Abdelfattah's plaudits for young gun Galloway

For all the new faces to pull on Sydney Kings colours in NBL24, it was a trio of familiar names that helped drive the back-to-back reigning champions to victory against Illawarra in the opening round of the season.

Jaylin Galloway, Kouat Noi and Jordi Hunter all played crucial roles in the 81-96 win, where Noi’s offensive spark off the bench saw him named Foot Locker Player of the Game.

Despite the hot start of Hunter and the shooting streak of Noi, Kings head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah saved his strongest praise for the performance of Galloway, who ended the game with 18 points and five steals.

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“We’re going to rely on JG to be the elite defender he is,” Abdelfattah said post-game.

“I think JG is probably the best defensive player in the league.

“All the guys have prepared and it doesn’t go by the wayside.  They’re willing to be coached, they accept everything, they’re held accountable and they hold themselves accountable.

“That’s what it leads to – victory.”

With Sydney’s likely starting power forward – DJ Hogg – out injured for both the Illawarra clash and the foreseeable future, a pair of Kings stepped up to fill the void left by the absence of the former All-NBL Second Team nominee.

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Next Star Alex Toohey stepped into the starting lineup and finished the game with eight points, five rebounds and three steals, while Noi added a much-needed spark as the Hawks began to mount their comeback.

He ended the game with a game-high 23 points, on an electric 7-10 shooting, plus four rebounds.

Noi was a crucial cog behind Xavier Cooks in the Kings’ NBL23 triumph, and Hunter was full of praise for his teammate following the former Taipan’s post-game declaration of his intention to be named the NBL’s Sixth Man of the Year.

“Illawarra would make their runs, but Kouat was just ready,” Hunter said. “Six three-pointers is huge.

“He played like that this week in practice to be honest, which was pretty frustrating.

“He sleeps all day and misses meals, but the dude came out and was whopping tonight. I’m happy for him.”

The Kings face a double-header in round two of the NBL24 season. First they travel to Tasmania to take on the JackJumpers before returning home to host Adelaide.