Basketball On The Internet.

NO shirking, no avoidance, no nonsense or spin. When it comes to staring the truth in the face - however unpalatable - Gordie McLeod is a lesson for us all.

In the wake of a home 82-53 humiliation by arch rival Sydney in which his Wollongong Hawks shot at 30 per cent from the floor, were outrebounded 41-33, dished just six assists (even Kyrie Irving was appalled) and forced just five turnovers with such passive defence that even conscientious objectors felt embarrassed, McLeod fronted a national television audience to face the music.

Having watched spellbound by the flacid, indolent nature of the Hawks' performance - you know, a bit like driving past a crime scene and gawking to see the carnage - my daughter was heading off to bed when I suggested she stay a second longer.

Why?

Because I wanted her to see and revisit a great life lesson about accountability, knowing full well Gordie would never let me down when presented with a chance to articulate what had just occurred.

Faced with Brad Rosen's simple question - What now? - the coach responded with: "Well, the obvious thing is to stop the bleeding.

"The other thing we've got to do is all self-evaluate. I mean, that performance tonight is terrible.

"I think that's probably the worst performance since I've been back at the Hawks...so, that is just completely not acceptable.

"Everyone's got to take responsibility. You know, as the coach, I've got to take full responsibility of that. But what the players need to do, they've got to self-evaluate, we've got to evaluate as a team, stop the bleeding, and then we've just got to put our hats on and come back to work.

"And find a way we're gonna play because watching us tonight, you wouldn't know what our system was, both offensively and defensively.

"I mean, look at the Kings, you could tell.

"It's really disappointing because we're better than that and we have been playing better than that, and you know, tonight was just one of those really bad games that just knocks you around.

"But hopefully, that's going to motivate everyone.

"You shouldn't be ... you shouldn't need that motivation because you're playing in a great competition.

"I mean, we let our fans down, you know we let our sponsors down but the biggest thing - we let ourselves down.

"You can't have that.

"We'll really see what this team's made of and how we come out and who takes the challenge and who doesn't."

Brutal honesty. Unequivocal candour.

No "the Dave Gruber fall-out was a distraction".

No "Tim Coenraad was out".

No "the officiating was terrible."

No excuses. No spin.

Just the blunt truth.

Trust this. The NZ Breakers next week will be playing a different Wollongong Hawks team.

Discussing whether the personnel balance is right or what changes the Hawks may need to consider is fodder for another time.

Right now, tip your toupee to Gordie McLeod.

He is a man for all seasons - his generation's Denis Kibble - an Olympian and a competitor of the most fierce intensity.

It is why he was not only respected and revered as a player and now as a coach, but also as a role model and a man.