HE’S emerged as Illawarra’s unexpected Mr. Clutch but Jordair Jett’s match-winning effort against Adelaide on Sunday came as no surprise to Hawks coach Rob Beveridge.
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In many ways the final 40 seconds of Sunday’s epic highlighted the 27-year-old’s strengths and weaknesses. It was a power drive to the basket that sent him to the line with the chance to level the scores.
Going one of two was indication of his hit and miss efforts from the line this season but he came up when it counted, weaving through four defenders and getting the final shot to drop on the siren.
He blazed past an elite defender in Jacob Wiley to do so and showed that, when it comes to getting at the rim, he’s as good as any guard in the NBL.
Beveridge said post-match that there was no other pair of hands he wanted the ball in.
“He’s probably the most underrated import in the league,” Beveridge said.
“He’s that good and he needs to have that belief. We have that belief in him and we want to ball in his hands.
“We’re trying to work out who takes the last shot, who makes the big play, and you look at what your strength is. He went and sought that out.
“Toddy [Blanchfield] came off it looking to score but realised ‘hang on, that’s not my strength to go one-on-one off that, give it to Jordair’ and he just said ‘yeah I’m going to take this’.
“He showed us, and he showed the crowd, that he can handle the pressure. It’ll be amazing for his confidence as well.”
Jett has certainly made himself public enemy number one with the 36ers faithful, having tustled with Harry Froling on his previous trip to Adelaide.
He engaged in a fiery stoush with Wiley in the return clash in Wollongong, resulting in the latter’s ejection, and was jeered mercifully throughout Sunday’s encounter.
The image of his post-game wave will certainly prove one of the most memorable of the Hawks 2019 campaign.
“It’s just part of it,” Beveridge said.
“We’ve got a massive rivalry and, after the last game, I told him there’s going to be 6000 people booing him every time he touched it.
“He knew what to expect and he handled it really, really well and he handled it with action rather than words.”
Sixers coach Joey Wright couldn’t hide his disappointment at letting an early 14-point lead slip but gave full credit to Jett for his last-ditch effort.
“I don’t think our guys could’ve done anything else,” Wright said.
“He was determined to score that bucket, he beat a guy and split two guys to finish and then finished on the opposite side of the rim.
“That’s just a heck of a move from Jordair. I don’t think our guys could’ve done anything [more].
“You don’t want to foul him in that situation and I think they played fairly good d on that. He just made a really tough move.”