He had a cold night in offense to open his NBL campaign, but Illawarra star Tyler Harvey has vowed to make a swift turnaround when the Hawks return to WIN Entertainment Centre to face the Phoenix on Thursday night.
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The co-captain's 18 points came at 6-19 from the field as Illawarra fell 106-97 to the Sydney Kings at home on Saturday night. It was also a frustrating debut for import Justin Robinson, who went 5-20 from the field - including 0-9 from three-point range.
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The performance could make many athletes go back into their shell, but not Harvey. The guard will stick to his shooting routine when the Hawks head back to the WEC to take on South East Melbourne.
"I never really get into numbers. Obviously if I play well, usually the team plays well, so I take responsibility for that," the 29-year-old California native said.
"But you've got to move on quick in this league, things come around quick, so there's no need to dwell on it. We've watched film on it, we'll move on from there and hopefully get a better result.
''You have to stay pretty stoic I think in sports in general, especially basketball.
"You've got to move on to the next shot quick. If you hang on to it, it could be a rough game, two games, or three games. I never worry about that, but I just try to stay true to my routine.
"And Justin's a winner. We know if we don't play to our standard, and we take accountability for that. Usually if the team goes, we go, so we have to lead that charge."
You've got to move on to the next shot quick. If you hang on to it, it could be a rough game, two games, or three games.
- - Tyler Harvey
While it's still very early in their NBL campaign, Thursday's match-up is a crucial one for the Hawks. A trip to Perth looms on the horizon two days later, while they will travel again the following weekend to Adelaide.
However, Harvey isn't getting too bogged down in what's to come, instead focusing on their next challenge. A win over the Phoenix would mean a 1-1 home stand to kick off the 2022-23 season, but he knows Illawarra will need an improved effort to get over the line.
"Obviously we didn't get the result that we wanted [against Sydney], you always want to try to open up the season with a win, especially at home. But we got great film out of that and things that we need to work on throughout the year that I think will help us achieve our end goal," Harvey said.
"Giving up 106 points is never good, especially when we pride ourselves on the defensive end. [Coach] Jacob (Jackomas) preaches that every single day, so that's on us as players to go out there every single day and implement what he's telling us.
"But coming off a loss, you always have an extra chip on your shoulder. We've had a great week at practise and the guys are feeling good - we're looking forward to playing. Every win in this league is so important when you're playing 28 games.
''You've got to stack these wins early, because at the end of the year things can get bogged down, these games become super important."
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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.
