Basketball On The Internet.

THE Wollongong-based Illawarra Hawks team of coach Justin Tatum easily is the most talented and deepest roster the club has suited since the NBL launched in 1979. It legitimately runs 12 players deep with the 2024-25 championship clearly now theirs to lose.

They are ripping through the competition, last night's rout of Brisbane seeing six players in double figures, two more on nine points each and not one of them was named Trey Kell.

He was too busy leading the Hawks in assists with 10 in the first half, Sam Froling scoring 17 points (8-of-11), Wani Swaka Lo Buluk 16 (7-of-10), Mason Peatling 15 (7-of-8), Lachlan Olbrich 14 (6-of-6), Hyunjung Lee 12 (4-of-9), Tyler Harvey 10 (5-of-9), Will Hickey and Todd Blanchfield 9 each at 57 and 60 per cent respectively.

Darius Days, before injuring a hamstring diving on a loose ball, had six points on 2-of-2 shooting in just 1:48 on the floor.

The Hawks shot at 62 per cent and had a record 37 assists on 52 field goals. It was an amazing performance.

The 121-87 rout was embarrassing for the Bullets, depleted and devastated by injury as they were.

But in fairness, what kind of supposed coaching masterstroke did Justin Schueller think he was pulling by starting DP Tristan Devers?

No offence to the young man who scored seven points in 14 minutes, but if your club is so down on manpower, why not at least start your best five?

For example, Isaac White or Josh Adams perhaps could have been in that opening quintet.

No, Schueller had to outsmart everyone, Illawarra ahead 35-20 at quarter-time. Whatever happened to always start your best five?

Meanwhile Illawarra simply built on its earlier home 117-95 rout over (then) second-placed Melbourne by taking it as an other "business as usual" episode.

Tatum's men know their roles, where they fit and what is expected of them. And at 11 and 12 he has Dan Grida and Kobe McDowell-White. This team is more talented than Brendan Joyce's 2001 "team of destiny" NBL champion but it must first win the title before it can be claimed as the club 's best ever.

Right now though, the championship looks very much Illawarra's to lose, injuries notwithstanding.

That said, injuries have cruelled the seasons of a few teams, not the least of which defending champion Tasmania.

Grand Final in Year 1, Semis in Year 2, Championship in Year 3, sadly Year 4 has been dogged by injuries for the JackJumpers and look very much as if they will derail a fourth straight trip into the post-season.

Missing key playmaking guard Sean MacDonald early, the Jackies stayed barely above water until his return, then promptly lost Olympic centre Will Magnay most likely for the season.

Then MacDonald went down again, this time definitely for the duration of 2024-25.

That's OK. Coach Scott Roth somehow masterminded a terrific overtime win over Adelaide 36ers with Majok Deng enjoying a career-best performance alongside Milton Doyle.

But now Deng too is cooked for the season and so too, unfortunately, are the JackJumpers. You just cannot keep losing key pieces to injury and not hit the wall at some point.

They're battling with the usual heart but it only took a few poor minutes against New Zealand and Sydney to cost them those games.

On a 12-13 win-loss mark and with South East Melbourne (away), Illawarra (home), Melbourne (away), Cairns (home) to come, they could lose all four or maybe steal one.

Meanwhile volatile Adelaide on 11-13 has Sydney (away), New Zealand (home), Brisbane (home), South East Melbourne (away) and Perth (away). The way the 36ers are travelling, they could win all five or just as easily lose all five.

The likelihood though is they will win enough to leapfrog Tasmania into the playoff six.