Coach Ben Hill applauds a robust passage of play as assistant Clifton Bush II endorses it with his traditional grin. Photo/Paul Taylor
Glaringly it was long overdue. The Hawks splitting into two groups to shake hands with the corporate wallahs in a single file from across the tables on both sides of the Pettigrew-Green Arena in Taradale certified that assertion.
The match announcer had unceremoniously told parents to put their children on a leash during the third quarter, for valid reasons, on the gold coin-donation entry night but that didn't stop the PG Arena faithful from rising to their feet to accord a million-dollar applause for the Taylor Corporation-sponsored Hawke's Bay franchise team after they thumped Mike Pero Nelson Giants 103-80 in the National Basketball League encounter in Napier on Saturday.
Franchise board chairman Keith Price, mingling after the game, was grinning like a Cheshire cat as if to say: "See, I told you so."
Yes, it was an endorsement of yet another incremental gain for caretaker coach Ben Hill and his sidekicks, Clifton Bush II and Kaine Hokianga, as they racked up two victories on the trot since they took over the bridge of the mother ship from Kirstin Daly-Taylor a fortnight ago when she handed in her resignation.
Daly-Taylor remained conspicuous in her absence since she left the locker room not long after the unpardonable 106-89 loss to the Canterbury Rams on April 26 but that magical feel of the Hawks of yesteryear had undeniably returned to the Hawks' house on Saturday night.
But Hill, heaping credit where it's due, hastens to put the bottom-of-the-table victory in perspective with the ambitious goal of guiding the Jarrod Kenny and Everard Bartlett co-skippered side into fairy-tale territory - the Final Four.
It's a prudent response because it's too early for the Hawks to stop to preen their feathers - they know that, of course - as they journey south to perhaps prove to themselves more than the nay-sayers that it's do-able.
After playing the Southland Sharks on Thursday night, the Hawks fly back to PG Arena on Saturday to show the win against James Blond Supercity Rangers two Fridays ago wasn't a fluke.
Hill noted the crowd in the loss to the Rams was the biggest this season, thanks to some public relations work from the boys in the community, but felt if they kept performing the numbers will grow.
"They are our sixth man so everything helps," said the 38-year-old, who relished the 100 per cent winning record but felt they had a lot to work on.
In the run of 20-odd points during the second quarter, he had taken a gamble with wholesale changes from the bench without much profit, so for him the urgency on the bench needs attention.
"If you're not ready then you're not going to play so it's something I'll have a chat to them about in the next few days."
Hill took that hit, revising the plan to maybe two injections at a time.
It wasn't lost on him that several players contributed, which he put down to a lot of shooting in the week leading up to the game, built on a platform of faith and confidence.
"Our field-goal percentage is quite good and so is our threes. That's what we practise on a daily basis so it's all down to the individual to knock it down."
Hill wasn't prepared to sing Kumbaya around the campfire just yet despite the Giants tripping on the shot clock four times as the Hawks put their hands up.
"Our one-on-one defence was absolute crap at certain points but, in certain stages, it was really good," he said, setting the consistency bar higher.
Because the Hawks mixed up "man" and "zonal" D it was quite hard for them to pick up offensive rebounds so that's why they were retreating in haste to deny Nelson easy looks at the other end.
Having only employed four players on the bench - Mataeus Marsh, import Grant Fiorentinos, Anamata Haku and Darryl Jones - he yearns for 30-50 points from there religiously.
"DJ played well and got the ball quite good. His defence was good as well but his fitness needs to be better."
Hill sees Tony Tolovae's athleticism and scoring prowess as ideal to take the heat off Kenny and Bartlett after the swingman scored an equal game-high 21 points with Giants' Finn Delany.
The former Tall Black international said the Hawks should have beaten the Giants by 40 to 50 points.
"I don't think they should have got to 80. They are a 60 or, maybe, even a 70-point team."
He didn't expect the road to take its toll on his troops at the business end.
If anything Hill felt it would be a factor in strengthening the bond of collectiveness.
"Auckland play Nelson the night before so for both teams it'll feel like a double header so it should be a really good game."
Bartlett said there was a dire need for the Hawks to return to the culture the likes of Shawn Dennis and Paul Henare had instilled as coaches.
"Having that atmosphere, you know, when there was not an empty seat in the [arena] so we'll have to build that up, showing our fans and sponsors after that in shaking their hands," he said.
Australian Dennis is the only mentor to lead the franchise to an NBL crown in its history, in 2006.
Henare, now the New Zealand Warriors and Tall Blacks coach, was rumoured to be among the fans here on Saturday.
The Bay-born parted ways with the Hawks, for the Sharks, after the franchise ownership changed hands but didn't publicly elaborate why.
Bartlett said centre Amir Williams, who had some caustic exchanges with fellow US import from Nelson Morgan Grim on Saturday, was living up to his portfolio.
"That's his role. If you look at our team he's our enforcer, our big man.
"That's just another way of bringing energy and another way of bringing the boys together," he said, adding US-based Fiji-born Joshua Fox was doing the same.
MATCH STATISTICS
Hawks figures first:
■ Field goals: 42/77 (54.5%); 31/68 (45.6%).
■ 3 pointers: 11/26 (42.3%); 7/24 (29.2%).
■ Free throws: 8/11 (72.7%); 11/13 (84.6%).
■ Rebounds: 39; 31.
■ Assists: 28; 17.
■ Steals: 6; 6.
■ Blocks: 2; 1.
■ Turnovers: 9/14.
■ Fouls (fouls on): 19 (15); 19 (13).
■ Pts in the paint: 48 (24/34); 38 (19/28).
■ 2nd chance pts: 13; 10.
■ Pts from turnovers: 26; 11.
■ Pts from bench: 29; 15.
Result: Taylor Corp Hawks 103 (Tony Tolovae 21pts; Everard Bartlett 19pts, 5 reb; Joshua Fox 16pts, 4 reb; Jarrod Kenny 13 asts; Anamata Haku 12pts, 6 reb, 4 asts; Amir Williams 11pts, 6 reb) Mike Pero Nelson Giants 80 (Finn Delany 21pts, 5 reb; Sam Dempster 14pts, 9 reb, 4 asts; Dion Prewster 13, 6 reb; Tom Ingham 10pts, 4 reb).
Quarters (Hawks first), 1st: 22-23. 2nd: 55-39 (33-16). 3rd: 80-60 (25-21). Final: 103-80 (23-20).
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