BASKETBALL
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Illawarra Hawks have trailed the NBL in scoring for two years now, but incumbent captain Oscar Forman is confident they will be one of the league’s most dangerous attacking teams in 2015-16.
The club claimed the wooden spoon last season when scoring just 2154 points in total – 106 points less than next worst Perth.
In 2013-14 the Hawks finished fourth, but still returned the least points of all eight clubs during the season proper.
This year things will be different, according to Forman.
A renowned three-point shooter, the 33-year-old will now be joined by accomplished Kiwi Kirk Penney and import Kevin Lisch in a lethal long-range combination.
He has 771 career threes, more than double any other player contracted for next season, with Penney (360) and Lisch (268) in the top 10.
In 2012, Lisch – then playing for Perth – was the only player to hold a better three-point percentage than Forman.
Penney has built a reputation as one of the best three-point shooters around during his 13-year professional career in America, Europe and New Zealand.
Forman has been the NBL’s top three-point scorer for a record five seasons since 2002.
Add to that the inclusion of big-man AJ Ogilvy, Kevin White and the five returning Hawks players and it’s a formidable roster.
‘‘If we can spread the floor with shooters it makes us pretty potent offensively,’’ Forman said.
‘‘Kirk’s another guy who is going to make us very lethal from the outside.
‘‘Having a number of guys who can score, you always want the other team to have non-shooters so you can help out on other guys.
‘‘But if we’ve got a team that, no matter who you sub in or out, people are always looking to score and able to score at a high percentage, that makes us tough.’’
Penney’s signing takes the roster to nine players.
With the season due to tip off in October, the Hawks have little more than two months to find the 10th player and complete the list.
Lisch is the only import to have signed on, leaving the door open for another international to make the move to Wollongong.
Forman is in the dark over who the 10th man will be.
‘‘I think it will be a ‘big’,’’ he said.
‘‘That’s the spot we’ve got left, a four-man, someone similar to me.
‘‘Not sure what they’re going with though, there’s been talks here and there.
‘‘We’ll see, hopefully that will be finalised soon I guess. But if they go with the import they will leave it a bit later, so I’m not 100per cent sure.’’