The Illawarra Hawks have sacked coach Jacob Jackomas effective immediately following the club’s 2-7 start to the NBL season.
It comes after the Hawks lost 25 of their 28 games last season – the worst in franchise history – to finish with the wooden spoon having made the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons under former coach Brian Goorjian.
Jackomas met with club officials on Tuesday, with both parties agreeing it was in everyone’s best interests to go their separate ways.
“These decisions are never taken lightly, and on behalf of the club, I want to thank Jacob for all his hard work during his time at the Hawks and wish him well in his future coaching endeavours,” Hawks general manager of basketball Mat Campbell said.
“Unfortunately, our performances over the first nine games of the NBL24 season, following a challenging NBL23 campaign, have not met the club’s expectations, and we agreed that Jacob should finish his duties.”
Things haven’t improved this year, with Illawarra winning just two of its first nine matches, including a 10-point defeat in Cairns on Saturday.
Assistant Justin Tatum will step in as interim coach ahead of their next game against the Breakers on Sunday.
“I would like to thank Jacob for the work ethic and professionalism he brought with him daily during his time with the Hawks,” Hawks chief executive Stu Taggart said.
“The club remains firmly committed to building a basketball program and an organisation focused on sustained performance and success.
“The leadership of the team and the direction the team is taking are the responsibilities of the head coach, and the club must take a different path now, without delay.”
