THE Warrnambool Seahawks are not hitting the panic button just yet.
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But with two losses from two matches, a Big V division one survival plan could be on the cards.
Not even a bumper home crowd was enough to lift the Seahawks against Melbourne University on the weekend.
The sour start to the year continued as the host stumbled 86-66.
But relaxed Warrnambool coach Tim Gainey is not ready to fret about the future.
"It's all mental toughness type stuff," he said.
"We just didn't have the effort or the intensity.
"I think last year we won one in five at the start of the season and ended up finishing third.
"So there's no panic button at the moment."
More than 200 basketball supporters flocked to the Arc on Saturday night to watch the Seahawks' first home game of the 2011 fixture.
"It was pretty packed," Gainey said.
"The crowd was very active and we were hoping to feed off their energy and come out hard."
Despite their best intentions, the Seahawks were upstaged by the Black Angels in the first term to trail 20-14 at the first break.
"We just missed a few shots that we'd usually make," Gainey said.
Black Angels allrounder Scott Cuffe troubled the home side as he powered towards a match-high 25 points.
The margin stretched to 12 points by half time and 13 at the last change.
"It really got away from us in terms of intensity and effort," Gainey said.
"We were relying too much on our offence but we weren't making shots.
"They (Melbourne) just had the second-effort."
Seahawks debutant Lewis Steere provided some spark and Scott Gedge managed to pull in 12 rebounds for the match.
But it was too little too late for the host.
"We actually played really well in the fourth quarter," Gainey said.
"It's just about getting everybody on the same page.
"We've got to find other ways to grow our game."
The winless Seahawks will welcome Werribee on Saturday before travelling to Geelong on Sunday for their first double-header weekend of the season.
Gainey said he was looking forward to the arrival of US import Cameron Mitchell in coming weeks and the return of Nathan Sobey later this year.
"It's still early," he said.
"We're still just trying to work out what's better for us."
