It’s no secret Hawks guard Kevin White is known for his defensive effort, but on Friday night he proved he can provide a spark on the offensive end when needed.
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In the toughest playing environment in the NBL at Perth Arena, the former Sydney Kings player led Illawarra outstandingly off the bench.
As American imports Rotnei Clarke (4/13 shooting) and Marvelle Harris (4/12) failed to find their stroke, White poured in a team-high 16 points from 6/7 shooting.
He also shot four of four from three point range to keep the Hawks in the hunt.
They ultimately fell 80-73 to extend their winless run in Perth to more than 3600 days.
However, White’s performance in the loss was a clear standout.
“Bevo has been staying on us to be aggressive and when you come into places like this you have to be,” White said post-match.
“If you take a backward step or get on the back foot that’s when guys like [Damian Martin] and Casey [Prather] are able to take advantage of it.
“It was more coming in here with a mindset that we have to through the first punch so to say and get on the front foot and be aggressive.
“Fortunately for me, but unfortunately for the team, it dropped for me.
“It was just that change of mindset and getting on the front foot.”
White’s stellar performance didn’t go unnoticed by assistant coach Eric Cooks, who stood in for Hawks boss Rob Beveridge on the night as he attended his son’s high school graduation.
“I thought Kevvy did a great job,” Cooks said.
“He has been a defensive player all his life but I felt he shot the ball well.
“I thought he made it hard for them.”
White’s effort alongside his resilient Hawks teammates saw Illawarra cut the deficit from 16 points midway through the third quarter to just two with a little more than a minute remaining.
They eventually came up short, but refused to give up in front a massive Perth home crowd.
“We spoke about sticking together,” White said.
“It is easy when you get to Perth those two and three point swings can turn into 15 and 20 and all of the sudden you are looking at a two point game going to 10 or 15 [points].
“We were just talking about staying together, staying with our stuff that we had spoke about all week. Being aggressive defensively.
“Unfortunately we had a couple of breakdowns down the stretch which hurt us but it is good to know that we can come into a place like this and fight and stay together.”
