As many Hawks fans left the WIN Entertainment Centre excitedly discussing the Froling brothers on Monday night, Tyler Harvey's performance against Adelaide may have gone under the radar.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But the star definitely caught the eye of his coach, Brian Goorjian.
Harry and Sam Froling were instrumental in Illawarra's 100-89 win over the 36ers in Wollongong, combining for 45 points and 17 rebounds. The older sibling in particular was superb, shooting 8-10 from long range on his way to 27 points, nine boards and three assists, while Sam had 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Meanwhile, Harvey finished his night with 19 points and five assists in a welcomed return to top form for the 28-year-old.
The reigning MVP runner-up grabbed the NBL by storm in his maiden campaign, averaging 20 points and three assists per game. His numbers have been slightly down so far in 2021/22, but Goorjian believes Monday night's performance could be an indicator of good things to come.
"I think he felt comfortable tonight because the pressure wasn't on him to score. And there was a good feeling out there right from the start of the game, and I thought it took the pressure off him," the Hawks mentor said.
"And when you have guys Tim (Coenraad) and Harry hitting shots, it loosens things up, and it's hard to lock in on Tyler. This addition of the perimeter players, perimeter shooters have loosened it up for him and I know he felt like we had a winning formula tonight."
Goorjian was also delighted with Harry Froling's work against the 36ers. The coach has had a long relationship with the Frolings, which started when he mentored Harry's father Shane more than three decades ago.
Harry has spoken openly about having honest heart-to-heart conversations with Goorjian this season, but Goorj is also a big supporter.
"I knew it would be a two-way street when he came here. I thought Harry would be tremendous for us and cover a lot of things that this team lacked last year, but I thought this environment and the group that we have would be great for him," Goorjian said.
"The production here (on display tonight) is all about him. He came here with a bite to him that he was going to do what was required for him to be the best he can be. And he's going down a path where there's going to be some highs and lows, but you take one look at him, and he's on the right page. I love having him here and I am hard on him, but he's responded. What he's doing, how he looks, how he's approaching everything is full credit to him.
"And tonight, when Duop (Reath) goes down (injured), and we don't have Harry here tonight, we don't win. And if we didn't win tonight, we're in deep, deep trouble. So I'm got a big smile on my face about that and I'm really pleased for him because he's been doing a lot of work. And it helps the process if you get rewarded every now and then. He's had a lot of good games, but tonight he was great."
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.