivals Melbourne United on Thursday night to open Round 11.

Mitch Creek limped off injured in the final quarter, and head coach Mike Kelly suggested the star forward was in doubt to take part in the game against Illawarra.

This clash acts as the Phoenix’s annual regional game. Last season’s edition saw them defeat Sydney in a double-overtime thriller in Traralgon.

Illawarra ended Perth’s six-game winning streak last week, which prompted Hawks legend Damon Lowery to compare interim coach Justin Tatum to ‘Coach Carter’.

Lowery also praised the energy with which the Hawks are conducting themselves from the bench.

South East Melbourne
78-106 loss to Melbourne
104-94 win over Sydney
90-79 win over New Zealand

Illawarra
100-82 win over Perth
77-78 loss to Brisbane
69-65 win over New Zealand

Kody Stattmann
Picking someone who just registered two minutes in a 28-point loss might seem like a strange decision, but Mike Kelly’s revelation that South East Melbourne will likely not be looking for an injury replacement for Craig Moller means someone has to step up, and Kelly himself said that could well be Kody Stattmann.

Stattmann has been elevated from his DP spot to the main roster due to Moller’s injury, and he had previously been elevated prior to the signing of Abdel Nader as a replacement for Will Cummings. He’s the next cab off the rank, and he’s going to have to tap into his undoubted potential if he’s going to help the Phoenix reach their goals.

He was a fully rostered player at Brisbane last season and while that didn’t work out, it shows the high regard in which at least one organisation held him.

This doesn’t mean Stattmann has to come in and average 20 points a game, but if he can help keep things ticking over – especially while Nader is getting acclimated to the NBL – he could prove to be a crucial piece to this new-look Phoenix puzzle.

“It looks like Kody Stattmann is going to be the guy that steps up. He didn’t really get an opportunity tonight but he played well in Sydney, and then we’re going to depend on Reuben (Te Rangi), Kenny (Matt Kenyon) and Abdul (Nader) to fill those minutes.” – Mike Kelly following the loss to Melbourne.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Straight onto the court for Kody and in with his first NBL points for the Phoenix! ?<br><br>? ESPN ?? Kayo Freebies | 10Peach | 10 Play <a href="https://t.co/ionstLXA8W">pic.twitter.com/ionstLXA8W</a></p>— South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix/status/1733718604464742465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Tyler Harvey
In three games under Justin Tatum, Tyler Harvey has started to look the MVP candidate he was under Brian Goorjian again. There have been stutters – like shooting 1-11 in a one-point loss to Brisbane – but it’s impossible to deny the winning impact he has on this Hawks unit when he’s up and firing.

Harvey has been a lights out scorer for his entire run in the NBL, but where he’s often been prone to taking long threes early in the shot clock, he’s now operating with an added element of patience and poise on the offensive end. It’s almost like he’s starting to realise the Hawks have other game-winning weapons at their disposal that aren’t just him.

Not to harp on his struggles this season, but the former MVP runner-up is shooting a career-low 35.2 per cent from the field, and 28.2 per cent from three, but should that trend upwards the Hawks could genuinely find themselves in the hunt for a Play-In spot by season’s end.

The question is which Tyler Harvey are get going to see on Saturday – the imperious, game-winning weapon, or the trigger-happy, streaky shooter?

“You can’t help but respect the absolute crap out of Justin Tatum for what he’s done to that team. He also might be the Tyler Harvey whisperer. I’ve never seen Tyler Harvey play with so much poise before. Not that he couldn’t do it, just that he didn’t do it very often. Now under Justin’s leadership Tyler’s a new player. He had seven assists that game, he took the right shots at the right time, he’s been good to watch.” – Damon Lowery on NBL Now.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Night night! <br><br>Tyler Harvey puts Perth to rest as the Hawks get a HUGE 100-82 win against the Wildcats and snap their 6-game winning streak! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL</a> <a href="https://t.co/vD8WPi74tG">pic.twitter.com/vD8WPi74tG</a></p>— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ/status/1733071385310978285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Alan Williams vs Sam Froling
Last time Alan Williams and Sam Froling met, the final score was such that if it were a boxing match the referee would have stopped the fight.

That was last season though, due to Williams missing the Hawks' Round 2 win over the Phoenix this campaign, and plenty has changed since then.

Williams has a tendency to bite back after South East Melbourne loses. He exploded for 18 points and 15 rebounds in the Round 6 victory over Cairns that came immediately after a loss to the Bullets, and he had 10 points, 14 boards and eight assists in the win over New Zealand that followed a loss to Adelaide.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cooking with some special Sauce early. Alan Williams has six of SEM's first nine points ?<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/iUujlsjJQj">pic.twitter.com/iUujlsjJQj</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1725434727606218854?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This is where Sam Froling will have his hands full. Williams is at his best when he’s leading the charge in some way, shape or form for the Phoenix. We know he can score, we know he can rebound, and we know he can pass. When he’s up and rolling it’s almost a case of picking your poison.

Froling is far from a slouch on either end of the floor though, and due to the fact he’s coming off one of his best performances of the season, he’s sure to keep Williams accountable.

The young Boomer has started to find a new level of consistency to his game that has previously been frustratingly absent, and while only having nine boards in his last two games combined might start laying some roots of concern, Froling is looking like he’s emerging into the player everyone knows he can be.

This one comes down to the established NBA veteran against the rising local talent, and it’ll be fun to watch.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sam Froling goes upstairs ?<br><br>Quick start for the <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@illawarrahawks</a> ?<br><br>Catch all the action live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/XI07onxBQD">pic.twitter.com/XI07onxBQD</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1733045384057176340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The home team has won each of the last five meetings between South East Melbourne and Illawarra. Last season’s home win for the Hawks kicked off a nine-game losing run which was only broken with a win over Melbourne United.

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Reuben Te Rangi.