After copping another tech foul Illawarra Hawks coach Justin Tatum explodes at referees

Justin Tatum has been courting controversy all season but after another run-in with the NBL referees went at them again in the post-match on Monday.

Already $3000 poorer after hitting at out refereeing standards in the NBL, fuming Illawarra Hawks coach Justin Tatum has taken aim at them again after an upset loss to the Adelaide 36ers on Monday night.

Tatum yelled “They’ve gotta stop touching us” at the referee as he tried to separate the throng of players during the game, with Adelaide counterpart Mike Wells also involved, and continued to vent post game having also received a technical foul after he got involved in a heated exchange at the end of the first quarter.

“I take out of it what any normal head coach would take out of it,” Tatum replied when asked what he took from the exchange.

“He walks in, he tries to defuse the situation and ask the referee to make sure to watch the extra pushing on the group and you get a technical foul for it.

“For defusing your team, so I guess I’m not allowed on the court, but the guys have got to play better and not let the other team get in their heads.”

Justin Tatum has been given a technical foul for his actions during this play.⁰⁰Watch live on ESPN 📺 pic.twitter.com/wdrxmLtnnt

— NBL (@NBL) January 13, 2025

Tatum was asked if he would take his grievance up with the NBL referees department.

“They are who they are, we’ve got to play better, but they are who they are,” he replied.

The Hawks overcame a 25-point point deficit and a 63-point first half by the 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre only to fall short when Tyler Harvey’s last-gasp three-point attempt went wide after Harvey and 36ers star Kendric Davis appeared to make contact.

“It’s definitely hard to take to watch an intentional foul with two to three seconds (to go) blatantly on the sideline, which was recorded by (their) coach and was pretty much an unsportsmanlike (foul), shoot two free throws and get the ball back,” Tatum fumed.

“It was an unfortunate miss, but we allowed us to be in that situation.

“If we woulda played like we did in the last 12 minutes of the game (in the first half) we don’t leave it to those type of people’s hands to do what they did.”

Illawarra coach Justin Tatum isn’t enjoying the work of NBL referees. Picture: Sarah Reed/Getty Images

Tatum was angered by the lopsided 20-10 free throw count in Adelaide’s favour despite his side’s 50 points in the paint.

“We shot 50 points in the paint and shot 10 free throws,” he said.

“We always score 50 points in the paint and we shoot less free throws most of the time.

“There’s nothing else to get out of it, we find ways to dominate in areas where we feel we should be rewarded if there’s extra physicality because some teams have to do something different to slow you down.

“I felt that 10 free throws to 20 … I tip my hat to Adelaide, I’m not going to sit up here and not give them their credit.

“We just have to find a way to get the wins, no matter what it is or who we leave its hands to or who doesn’t want to see us where we’re at.

“We’ve got to believe and figure stuff out and keep winning.”

Asked how he might improve his team’s perceived bad run with referees, Tatum didn’t hold back.

“I’m definitely not going to give any attention to those three people out there who have the calls on those things,” he said.

“We’re focusing on where we’re trying to be at and what we need to do and don’t give anyone like them any attention because that’s what they want, so we’ve just got to focus on us.”