Will to win: Hawks hand the keys to Hickey

The Illawarra Hawks may have lost an All-NBL First Teamer in the off-season when Trey Kell III departed, but head coach Justin Tatum believes the ideal replacement has been right there all along: Will Hickey.

Fresh off a standout campaign for the Australian Boomers at the recent FIBA Asia Cup and a starring role in last year’s Championship Series, Hickey’s form has surged, making him the clear choice to step into Kell III’s starting spot.

"Davo is my starting point guard," Tatum told ESPN’s Olgun Uluc.

"He earned it, deserved it... it's his spot, as of now, to lead our team.”

"There's no one more deserving than Davo to have that spot," Tyler Harvey continued.

"His growth as a player, I've seen it from day one for him coming into practice; when he's not playing, he's still competing and kicking all of our butts like he's about to play in the next game. This is four years ago.

"You look at his growth now. It's a testament to his hard work, his passion for the game. When those lights turn on, I know Davo is gonna be there, and there's nobody you would rather go to war with than Davo. He is gonna show up every single game. I don't care what the situation is; that man is gonna play his heart out, and he's a winner. That's all you want as a backcourt mate.”

JaQuori McLaughlin looks in line to become Illawarra’s third import signing following an eye-catching performance at the CODE Sports NBL Blitz, but his arrival won’t threaten Hickey’s starting role.

"We're rocking with Davo no matter what, but he's deserved that. He was the MVP of the finals, man. If that doesn't tell you he deserves it, I don't know what does,” Harvey continued.

"[Any import] we fit has to understand that they have to complement [Hickey] and Tyler, and JaVale [McGee], and want to come off the bench and be like an Ian Clark, or somebody who's a spark plug... right now, Davo's my guy at that position,” Tatum added.

Hickey featured in 37 games during the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 Season, averaging 10.1 points, 5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

He lifted his game when it mattered most, boosting his numbers to 12 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists throughout the Finals, and capped it off by being handed the Championship Series MVP trophy from Matthew Dellavedova after the Hawks’ historic triumph.

Read the full story here >> Justin Tatum and the Illawarra Hawks aren't content with NBL repeats