A despondent Rob Beveridge hasn't decided if he wants to remain Illawarra coach after their ignominious finish to the NBL season.
The Hawks farewelled a disappointing campaign on a record low, thrashed 130-96 by the New Zealand Breakers in Wellington on Thursday.
It was the most points any team has conceded in a 40-minute NBL game, something that left the veteran coach considering whether he'll stand down after four seasons in charge at Wollongong.
"I need to have a break. I need to refresh, I need to work out what I really want to do," said Beveridge, who runs a basketball consulting company.
"Do I continue coaching? Do I go on a different tangent?"
The Hawks were still in playoff contention as recently as last week but an overtime loss to Brisbane followed by two limp showings against the Breakers means they will finish seventh in the eight-team league.
Illawarra compiled the same 12-16 record as last year, when they placed fifth.
In the two seasons before that under Beveridge they reached the play-offs, including a grand final series loss to Perth in 2017.
Again overseeing a roster that lacked the star power of most other teams, Beveridge couldn't fault his players' attitude, aside from the last week when they "lost their bundle".
"Maybe some players shut up shop, looking to the future and things like that," he said.
"But pound for pound, we tried to fight every game. We've beaten every team but, for us, to get the consistency to keep doing that, we just couldn't get there."
Captain Kevin White was struggling for positives after falling short of reaching their finals goal.
One silver lining, he said, was the progress shown by youngsters such as Emmett Naar, Daniel Grida and Marshall Nelson.
The trio were handed substantial court time during the second half of the blowout in Wellington.
"But to finish like that puts the cherry on top of a disappointing year really," White said.
