Tensions threatened to boil over in the wake of the Illawarra Hawks’ emphatic 91-65 victory over the Tasmania JackJumpers with coach Scott Roth, involved in a close dispute with Hawks import Antonius Cleveland.
The Hawks overcame a quick start from the JackJumpers to dominate the clash at Launceston’s Silverdome on Saturday with their defensive line set up a pivotal 32-15 edge in the second quarter as they recorded their first win over the league’s latest franchise have got.
But it was a late twist after the last buzzer, as Roth apparently made an exception to Cleveland’s post-match celebrations and chased the American striker before being held back by players and officials.
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A candidate for the NBL coach of the year after leading the league newcomer to an unlikely top-four challenge, Roth chose not to expand on the incident in his post-match press conference, but said he was dealing with the Hawks coach Brian Goorjian.
“I really have no other comments except that this team is here to represent the entire state and we will not go back from anyone. We will continue to play and we will just keep going,” Roth said.
Goorjian defended the actions of Cleveland, the versatile swingman who played in the Hawks’ victory with 22 points and seven rebounds, along with his JackJumpers teammate.
“I have known Scott Roth for a long time and right now he is the best coach in this. He has the best of his team,” Goorjian said after the match.
“There’s respect, it’s just a little bit back and forth … a handshake when things have settled down and we do our business.”
With consecutive victories over semi-final aspirants South East Melbourne and Tasmania, Goorjian paved the way as his squad drew criticism after an inconsistent start to the season.
“I’ve been through the bad game all along, through the problems, we were a team and they worked hard in everyday life – that the culture we built last year is growing and it’s there,” Goorjian said. following Illawarra’s seventh victory in their last nine games.
“With pressure against us, as it was last year, all these games, we are playing games that are important and the character and culture of our organization is starting to grow.”
Clint Steindl’s long shot accuracy inspired the JackJumpers to an 11-point lead early in the second quarter but the Hawks raised their intensity on the defensive end and put the warm hands of Justinian Jessup and Tim Coenraad on a 49-41 halftime buffer. gefuer.
The Hawks did not hold back after the main break as they limited Tasmania to 12 points in the third quarter en route to giving the JackJumpers the biggest loss of their inaugural season.
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