Basketball: Cold winter but Hawks keep faith

TOUGH TIMES: Paora Winitana (left) says on the bright side how good is it to watch the youngsters receive some game time against the Saints last round. PHOTO/FILE

The Hawks' winter of dismay needs no interpretation or, for that matter, an explanation.

But there's no silver bullet for the Indigo-sponsored Hawke's Bay basketball franchise, if you ask veteran Paora Winitana.

"It's not any one big thing that can change it but lots of little things," says the former Tall Black before the Hawks host the Taranaki Augusta Airs in Napier tonight.

That's what coach Kirsten Daly-Taylor has impressed on her beleaguered troops before 7pm tip off at the Pettigrew-Green Arena in Taradale.

Not long ago the Hawks used to put a decisive tick against the box for maximum points in the National basketball league (NBL) against Taranaki but this season it's a different story.

The Aidan Daly-captained hosts have yet to eke out a win, having lost seven on the trot.

Any hopes of their fortunes changing last weekend when they hit the road for a double header against the Wellington saints and Mike Pero Nelson Giants evaporated with successive defeats, the former resoundingly.

On the flip side, the visitors arrive here with three from three with the Hawks prevailing 127-123 in their last outing on June 13, last year.

It's all a new frontier not just for Winitana but from the top to bottom.

"It's a new first for everything. It's a whole new situation - players, personnel, coaching, management, front office staff, back-room staff, board - it's a first for everything."

The 39-year-old swingman can only draw on what he used to hear from other franchises in the doldrums in previous winters and try to find some sort of rhyme and reason for why they are in that predicament.

"We just have to be as optimistic as we can be.

"We've got to go with that faith and belief so if we get the right opportunity we should get the right result."

The Hawks haven't played Taranaki this season and the only other franchise left to face are the James Blond Supercity Rangers.

That will come as cold comfort after the Saints beat the Rangers 108-87 in a tempestuous affair on Thursday when forward Mika Vukona, in his debut for the losers grabbed his NZ Breakers teammate, Tai Wesley, by the throat after both got into a scuffle before succumbing to gravity.

The pair were ejected with nine minutes to play.

To add another twist, last night the Canterbury Rams thumped the Saints 97-72.

The Hawks' defence has been porous, leaking 99 points a game but Winitana says the loss away to the Saints last round should be put in perspective with what Daly-Taylor achieved.

The young players in the squad all got on the court.

He salutes the PG Arena faithful for their support but accepts a three-quarter full venue is still shy despite the franchise's efforts to make it a gold-coin entry this season.

"Hawke's Bay supports winners and it's always been like that here."

Without a second import, Winitana says the men on the injured list all looked fit and healthy at training although teenager Mataeus Marsh had rolled his ankle "and is a bit of a worry".