HAWKS attacking linchpin Rhys Martin is keen to bank time with coach Rob Beveridge at this week’s NBL Blitz as he continues coming to grips with a system described as a ‘‘polar opposite’’ to that of former coach Gordie McLeod.
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With the presence of preseason leading scorer AJ Ogilvy inside and the likes of Oscar Forman, Kirk Penney and Kevin Lisch on the outside the Hawks have arguably their most potent offence in several seasons.
Integrating so many scorers into a new system is not without it’s challenges and Martin knows much of the Hawks success will depend on him forming a strong relationship with the new coach.
One of the NBL’s smartest on-court generals, Martin thrived in five seasons under McLeod’s x’s and o’s style and the 29-year-old is confident he can do the same under Beveridge.
‘‘It’s mostly about finding who’s hot on the night and everybody understanding that,’ Martin said.
‘‘As a point-guard it’s my role to identify that and the coach’s role.
‘‘I have to work closely with Bevvo and that’s the relationship we have to develop over the next week at the Blitz before the first game to try to get more in sync with each other.
“Once we can form that bond and that better understanding of what we want to do the rest of the guys can feed off that and we can get things through that a bit quicker
‘‘That’s what preseason’s about. It’s about finding out what you’re good at and what you’re not good at and there’s a few things there for us to focus on at the Blitz.’’