Illawarra legend Damon Lowery has issues a blistering message, calling on the Hawks players to play like their "basketball lives depend on it" after the club sacked coach Jacob Jackomas on Tuesday.
Lowery called Saturday's loss to Cairns ESPN and has questioned the players' desire multiple times throughout the campaign, with are far more talent-stacked Hawks arguably showing far less grit than the depleted roster that went a dismal 3-25 last season.
It's a monkey Jackomas could not get off his back, with a 2-7 start to NBL24 enough for the club to call time on his contract that ran until the end of the NBL26 season.
With the decision made, and Justin Tatum appointed in an interim capacity, Lowery told the NBL Now podcast it is on the players to find a response in Sunday's road clash with New Zealand.
"Fellas, there' dudes out there like me who've got to go into this job in the real world and not one of you would trade jobs with me, not one of you," Lowery thunders.
"You're privileged, it is not a God-given right to be a professional basketball player. You owe it to everybody that's reaching into their pocket, paying money, buying jerseys, doing all that stuff that. You guys owe it to them to go out there and bleed.
"It ain't no time for getting around in a circle singing kumbaya, it is war time. You need to come out this very next game and play like your basketball lives depend on it."
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Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
