The Illawarra Hawks will contest a two-match ban handed to star import Demitrius Conger for striking Sydney’s Brad Newley last Thursday night.
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The NBL’s Game Review Panel (GRP) slapped Conger with the charge following an altercation which occured with 16 seconds remaining in Illawarra's dramatic 97-93 overtime win.
The GRP deemed that Conger made intentional high contact ‘above the shoulders and medium impact’ with Newley.
It handed down a two game suspension, which would be reduced to one match had the Hawks taken the early guilty plea. However after consultation between Hawks General Manager Kim Welch, coach Rob Beveridge and his assistants, Illawarra announced in a statement they would be contesting the severity of the charges.
“Late this afternoon the club received some additional footage, and upon viewing this, have asked the league to review their initial findings,” the statement said.
Illawarra want a down grade and hope to argue the contact was not above the shoulders.
The GRP will review the matter on Tuesday morning.
If the Hawks fail to argue a defence, Conger will miss Illawarra’s games against Melbourne United (December 4) and Perth Wildcats (December 10).
It’s not the first time Conger has been cited by the GRP.
The American standout took an early plea to avoid suspension after he was hit with a high-grade “intentional contact with the face” charge and a separate high grade “careless” charge for two incidents involving Brisbane big man Tom Jervis.
He was also fined for engaging in a melee in the same fiery game against the Bullets.
Meanwhile, Hawks veteran Oscar Forman has been cleared of structural damage to a knee injury which forced the forward off in Saturday’s loss to Cairns Taipans.
Forman asked to be subbed shortly after coming on midway through the second quarter of Illawarra’s 87-66 defeat at Cairns Convention Centre. The sharpshooter, who is poised to play his 500th NBL game later this season, said he felt his knee pop and was treated at the venue by a Cairns doctor.
He underwent scans on Monday in Wollongong.
The results confirmed Forman had avoided serious damage and that the forward has a Baker’s Cyst.
“He has no ligament or structural damage so that’s all good, but we will just have to see how we manage it from here,” Hawks coach Rob Beveridge said.
The timing of the injury is somewhat fortunate for the Hawks, with the NBL taking an international break this weekend.
