'I don't know': Josh King searches for Phoenix answers

• All 165 games of the NBL27 season in one list
• Every NBL27 roster, squad list and projected depth chart
• Every injured NBL player, with expected return dates
• Hammer Time: Who is leading the league in dunks

Track meet.

South East Melbourne Phoenix head coach Josh King said, "I don't know", multiple times in a 12-minute press conference.

Illawarra Hawks head coach Justin Tatum "deeply, truly" apologised to NBL referee Chris Reid straight out of the blocks in his 9:48-minute press conference.

And the Illawarra Hawks clawed their way to 5-9, off the bottom of the ladder and two games outside the top six, with a 120-110 road win against the Phoenix at the State Basketball Centre in Melbourne on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, in the Ignite Cup.

The Phoenix parted ways with underperforming point guard Skylar Mays ($277,000) on Tuesday, November 10, and simply can't stop anyone. In NBL26, the Phoenix gave up 92.8 points per game; in NBL27, it's 97.8.

"I just told the guys in the locker room I'm not surprised by the result," King said.

"If I didn't watch that game, if someone just handed me the box score, I said whichever team gave up 43 points in the second quarter didn't win the game. I don't know who ... 'and that was us'.

"So we ultimately lost that game in the last five minutes of the second quarter. Just disappointing.

"But right now it's not about wins and losses for us. We need to find guys that want to compete at a high level and have pride while they're playing out there on the floor, because we don't have enough guys in our locker room right now who compete at a high level and have the ultimate pride and want to play for the team."

King was asked about the drop in effectiveness of Tanner Krebs ($150,300) and Jordan Hunter ($224,800).

"I don't know. You'd have to ask those other guys that question," King answered.

He was then asked whether he was frustrated with his team, as there were multiple back-and-forths with players in time-outs.

"I don't know. I'd like to see some guys challenge each other," he answered.

"I'm tired of challenging them. The best teams are player-led teams, and we need more guys challenging each other."

Asked whether the 10-point loss and the visible disconnect between players was a "line in the sand" moment for his squad, King said: "I don't know if it's a line in the sand. We're not focused on winning basketball games or losing basketball games right now.

"We got to put that out the window. We need to focus on being good teammates and being competitive. That's what we need to focus on. I know it sounds like under-12 stuff, but that's where we're at."

Tatum criticised NBL referee Chris Reid after the 36ers blow-out loss on Saturday that led to the ejection of Makur Maker ($99,800), and he used the opening of his presser to apologise for name-checking him specifically.

"I mentioned an NBL official by name and I want to let everybody know that there was no criticism or ill will by it," Tatum said.

"But I understand I didn't need to mention somebody by their name.

"I deeply, truly apologise to that person. I apologise to our fans and my team and my administration for any negative response over the last couple of days."

American import Kelan Martin ($277,000) poured in 27 points off the bench; Milton Doyle ($274,700) made six straight threes in his 22 points (8-from-11 and 6-from-7 from deep), and the Hawks responded to the beatdown in Adelaide with a high-octane, fast-paced performance that had them up by 20 points with 6:54 left in the third quarter.

"All teams go through struggles," Tatum added.

"We're trying to find our identity. Offensively, we're really good. We have so many players who can make plays. They've just got to find a way to be unselfish and trust each other. That's the process of building a team.

"We had a lot of deficiencies, especially on the defensive end.

"Then we had to start trusting each other more on the offensive end. The more we're around each other and the more we understand our structure and our sets, the better we'll be."

Tatum, with Doyle sitting next to him, backed his star import and NBL champion floor leader despite his slow start to NBL27.

"I don't care if he had eight or 10 bad games," Tatum said.

"I know how great this man next to me is. It always takes time for people to adjust to a new system, a new team and a new city.

"When you're not playing well, high-profile players get scrutinised, but he's a true professional.

"Everybody in that locker room and in the city of Wollongong believes in him. We had no doubt in our minds that he was going to have games like this and even better."

Watch

NBL27

South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Illawarra Hawks | Round 9 Highlights

Watch the highlights as the South East Melbourne Phoenix take on the Illawarra Hawks in Round 9 of NBL27 on November 11, 2026.

What you need to know

• The Illawarra Hawks beat the South East Melbourne Phoenix 120-110 at the State Basketball Centre in Round 9 of NBL27 on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, moving to 5-9 and handing Phoenix a third straight loss at 4-8.
• Phoenix scored the first eight points and last led 17-16 late in the first quarter; Illawarra led 28-23, 71-54 and 95-81 at the breaks, by as many as 20 in the third, and Phoenix got no closer than eight in the fourth.
• Kelan Martin ($277,000) top-scored with 27 points off the bench on 10-from-16, including 5-from-7 from three, while D'Shawn Schwartz ($277,000) led Phoenix with 22 points and eight rebounds on 8-from-13 in 24 minutes.
• The game was decided in the second quarter, when Illawarra shot 15-from-18 from the field and 9-from-9 at the line to win it 43-31. Phoenix won the other three quarters 79-77.
• Both sides made 13 threes, but Phoenix took 42 to get there and Illawarra 32, with Milton Doyle ($274,700) and Martin going a combined 11-from-14 and the rest of the Hawks 2-from-18.

Milestones

• Angus Glover played his 201st NBL game, three days after bringing up 200 against the Sydney Kings on Sunday.
• Illawarra's 120 points is their highest score of NBL27, and their 43-point second quarter is their highest-scoring quarter of the season.
• Milton Doyle set NBL27 highs for points (22) and threes (six), Tanner Krebs for rebounds (11) and Nathan Sobey for assists (nine).
• The win squares the season series at 1-1, after Phoenix won 113-96 at home in Round 3.

South East Melbourne Phoenix

• D'Shawn Schwartz ($277,000) led Phoenix with 22 points and eight rebounds on 8-from-13, including 4-from-6 at the line, in 24 minutes.
• Nathan Sobey ($379,600) added 19 points and a season-high nine assists on 7-from-12, but turned it over four times.
• Dash Daniels ($115,000) scored 17 on 7-from-11, including 3-from-7 from three, and was one of three Phoenix players to finish in the positive at +5.
• Angus Glover ($191,700) scored 15 off the bench on 4-from-11, making all five of his free throws.
• Tanner Krebs ($150,300) took a season-high 11 rebounds but shot 2-from-9, every attempt from three.
• Patrick Ryan ($58,500) scored nine on 4-from-8 in 18 minutes off the bench.
• Akech Aliir ($125,300) had six points, six rebounds, four assists and a block off the bench.
• Phoenix shot 41-from-80 from the field, 13-from-42 from three and 15-from-21 at the line, with 38 rebounds, 25 assists and 12 turnovers.

Illawarra Hawks

• Kelan Martin ($277,000) top-scored with 27 points off the bench on 10-from-16, including 5-from-7 from three, in 27 minutes.
• Milton Doyle ($274,700) had a season-high 22 points on 8-from-11, including a season-best 6-from-7 from three, with four assists.
• William Hickey ($331,600) finished one rebound and two assists short of a triple-double with 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and a game-high +18.
• Makur Maker ($99,800) made all eight of his free throws in 16 points, adding six rebounds and five assists.
• Sam Froling ($228,200) scored nine on 3-from-4 with five rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.
• Tyler Harvey ($271,700) added nine points on 4-from-9 in 19 minutes.
• Todd Blanchfield ($123,800) made both of his threes for six points in under seven minutes off the bench.
• Illawarra shot 43-from-77 from the field, 13-from-32 from three and 21-from-24 at the line, with 38 rebounds, 24 assists and 10 turnovers.