It’s been a tough few months for LaMelo Ball’s Illawarra Hawks, but for the first time all season, it seems as though this club might actually be turning a corner. After picking up their second win of the season last week, the Hawks played first place Sydney on Saturday, narrowly falling to the NBL’s best team. 

Yes, it was again a busy week for the Illawarra Hawks. Here is everything you need to know in this week’s “LaMelo Watch.”

An Up-And-Down Performance For LaMelo, But Progress For His Team

Although LaMelo Ball has had individual success this season, it’s no secret that his team has continued to struggle. Well, this weekend it was almost the opposite. While Ball had just a “so-so” game in Round 7 action against the Sydney Kings, you could argue that Saturday marked the best performance by the team all season long.  

The two squads entered the matchup on opposite ends of the NBL ladder, with Sydney leading the league at 9-1 overall, while Illawarra sat toward the bottom at just 2-8 overall. But for at least one night, Illawarra showed just how good they can be when they play up to their full potential. Illawarra actually led the Kings 28-24 after the first period and used a big start to the second half to take a 65-61 lead midway through the third corner. Eventually, a 10-2 run sealed an 92-87 victory for Sydney. 

Even with a loss, this probably marked Illawarra’s most complete game of the season, considering that the Kings are the league’s best team.  

As for Ball specifically, it was an up-and-down affair, one that saw him again statistically fill up the stat sheet, even as he dealt with foul trouble. Despite having to sit for big chunks of the game (Ball picked up his third foul midway through the second quarter), he still finished with 16 points on 7 of 19 shooting, to go along with six rebounds and six assists. The stats could have been even better, but the foul trouble didn’t eventually catch up to him, with Ball fouling out late in the game. 

If there was one concern coming out of Saturday however, it’s that Ball still can’t seem to get his jump shot right. Just a week after Ball’s best shooting performance of the season from downtown (where he hit five three-pointers), he finished just 1 of 5 from behind the arc. 

While it’s important to remember that Ball is in fact an 18-year-old playing against players who are – in some cases – a decade older, it is something he must clean up as he progresses through the NBL season and onto the NBA next year. 

On the season, Ball is shooting just 36 percent from the field overall and 20 percent from beyond the arc. 

A Record-Setting Crowd Welcomed Ball In Sydney

Say what you want about Ball, but the guy creates buzz everywhere he goes in the basketball world. After filling high school gyms in Chino Hills, California and at Spire Academy last year, the buzz followed Ball to Australia and Sydney over the weekend. The Illawarra game drew 17,143 fans, which, according to Sports Australia reporter Olgun Uluc, was a single-game NBL record. 

We have a new biggest crowd in NBL history, with 17,514 here at Qudos Bank Arena for Kings-Hawks. The previous high was 17,143.

— Olgun Uluc (@OlgunUluc) November 17, 2019

Off the court, it was a relatively quiet week where – for the first time in a long-time – Ball made few headlines. There were no mock drafts to update and little conversation about Ball on the stateside television shows. 

Ironically, the most interesting comments about Ball this week likely came from the man who currently signs his checks, Illawarra owner Simon Stratford. Stratford spoke the Sydney Sunday-Telegraph, where he was asked to discuss Ball, and the decision to bring him over. 

Initially, Stratford admitted that he was hesitant. And to be blunt, that might be putting it nicely. 

Early on, Stratford wanted nothing to do with Ball playing for the Hawks. 

“When I initially got asked about LaMelo, I said ‘hell no’,” Illawarra owner Simon Stratford told The Sunday Telegraph. “I was like, ‘I’ve done my research on this kid and there is no way I want him a part of this club because I thought he’d bring unwanted attention’.”

To Stratford’s credit, he admitted that after doing some due diligence and meeting Ball in person, he changed his opinion on the young basketball star. 

Clearly it was a smart decision by Stratford, one that appears to be working out well for both parties. 

Just One Game On The Hawks Schedule This Week

It will once again be a relatively quiet weekend for the Hawks, as they will play just one game in Round 7 action.

And if you’re an Illawarra supporter, this might be one to check out, as Illawarra will host the Cairns Taipans on Monday evening. 

Illawarra’s only two wins of the season have come against Cairns, most recently, a 101-91 win in Round 6 action. 

The two teams will play Monday night, at 7:30 p.m. ET in Illawarra.