Hawks captain Kevin White believes Thursday's crushing 34-point loss to New Zealand was the 'cherry on top of a disappointing year', but felt fans got a glimpse of the Illawarra's future in the defeat.
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While Illawarra were humbled by 130-96 in their final match of the season, young guns Emmett Naar, Dan Grida and Marshall Nelson all impressed with extended stints on the floor.
Grida top scored for the Hawks with 17 points from 6/11 shooting while Naar added 10 points and Nelson five points, four rebounds and four assists.
"To have them in a program and see their work ethic has been unbelievable," White said.
"When you get kids like that that come in and work their arse off every day, it makes coming to work a lot more pleasurable. It was a positive to see those guys like Emmett and Dan play well.
"We classified the playoffs as what we wanted to do. To not make it, they've probably been the shining light for us in a disappointing year."
