Froling's ominous warning to the NBL

As his comeback looms, Illawarra Hawks championship-winner Sam Froling has sent an ominous warning to the rest of the Hungry Jack's NBL.

During a recent interview the big man, who is recovering from an Achilles injury he suffered during the NBL25 Championship Series, explained how dangerous Illawarra's lineup could be with him in it alongside MVP contender JaVale McGee.

"Initially, I'll probably be on some minutes restriction [and off the bench] but a lot of people forget I started my career as a four man in the NBL," Froling said.

"I know I can play that role and myself and Matt Flinn have done a lot of work on the shot, particularly from the three. It's that mental side and confidence, which I'm building at training, especially as I get eased back in on the scout team.

"[Then on defence] because of my short wingspan, there's a running joke that we finally have a shot-blocker this season [with McGee].

"But I'm pretty sure I'm the Hawks leading shot-blocker, so I've been telling JT (Justin Tatum) that we're now going to have two elite shot-blockers [anchoring our defence]."

Froling started at power forward in the NBL22 season alongside Portland Trail Blazers star, Duop Reath. During the 2021-22 season in which the Hawks reached the semi-finals under Brian Goorjian, Froling and Reath combined for 733 points, 255 rebounds and 72 blocks, with shooting 50.34 per cent from the field.

Froling also admitted during the interview that he's on track to return to the hardwood in the new year.

"[The rehab] has been awesome," Froling explained on Friday night.

"I did some testing yesterday and had some really positive news.

"So next week, I'll return to full practice. Then we'll try to get six weeks of full practice before we're back on court [playing]."

After the FIBA Break, the reigning champs, who sit in ninth with a 4-9 record, host South East Melbourne from 7.30pm AEDT on Thursday, December 4, live on ESPN.