Gary Clark has thrown his support behind Justin Tatum as the NBL's coach of the year for guiding the Illawarra Hawks from the doldrums to within striking distance of a fairytale play-in berth.
Since firing Jacob Jackomas and appointing assistant Tatum to his first professional head-coaching job in November, the Hawks have won 10 of 15 games after losing seven of their first nine.
The father of NBA star Jayson, Tatum has orchestrated the turnaround with a similar playing group to the one that finished last in 2023.
Of the five players that average the most minutes for the fourth-placed Hawks this campaign, four were on the roster last season.
Adelaide have enjoyed a turnaround under their own interim coach Scott Ninnis, while Dean Vickerman is also likely to be considered for coach of the year after restoring Melbourne United's heavyweight status.
First-year coach Justin Scheuller has the Brisbane Bullets closing in on the post-season too, but 177-game NBA player Clark says Tatum's coach-of-the-year credentials are emphatic.
"Everyone can have their opinion and could say differently, but the numbers don't lie," the American forward told AAP.
"From where the Hawks were to where we are now, we're beating some of the top teams and that isn't just by chance, that's by preparation, that's by coaching, that's by him being able to get his guys to play and dominate.
"We've got four games left and there should be more conversations about him being coach of the year."
The NBL ladder remains congested heading into the final two rounds, with each side still a mathematical chance to feature in the post-season.
Two wins from four games will leave the Hawks with a 14-14 record, which should be enough to secure a play-in berth, but three wins can make it a certainty.
Tatum's Hawks could soar as high as third on the ladder if they win all four of their games and other results fall their way.
"I think more than anything, he's been able to hold guys accountable and make guys either step up and do your job as a big-time minutes player," Clark said of Tatum's success.
"With your work ethic, making sure everybody's on top of getting their work in, not just coming in, showing up to practice then leaving. There's accountability on playing the right way."
The Hawks have yet to confirm whether Tatum will coach beyond 2024 but star import Tyler Harvey predicted the man himself would not be fixating on his future plans.
"I don't think that's his worry right now, he's just worrying about the next game," Harvey told AAP.
"He's the one that tells us look we're just going to take this one game at a time, one practice at a time, and we'll see where the results are after that.
"It's been a blast playing for him and hopefully we can just keep this train rolling."
