They are already assured of the wooden spoon but the Wollongong Hawks can still avoid a place in the record books as the club’s all-time worst team.
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The 1997 Hawks side won just seven of 30 games and is the only team in the club’s 36 years to finish last.
But the ‘97 squad’s winning percentage of 23.3 isn’t the lowest in club history.
That belongs to the hapless 1983 side which stumbled to a 4-18 record (18.2 per cent) yet somehow didn’t run last.
The NBL consisted of 16 teams in ‘83 and was broken into Eastern and Western Divisions.
Wollongong (they were known as Illawarra before a 1998 name change) finished seventh in the Eastern Division, two wins ahead of the ill-fated Devonport Warriors.
The 1991 Hawks team won six of 26 games (23.1 per cent) and finished 13th in a 14-team league, while the club’s inaugural 1979 side won five of 18 matches and were eighth in a 10-team competition.
Wins were hard to come by for Wollongong’s 2008 squad (9-21, 30 per cent) and it was a similar story in 2012 (9-19, 32.1 per cent).
In fact the ‘12 side was in danger of finishing last before winning their final three games and ensuring retiring captain Mat Campbell went out on a happy note.
The 2015 Hawks have won five of 25 games and only to have chalk up one more victory to ensure they finish with a better winning percentage than the ‘83 boys.
If they fail to win either of their final three games, a 5-23 record will equate to 17.8 per cent.
‘‘The hardest thing is that the season is over in terms of the finals and you think you have nothing to play for, but there’s a lot to play for,’’ Wollongong guard Gary Ervin said.
The Hawks take on the Kings in Sydney on Sunday before the following weekend’s season-ending double against Townsville (away) and Adelaide (home).
‘‘Since Christmas we have started to make some big improvements as a team,’’ Wollongong coach Gordie McLeod said.
‘‘We’re trying to finish the season the best way we can.’’
