BIO: Mangok Mathiang was born in Melbourne (VIC). He later moved to the USA where he attended IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) as a teenager.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Mangok Mathiang made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 29 years of age. He scored eight points in his first game.

After two straight seasons of reaching the NBL semi finals, head coach Brian Goorjian would exit the Hawks, signing a deal to coach the Bay Area Dragons in the newly established East Asia Super League. Goorjian’s longtime assistant Jacob Jackomas would be elevated in the role of the head coach and look to continue the success of the prior two seasons. However, this wasn’t to be, as Illawarra would see a mass exodus of talent after the coaching change, retaining only Tyler Harvey and Sam Froling from the Hawk’s main rotation. Duop Reath (to Lebanon) and Justinian Jessup (to Spain) heading overseas, Antonius Cleveland (to Adelaide), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (to Melbourne), Harry Froling (to Brisbane) signing with other NBL team’s and the retirement of longtime Hawk, AJ Ogilvy.

Illawarra would replace the outgoing talent with locals Deng Deng (via Brisbane), Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (via Perth) and Mangok Mathiang, who had been playing in the NBL1 state competition as he recovered from a long-term injury before finalising the roster with imports Justin Robinson and George King.

The Hawks would split their opening games, losing to rivals Sydney (97–106) and then defeating South East Melbourne (85–72) behind a strong showing from Tyler Harvey (22 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists). The Hawks would then embark on a injury-riddled season which would see Justin Robinson require surgery on a meniscus tear in his knee, suffered in the Hawks opening game. Kevin White (via Perth) was brought in as a short-term injury replacement. Nine games later, Illawarra also made the decision to release George King (10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists), who had struggled to overcome a persistent lower leg injury.

Former New Zealand guard Peyton Siva (9.3 points, 6.3 assists and 1.6 steals) would be brought in as a replacement for import Justin Robinson but managed only 11 games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury against Adelaide, adding further salt into the wounds for the struggling Hawks.

By mid November, the Hawks still hadn’t won another game (1-9), and after playing through the first third of the season relying on Lachie Dent (4.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists), Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (4.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) and injury replacement player Davo Hickey (4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals). Shortly after, former Perth Wildcats import Michael Frazier II was signed to help cover the load.

In December, the Hawks were able to snap their nine-game losing streak and defeat Melbourne (93-79), who entered the game on a 0-4 losing streak. Sam Froling (29 points) dominated for the Hawks, scoring 16 in the first quarter at a efficient 64% from the field. Michael Frazier II (16 points) and Tyler Harvey (15 points) also played key roles in the win.

After appearing in 8 games, Frazier suffered a broken arm during a game against Adelaide, after colliding with two 36ers players and miss the remainder of the season. Frazier (17.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) was the Hawk’s highest-scoring player at the time.

It wasn’t until the third last game of the season that Illawarra registered another win, knocking off New Zealand in a nail-biter (78–76). A final minute Tom Abercrombie steal and dunk put the Breakers up with just seconds remaining, but a Tyler Harvey (25 points and 3 steals) match-winning heave sealed the win and produced one team’s highest moments of the season. Mathiang (15 points and 5 rebounds) was also a key contributor in the Hawks last win of the season.

Illawarra (3-25) would finish the year with the worst record in club history. Tyler Harvey (18.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 steals) led the team in scoring, Sam Froling (14 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) won the Hawk’s MVP award, while Mathiang appeared in 25 games and averaged 7.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks for the season.

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
2023/24
The primary focus of the Breakers’ off-season was re-signing promising guard William McDowell-White on a two-year deal. McDowell-White, who had a stellar NBL23 and was highly sought after in free agency, viewed staying with the Breakers under coach Mody Maor as the best opportunity to elevate his game. Finn Delany, who had spent the previous season playing in Germany, also returned to the club. From there, the Breakers were able to retain the majority of their core group, with Cameron Gliddon, Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’Afa, and captain Thomas Abercrombie returning. They added complementary pieces Mangok Mathiang (via Illawarra), Dane Pineau (via South East Melbourne), and Lithuanian prospect Mantas Rubstavicius under the NBL Next Star Program. Coach Maor then finalized the roster by replacing outgoing imports Barry Brown Jr. (to China), Jarrell Brantley (to France), and Dererk Pardon (to Italy) with Parker Jackson-Cartwright (via Turkey), Zylan Cheatham (via Germany), and Justinian Jessup, who returned to the NBL after a year in the G-League.

New Zealand started their season with a win against Cairns (98-87) and a narrow loss to Brisbane (84-89) before heading to the USA to play against the Phoenix Suns in the NBLxNBA exhibition game. With a number of player injuries, former NBA forward Anthony Lamb was also added to the squad. Despite being heavy underdogs, New Zealand pushed the Suns to the limit, making a late surge to cut the lead to four in the final minute before falling just short in a 91–86 loss. Corey Webster (27 points and 7 assists) and Tai Wesley (15 points and 7 rebounds) led the Breakers offensively. Phoenix, who were without star Devin Booker, relied on Deandre Ayton (21 points and 15 rebounds) and Trevor Ariza (16 points and 6 assists).

New Zealand returned from the USA and, due to injuries, roster changes, and inconsistent play, extended their losing streak to five games before a win over Cairns (91–81). Lamb (19 points), Mauriohooho-Le’Afa (14 points and 4 assists), McDowell-White (14 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals), Jackson-Cartwright (13 points and 7 assists), and Rubstavicius (11 points) all scored in double figures. Delany (11 games), Cheatham (11 games), McDowell-White (6 games), and Rubstavicius (5 games) all missed a considerable amount of games during the season, with Jessup being released after being unable to overcome his pelvis injury. In January, New Zealand (8–12) fell to the bottom of the ladder following three consecutive losses before turning things around, winning five of their last seven games to finish with a 13–15 record, equal with Sydney and Brisbane. Due to points percentage, Sydney (fifth) and New Zealand (sixth) advanced to the play-in tournament, while Brisbane (seventh) was eliminated.

Mathiang (6.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks) provided a solid presence in the paint for the Breakers. His standout performances included a 14-point, 9-rebound game in a win against Cairns, a 15-point, 11-rebound effort against Tasmania, and a 12-point, 13-rebound showing against Melbourne. Despite his consistent contributions, he struggled with foul trouble and limited minutes at times but remained a reliable option for the Breakers throughout the season. Alongside Mathiang, the Breakers were led offensively by Parker Jackson-Cartwright (20.6 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.9 steals) and saw strong contributions from Zylan Cheatham (15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists), Anthony Lamb (19.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists), and William McDowell-White (9.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.2 rebounds).

In the play-in tournament, New Zealand faced Sydney and secured a hard-fought win (83-76) led by Parker Jackson-Cartwright (34 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds) and Mangok Mathiang (10 points and 9 rebounds). Once into the second play-in game against Illawarra, Jackson-Cartwright (19 points and 9 assists) and Cheatham (12 points and 9 rebounds) produced solid efforts, but the inconsistency that highlighted the Breakers’ season all year returned, and they would lose by three points (85-88) and miss out on an NBL semi-final berth.

Mangok Mathiang played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Illawarra Hawks and the New Zealand Breakers. He averaged 7.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 55 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (811 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.