Whether he is shooting the house down or throwing up bricks, Tyler Harvey pays no attention to the outside noise.
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The Illawarra Hawks co-captain was back to his brilliant best on Saturday, hitting a game-high 25 points in the Hawks' record-breaking win over South East Melbourne Phoenix.
It was a breakout performance for Harvey, who has struggled to get it going offensively in recent weeks.
But the Hawks' sharpshooter never doubted his ability to find form and in turn help Illawarra end a 616-day wait for back-to-back victories.
"To be honest man I always have belief in myself and team-mates have belief in me, I don't listen to the outside noise much," Harvey said after the Hawks 100-72 thrashing of the Phoenix, the club's biggest win since April, 2022.
" I know the work I put in and I know the work will come back and show itself. I don't know when sometimes, that's just the nature of basketball, that's just how it goes, but I treat the game with respect, I work hard , team-mates trust me, coach trusts me and eventually it will all come together.
"One thing I pride myself on is just staying consistent, staying neutral throughout the ups and downs......and as long as I do that, that's worked throughout my career and the guys still have faith in me, good things will happen."
Good things have definitely happened for the Hawks since Justin Tatum was appointed interim head coach.
Saturday's win was the third from four games the Hawks have recorded since Tatum took over from Jacob Jackomas.
The Hawks second win over the Phoenix this season improved their win/loss record to 5-8.
"It was definitely a big time win for us," Harvey said.
"In order to make the play-offs you have got to get wins like this, especially on the road........and we haven't had consecutive wins in the last two seasons, so it was good to get our second road win.
"But as coach said, we're not satisfied, we know it is still a long road ahead, we have a lot of improvements to do but when you are winning, yes it is more enjoyable but we still have a lot of work to do and we're looking forward to that work."
The hard work includes preparing to beat a Tasmania JackJumpers outfit the Hawks have beaten only once in seven outings.
The fourth-placed Tasmania head to Wollongong on Saturday night looking to arrest a two-game losing run, while the Hawks will be gunning for three wins on the trot.
The match at WIN Entertainment Centre tips off at 5.30pm.
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
