Hawks veteran Tim Coenraad has called on his younger teammates to "make the most of their time" after Illawarra was knocked out of this year's NBL playoffs.
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A promising season, where they finished the regular season in second, ended in disappointment with a 99-87 loss to arch-rivals the Kings on Sunday. The result meant the Hawks copped a 2-0 semi-final defeat, the second straight season that the team has suffered that fate.
It was a particularly disappointing loss for Coenraad, who was celebrating his 350th NBL game. It has been an intriguing ride to the milestone for the 36-year-old, who stepped away from the game in late 2020 before he was given a fresh chapter after coming out of retirement last June.
Coenraad has experienced plenty of ups and downs over the journey, and hopes the Hawks can make the most of their opportunities going forward.
"You do this thing for a while and it's different emotions as you get older when the season finishes like this. And what I see in this team is obviously a lot of talent and a lot of guys that have a lot of time," Coenraad said.
"I think back to when I was their age, and the things that I wish I had done. I can't say that I've played the game with no regrets because I've got a few. But to those guys, I kept just trying to say don't waste the time that you've got in front of you because you never know when it's going to be your last game.
"I know that's a bit of a cliché, but it's a cliché because it's true."
Sunday's defeat pulled down the curtains on a roller-coaster campaign for Illawarra. Brian Goorjian's men fired out of the blocks with five straight wins, before hitting a roadblock during the mid-season. They then found their groove late, soaring into the playoffs by winning eight of their last nine games, before falling in both semi-finals to Sydney.
'"I'm so proud of this group and I was proud that we were in the dumps - we were at a real point at one stage of the season - and we had the character and guys to help fight, claw and scratch our way out of that scenario and make our way to the finals," Coenraad said.
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
