Wollongong Hawks playmaker Rhys Martin has found an ally in a most unlikely place in the count-down to tonight's road duel with the Gold Coast Blaze.
Martin has been Wollongong's starting point guard throughout the season and retained his spot when Ayinde Ubaka debuted with the Hawks in last week's thrashing of Melbourne.
The 25-year-old was up and down against the Tigers, tallying seven points on 3/7 shooting, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two turnovers in 22 minutes.
Full coverage of the Hawks Ubaka was also a little hot and cold in his performance off the bench, finishing with 15 points on 3/8 shooting - he made 8/8 free throws - four rebounds, three assists, three steals and two turnovers.
Hawks coach Gordie McLeod was playing his cards close to his chest when asked about tonight's starting five. If anything, he hinted that Ubaka and Martin might both start, a decision which is likely to impact on shooting guard and captain Mat Campbell.
"We'll evaluate and look at that and we'll make a decision as to whether [Gold Coast] warrants starting another ball-carrier or we'll stay the same way," McLeod said.
Benching 17-year veteran Campbell would be a massive call, particularly after his season-high 17 points against Melbourne earned him the NBL Player of the Week award.
If McLeod does decide to use Ubaka as his main bench weapon again, Gold Coast coach Joey Wright won't be surprised.
Despite having a high opinion of former Blaze import Ubaka, Wright is an unabashed Martin fan.
"I think Rhys is a heck of a player, but any team with one point guard is going to struggle," Wright said.
"If Rhys is playing well then they're in the ball-game. If he's not playing well then they struggle.
"Ayinde definitely adds to them. Now they have the option that if Rhys is not playing well, they've got Ayinde, who's just as good if not better than Rhys.
"Having him there gives them more options."
Widely tipped at the start of the year to challenge New Zealand and Perth for the title, the fourth-placed Blaze (9-8) have had injury problems with key players and struggled for consistency. But with everybody fit, they remain the one team with enough talent and experience to prevent a seemingly inevitable Breakers vs Wildcats grand final.
"The advantage we have is that we control our own destiny," Wright said.
"We're playing a lot of teams out of the top four, while the other teams in the top four have to play each other quite a bit over the next weeks. If we can pick up wins it'll definitely help us with where we finish."
Wright insisted the Hawks (5-13) would not be taken lightly.
"They're playing as well as anybody in the league right now," he said.
"To go up and beat Cairns in Cairns, that's a tough test right there. They lost on the buzzer a night later against Townsville, and to come back and absolutely smash Melbourne ... shows they're playing as well as anybody in the competition.
"I don't ever look at what the record is or where they're at on the table. They're well coached, Gordie does a great job with them. They've got Ayinde in there now and he's an exceptional ball-player. It's going to be a tough one."
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