The Wollongong Hawks were in high spirits when they flew out of Sydney yesterday for tonight's confrontation with the New Zealand Breakers.
Last week's shock 23-point thrashing from Adelaide has been dissected and the Hawks believe they can snap a two-game losing skid by causing an upset against the NBL title favourites.
Wollongong (7-5) are in a three-way tie for top spot with Perth and Adelaide, but the eight-team competition is extremely tight - six teams headed into round 11 with seven wins - and the Hawks could slip as far as fifth if results don't go their way this week.
Full coverage of the Wollongong Hawks "We've had some really good days at training and all that matters now is getting out there and getting into it," Wollongong's rookie swingman Tim Coenraad said.
"The loss hurt, but we have to let that loss go because there's nothing we can do about it now. As (coach) Gordie (McLeod) says, the season is a marathon, not a sprint. Last week was just a freak game, but there's going to be games like that. It's how you bounce back from those games.
"We haven't had a drop of mood in the camp and we're still positive and we're still practising hard. All that matters now is New Zealand. We just can't wait to get on the road and play again. Everyone's really hungry to play."
The Breakers (7-6) have plenty to play for, with a win effectively lifting them to third spot.
Last week New Zealand welcomed back 2008-09 NBL MVP Kirk Penney after he missed several games with a back injury.
The one-time NBA guard marked his return with 22 points in 21 minutes off the bench, and his presence should free up fellow three-point bombers CJ Bruton, Oscar Forman and Tony Ronaldson.
"We're going to have to exhaust some players chasing people off screens, but we're prepared to do that. We can't give them any open looks because New Zealand's a team that will bury shots," Coenraad said.
"Hopefully we can get into a bit of a rhythm offensively, especially being on the road. But defence is definitely a main part of our game, and the emphasis has been on defence a lot at training for the past week and we've had some really good, intense sessions."
Coenraad is locked in a battle with Perth's Jesse Wagstaff for NBL Rookie of the Year honours.
Like any first-year debutant, the 24-year-old's season has been punctuated by highs and lows, but he is determined to win the mental battle.
"I keep saying that I don't feel like a rookie. Even though I'm a rookie on paper, I'm a bit older than some of the other rookies," the 200cm Queenslander said.
"There's definitely been peaks and valleys. I haven't hit a field goal in the last two games so I'm in a little slump right now. No doubt I want to contribute more, but all that matters is the win. If I'm doing enough on the court to help us get a win, then I'm happy with that. It doesn't matter what the box score reads.
"I just try to get better in practice and learn as much as I can when I'm guarding the old blokes. It's been a little up and down, but that probably comes with any rookie season. I'm just going to keep working hard at practice and I think things will go right for me eventually."
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