Illawarra Hawks star Sam Froling could be in line for more good news at the NBL Awards Night tonight.
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It comes hot on the heels of Froling learning his older brother Harry Froling had been released from hospital after sustaining serious head injuries when he fell victim to an alleged one-punch assault in Wollongong.
Froling expressed relief his brother, a former Illawarra Hawks player himself, was now at home recovering after he was punched in the head while out celebrating in Wollongong following the Brisbane Bullets' victory over the Hawks earlier that night.
It has been a difficult period since for the family though the Hawks co-captain has maintained his good form on the court.
Froling, who turns 23 on Friday, is favoured to win the Next Generation Award, which will be announced at the NBL Awards Night tonight.
It would be a well-deserved award for the 213cm centre who has flourished on the court despite plenty off tough times off it.
Froling admitted after the Hawks loss to the New Zealand Breakers last Thursday he was "extremely relieved" his older brother Harry was out of hospital and back home recovering.
"He is out of hospital now, which is good," he said.
"[The club] have been super supportive. Straight up after that Perth game in the morning I went up to Brisbane and spent a couple of days with Harry. It was nice to see him.
"I mean it has been hard. It was a scary couple of days but we are kind of over that now and now it is just letting that process take care of itself.
"For me the basketball is an escape. When you are on the court you don't think about anything like that."
Harry and Sam's father, former NBL player Shane Froling, posted a photo to Twitter of his son's shaved head and dramatic scar following his major surgery in hospital.
Froling was knocked unconscious in the alleged attack on Crown Street on January 22 about 2.40am, following his side's game against the Hawks.
He suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain, undergoing major surgery in the week after the incident.
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
