The Big Barrel Hawks rebuild in 2024 delivered less pain than expected and in '25 the Hawks have continuity in the roster, the coaching staff and the front office for the first time since Covid. But the question remains, will that stability result in a post-season appearance?
2024 Position: 8-12 (7th place on points percentage)
Head Coach: Sam Gruggen (2nd season)
Departed: Isaiah Moore (import), Josh Roberts (import), Keanu Rasmussen (NBL1), Lucas Sutherland (import), Tommy Fergusson (injured), Jordan Ngatai (Free Agent)
Incoming: Dan Grida (Import, Giants), Darnell Cowart (import), Campbell Scott (Jets), Ezrah Eagle
Predicted Starters: Jackson Ball, Campbell Scott, Darnell Cowart, Dan Grida, Import
X-Factor: Jackson Ball
Watch For: Dan Grida
Wanted Headline: Talon-ted Hawks Squad Shreds Opponents to Protect Nest
Unwanted Headline: Hawkward… Team Lays an Egg in Another Home Loss
The Straight Shot:
The Big Barrel Hawke's Bay Hawks sat at 6-7 after 13 games in the 2024 Sal's NBL season, right in the thick of the post-season chase with the chance to control their own destiny. And control their destiny they did, with a 5 game losing streak that would see their record tumble to 6-12 with two rounds to go. Big wins to finish the season would see the Hawks equal finish equal 6th on the ladder, and if not for the inclusion of Rapid League points totals, that would have been good enough for a Final 6 spot. But with Rapid scoring being the deciding factor in points percentage, the Giants would take the nod and the Hawks were left to think about what could have been if a full strength roster had been available for just a round or two more...
But a key outcome of a less than full strength roster? The chance to see what a promising local core could offer with extended minutes. At times the lessons were tough ones to learn but now is the time for the dividends to be realised as Jackson Ball leads a young Hawke's Bay contingent that was bled in a season ago to compete today. Ball's solid frame and strength (despite his 17 years of age) will make it tough to keep him off the court this season as he looks leave his mark before departing for Wisconsin in the American Collegiate system. Jacob Murphy didn't mind getting in the mix across his 11 games of action while Kobe Kara got the most exposure with 17 games under his belt. Campbell Scott's recruitment is a solid move that brings in another young player on a similar growth curve whose perimeter game should help bolster the Hawks offensive attack.
Dan Grida decided to join his Illawarra Hawks assistant coach Sam Gruggen in the Bay and his energetic two way play will endear him to the local fan base while igniting transition opportunities all season long. Big man Darnell Cowart is the only proven big on the roster at the moment so he will need to control the glass and, perhaps more importantly, stay out of foul trouble. With a rumoured Australian wing set to join the ranks this looks to be a squad that will play with pace at all times and will need to with a relative dearth of big man in comparison to opposition rosters.
But will the space and pace top the relative success of last season? When viewed as a collective the roster looks to be improved, especially following the year of growth for the young core and a full year under the belt for Coach Sam Gruggen should see a more consistent level of play. If they import trio can carry the load that is expected this should be a team in the mix for the Final Six.
What Our Experts Say
Casey Frank: The Hawks were one of the big surprises of the season for me a year ago, as a young core and rookie coach outperformed expectations (mine at least) and were bolstered by an import trio that featured an All Star 5 in Isaiah Moore and two players in Josh Roberts and Lucas Sutherland who performed their duties to an admirable level. The recipe looks to be the same but with better local ingredients so the bulk of the pressure will be on the import trio. Dan Grida performed close to All Star 5 level a season ago and should be more confident coming off a healthy season (including a finals run) in the ANBL so should step into the lead scoring load. But the ceiling for the Hawks may come down to Jackson Ball. He has enjoyed a whirlwind offseason where his stock rose precipitously culminating in a Tall Blacks call up and the signing to the University of Wisconsin but it has been his play at the West Coast Blitz that has been the most promising. If he can deliver close to the level of play in the preseason across a heavier minutes load we could see this Hawks squad flying higher than it has since a 2021 finals appearance
Justin Nelson: In a very calculated move, the Hawks used the 2024 season to conduct a major clean-out (see Jets 2025) and put a major focus into Rapid League and local player development, and it mostly proved successful expect for a couple of injuries. The moves of ‘24 will likely pay dividends this season as Jackson Ball, Jacob Murphy and Kobe Kara continue to become legit Sal’s NBL players. With Coach Sam Gruggen returning (who I rate highly) and GM Jarrod Kenny also entering his 2nd season behind the big desk, this looks like a team/business that is going places. I like the addition of Campbell Scott, I know Coach Gruggen was high on him during last year’s trade window, and picking up the explosive Dan Grida from the Giants is an exciting and cunning move. American Darnell Cowart adds size and strength that will be at a premium for the Hawks with just 3 players over 2.00m tall (with Cowart the only one older than 21). Best of all, the Hawks continue to be all-in on developing locals, and I love this. The Hawks showed a lot of great signs last year and weren’t that far out of the running, and this year’s roster looks much deeper. This is a team sitting as a genuine playoffs contender and likely to be in the 4-8 range of the ladder.
