Making his mark: Recruit powering Hawks' resurgence

When the Illawarra Hawks signed Makur Maker, they knew he would help. 

What they might not have expected was that he would become the man leading their season's resurrection.

Brought in to replace Darius Days, whose season was ended by foot surgery, Maker made an impact from his first game and hasn’t let up since. 

Now coach Justin Tatum and co-captain Tyler Harvey are trumpeting his influence.

Maker was already averaging 15.7 points and 5.9 rebounds before Thursday night, then went up a gear in the Hawks’ 107-95 win over the Taipans in Cairns. 

He finished with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks on 9/14 shooting.

That followed 21 points and 5 rebounds in Saturday night’s win in Perth, with Maker instrumental as the Hawks strung together consecutive wins for the first time in NBL27. 

They now sit at 4-8 ahead of Saturday night’s trip to Adelaide.

Tatum made it clear just how much Maker means to his team.

“Yeah, that’s a bad man right there,” Tatum said.

“He had a really good game, and he’s a difference maker for us. 

“He’s blocking shots, he’s rebounding the ball, and the capability of him making shots and making passes is unbelievable.

“We just want to keep that going and keep building his confidence up, and everybody else will just come along.”

Harvey hasn’t quite been his usual self so far in NBL27, but the veteran of 206 games with the Hawks was back to his lethal best on Thursday night, scoring 19 points on 5/8 shooting from three-point range.

Even so, he couldn’t speak highly enough of his softly spoken teammate.

“He just goes about his business silently, and he’s just a cold killer,” Harvey added

“You look up, and he has 25 points, and you’re just like, yeah, just get this man this ball.

“He’s definitely been a difference maker, and if we get beat driving the lanes, he’s there to wall up and have our back. 

“He’s definitely been a great addition to this team, and he’s been getting better every game.”