ASK Larry Davidson what he thinks of Wollongong’s final four prospects and you probably won’t get the answer you expected.
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The 209cm Hawks centre is always mindful of avoiding cliches and has his own unique take on his team’s improbable chances of overcoming a dismal 1-8 start and snatching a playoffs berth.
‘‘At the moment it’s a bit like asking a preschooler what their thoughts on what their HSC results are going to be,’’ Davidson said.
‘‘Obviously at the start of the season everyone’s goal is to make the playoffs, but not everyone can make it.’’
The Hawks arrived in Auckland on Thursday, desperate to end the losing run when they take on the New Zealand Breakers on Friday night.
Wollongong’s woes are not unlike those they endured last season when they lost six of their first seven games. They eventually came good, winning eight of their final 10 games to clinch fourth spot.
The Hawks still have time to fight back, but there is also a chance they could become just the second team in the club’s 35-year history to finish last.
‘‘[Coach Gordie McLeod’s] point has always been we want to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season,’’ Davidson said.
‘‘A couple of years ago we were on the bottom of the ladder and we finished the year playing our best ball. We won three in a row and avoided the wooden spoon. Last year we did the same thing and we made the top four.
‘‘We’ve dug ourselves a big hole and there isn’t going to be any magical solutions or quick fixes. It will be coming into training every day, doing the little things and then once we start doing that every day, everything else is going to flow.
‘‘It can’t be one day everyone is into it and the next day we lapse and don’t have it. That’s the mindset we need at the moment of coming in every day and getting better. Once we do that, then it becomes more fun, we start winning games and you are not thinking about win-loss records and things like that.’’
Wollongong have lost their past three games by an average of 20.3 points. Third-placed New Zealand (6-3) became the first team to beat league-leading Cairns last Friday and backed up with Sunday’s road win over Townsville.
The Breakers downed the Hawks by two when they met in Wollongong three weeks ago.