How to watch & talking points: South East Melbourne v Illawarra (Round 5, NBL26)

Saturday, October 18, 2025

south east melbourne phoenix

illawarra hawks

After a long road trip, South East Melbourne hosts champions Illawarra, in a replay of last season's Playofs Series.

South East Melbourne v Illawarra Hawks
Saturday, October 18, 8pm AEDT
John Cain Arena

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Talking points

Hawks building momentum
‍The reigning champs are on the board after beating the Bullets last round. While the win itself would have pleased Justin Tatum, it was the first quarter onslaught that showed this team has enough pieces to be successful. A 25-3 run in the opening five minutes was all it took to put this game away in the first quarter.

Iwundu debut
South East Melbourne roster gets stronger with the addition of NBA wing Wes Iwundu – a classic Josh King-type player who is ultra-aggressive defensively and could also unlock more of his offensive game in the NBL. The Phoenix have only played three regular season games to date, so there is plenty of room for growth still.

What they're saying

Phoenix's new import Wes Iwundu, who will suit up for the first time on Saturday:
‍“I’ve done pretty well to try to prepare myself as much as [I can] to get adjusted for [this opportunity] in Australia.

“I plan on playing on Thursday or the Saturday game, either way it goes, I'm sure coach (Josh) King and the staff will have a good plan to kind of get me fitted into the system and to the style.

“Coach King, who I was familiar with from the German BBL League, knows my game and I trust him to put me in the right position to be successful in this league.”

Hawks coach Justin Tatum on their search for a new import:
‍“If we can keep buying ourselves time, like we did this past Saturday, it's good for us and our camaraderie.

“It's also good when somebody comes in, because we're not relying on someone to help us get out of the mud; we are already sustaining ourselves and playing well.”