R1 Preview: Adelaide 36ers vs Illawarra Hawks

When: 1pm (AEDT), Sunday 5 December 2021

Where: Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Broadcast: ESPN; Kayo; 10 Peach; 10 Play; Sky Sports NZ


Who won last time?
Illawarra 97 (Harvey 23, S Froling 14, Coenraad 12) d Adelaide 83 (Dech 15, Paul 13, Pinder 11) - Round 20, WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong

With no Isaac Humphries or Josh Giddey the 36ers never really stood a chance late last season, a Tyler Harvey-inspired 61-35 run across half-time turning the contest into a Hawks’ rout. Harvey nailed three triples en route to 23 points, six rebounds and five assists as his team dropped 15/39 from long range and won the possession game by a whopping +11.


Who’s new?

The 36ers’ new crew had mixed debuts in Perth, Dusty Hannahs playing rushed, shooting 5/15 from the field and 0/4 from deep, while Cam Bairstow accumulated 15 points and seven boards but shot 4/11 and had some breakdowns defensively. Mitch McCarron was everywhere, doing everything and led a shutdown of Bryce Cotton, while the Sixers were +1 with Todd Withers on court and -13 in his 11 minutes of bench time. His 11 boards were outstanding, but coach CJ Bruton must find a way to get his import more than 4 FGA.

After pulling a Bradbury to make last year’s post-season, the Hawks fell to a seriously-undermanned Perth side and coach Brian Goorjian didn’t hesitate to upgrade his roster. Slick playmaker Xavier Rathan-Mayes makes Harvey and Justinian Jessup more dangerous, Olympic reserve Duop Reath gives them star power that was lacking in the frontcourt, while Antonius Cleveland has the unenviable task of replacing Justin Simon’s all-court game. Harry Froling rounds out the newbies, with high hopes Goorj will get his career back on track.


Who’s in form?

Antonius Cleveland – His 2021 G-League numbers are impressive – 15.1ppg, 5.5rpg, 3.1apg, 1.3spg, 48 per cent from the field and 38 per cent from deep – and early signs are that will translate to the NBL. Against Melbourne at the Blitz he burned with 21 points at 64 per cent, four boards and three steals, and perhaps his biggest challenge comes in adjusting to the NBL’s officials, having picked up 8 fouls in 52 pre-season minutes.

Mitch McCarron – The money maker picked up a trademark seven points, seven rebounds, nine assists, four steals and two blocks in Perth in his 33 high-energy minutes, while helping hold Wildcats’ MVP Bryce Cotton to a rare 4/15 shooting night. While McCarron only took seven shots, the reality is if he’s guarding the opposition’s best player, cleaning the glass and setting the table, others need to stand up and finish off his handiwork.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">McCarron going behind the ? to Bairstow<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> <a href="https://t.co/gTczgA2DvK">pic.twitter.com/gTczgA2DvK</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1466744399593762820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who needs to be?

Isaac Humphries – It’s no secret what Humphries is capable of doing, he just needs to deliver it soon for a team currently too reliant on Daniel Johnson in the frontcourt and lacking backcourt scoring. On Friday night he managed just eight points in 15 minutes alongside four fouls and three turnovers. Given Illawarra’s immense guard strength, the 36ers need to win the inside battle on Sunday, and that means ‘Ice’ back to his best.

Duop Reath – The 211cm Boomer showed his full repertoire against Melbourne at the Blitz, scoring 19 points at 53 per cent from the field and 3/6 from deep. Against the Phoenix, however, he fouled out in 20 minutes with just seven points at 28 per cent and only one solitary rebound. Reath’s versatility on the perimeter could trouble Humphries, Johnson and Bairstow, but he must defend intelligently and commit to the glass.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Duop&#39;s shots are starting to drop ?<br><br>Bronze medal winner Duop Reath knocking down back to back triples for the <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@illawarrahawks</a> ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLBlitz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLBlitz</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> ? <a href="https://t.co/ivJ0VB7vqM">pic.twitter.com/ivJ0VB7vqM</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1461993776486879233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who’s statting up?

 - Adelaide won points in the paint, second chance points, free throw scoring, bench points and shot the same percentage on two-pointers as Perth in their 12-point defeat on Friday

 - The 36ers made five less three-point attempts than the Wildcats, with Hannahs, Johnson, McCarron and Mojave King shooting 1/15 between them.

 - Illawarra allowed opponents just 16.1 free throws per game last season, second-fewest in the NBL. In the Blitz they conceded an incredible 40 foul shots per night

 - The Hawks finished NBL21 last in points (81.5ppg), field-goal percentage (43%), three-point percentage (33%) and free-throw attempts (15.2). In the Blitz, they averaged 98.5ppg in regulation, shot 49 per cent from the floor, 37 per cent from the arc and 22.5 free throws


Who’s matching up?

Dusty Hannahs vs Justinian Jessup – Have these two ever been seen in the same room? Despite one being a righty and one a lefty, there are certainly plenty of similarities about their games, the smooth jumper, the balanced pull-ups, the smart reads and the streaky conscience-free shooting as well.

Jessup had a five-point, four-foul struggle in his NBL21 debut game, before busting out with 24 points on 4/4 from range two nights later. Dusty will be hoping for a similar bounceback after his ‘sighter’ in Perth, because the Sixers won’t win shooting 3/21 from range again.


Who’s talking the talk?

They were one of the great point guard-coach combinations, leading the Sydney Kings to three grand finals and two championships, and the Boomers to a World Cup in Japan and Olympics in Beijing, where they toppled powerhouses Lithuania and Russia.

Brian Goorjian has spoken about how CJ Bruton was like a coach on the floor, and now they're counterparts rather than teammates as Bruton coaches his first home game at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre against the Hawks.

“Any chance to be in the building with him, there’s goosebumps,” Bruton said.

“He’s a very enthusiastic and exciting person to be around, he oozes confidence and you’ve seen that not only with the national team but with his teams here in the NBL, he’s a proven winner.

“To go against him will be great.”

While it’s Bruton’s first NBL head coaching gig, he had the reins briefly in Puerto Rico and at NBL1 level, while staying engaged as an assistant at Brisbane to maintain an intimate understanding of the NBL as it has evolved.

Goorjian has coached 23 seasons, but after more than a decade away he faced quite an adjustment last year.

While the Hawks were the high-energy, fierce defensive unit the master coach always produces, his team was the NBL’s worst offensive outfit as he tried to adjust his schemes throughout to fit personnel.

At season’s end, Goorjian knew he needed more firepower.

“We retained the core players from last year we wanted and upgraded some key pieces we needed addressing - seeing us massively upgrade our squad as a whole,” Goorjian said.

“Then we were lucky enough to get everyone here in time to learn our system, get in shape and move this thing forward as one.”

While Tyler Harvey and Justinian Jessup provided plenty of points, Goorj knew they couldn’t deliver a championship on their own, adding point guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes for one very particular purpose.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">XRM with the equaliser to force OT<a href="https://twitter.com/xrm_22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@xrm_22</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> <a href="https://t.co/zx2aSGzCvZ">https://t.co/zx2aSGzCvZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/kg24B47z1i">pic.twitter.com/kg24B47z1i</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1460160322128338945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“Leadership,” Rathan-Mayes said when asked what he adds to the Hawks’ mix.

“From the leadership aspect, I’m someone who can really get guys involved at a high level.”

With the likes of Harvey, Jessup, Antonius Cleveland, Sam Froling and Duop Reath to create for, along with shooters in Tim Coenraad, Harry Froling and Isaac White, Rathan-Mayes is living a point guard’s dream.

“I think I’m just in such a great position with such great guys around me that’s they’ll make it so easy for me. It’s really just pick your poison with the kind of guys we have. I’m looking forward to fitting in and doing whatever it takes to win a championship,” he said.

“The one guy I’m really looking forward to playing with is Tyler … I know he shouldered a lot of burden last year and I think I can help him and really take a lot of pressure off him.”

The Rathan-Mayes led Hawks get their first test in Adelaide on Sunday, and after their final two Blitz games were cancelled due to COVID, there is an element of unknown for the visitors.

 “All our pre-season plans were revolved around practice and games, which, unfortunately, we lost two of the latter on our home court because of COVID,” Goorjian said.

“Without those games, it’s hard to gauge exactly where we’re at as a team - hence why the group is so excited to hit the court on Sunday.

“This group has shown plenty of resilience over the past two years with this current COVID rollercoaster we’re on but just like we do on the court, we’re just going to roll with the punches and do whatever it takes to get the job done."

The 36ers took their first hit on Friday night in Perth, giving the 'Cats everything they could handle for almost three quarters until their offensive stalled, Bruton’s men scoring just 14 points in the final 13 minutes.

“We were just a bit clunky offensively,” forward Daniel Johnson said.

“We didn’t shoot the ball very well, especially from the three and especially myself, shots we've been making and I’m sure we’ll make as the season goes work as we adjust and get used to our offence a bit more.”

After sweeping the Blitz with their high-speed style, the Sixers got caught in Perth’s slow-down trap in the season opener, which eventually grinded their offence to a halt.

While wary of Illawarra’s ability to force opponents into a high turnover rate, Johnson knows the 36ers need to be more aggressive in their approach on Sunday.

“Just play more our style of game, try and get up and down a bit quicker, move the ball, get guys open shots and I'm sure we’ll knock them down,” he said.