Hoops

Jawai and Boomers - what's the deal?

Just to clarify - Nate will train with the Marlins and Taipans teams (same complex / both under Cairns Basketball). He WON'T play for the Taipans until much later on in his career similar to Baynes - Fearne as their mentor encourages them to have an international career before returning back home.

Fearne has hinted that Nate may play for the Marlins in the QBL to keep his match fitness in check while he goes through a heap of euro offers (looking for somewhere warmer apparently)

In The Cairns Post today - Nate isn't playing for the boomers due to not committing to the program and will stay in Cairns for 2 months training with the Marlins/Taipans (rumoured to suit up for the Marlins). Also looking at other Euro options but the states haven't been ruled out.

Nate was in Cairns at the Relay for Life on Saturday/Sunday. He is looking fit and mean and keen to play at the Olympics. He was visiting Patty the week before and flew back home. He is in Melbourne this morning and going to spend time with Patty and Ingles - make of it what you will...

If he doesn't even get a bait to the camp and/ or farewell series it is probably more than just him being out of shape or a whisker off making it (which is what most people are saying) I gather that other fringe players will be training with the squad and then not make it on final London team. A no show all together suggests he's been excluded by coaches and hes not bothering etc... Just seems odd. They've involved lots of other players so far who won't make the team

What Beantown said,

I think the problem with Jawai the last time he was in the team was not his offence, but his defence. Yes he averaged some good numbers against NZ in that series, but we ultimately lost (on pts diff) because our bigs (Jawai and Ogilvy) couldn't defend the pick and roll and Pledger and others had a field day with dunks and layups at the rim in the second game.

IF Jawai is fit and mobile enough to defend pick and roll offence consistently, then he could be a great asset offensively, where his size around the basket gives us something noone else currently can.

In the end, I'm sure the coach knows Jawai's situation and would put him in the squad if he thought he was up to it, but time is running pretty short, so odds are Jawai won't play this time around.

I saw Nathan in cairns a couple of weeks ago and he was in the best shape I have ever seen him. I don't profess to know what is going on but I thought I saw something somewhere that said he was having another tilt at NBA . He was in the states last week and only just got back.

Reid asks Jawai "So no Boomers action for you mate ?"

Jawai replies to Reid "Don't know yet mate"

Ol School, if you are struggling to read Twitter feeds, just ask any passing 12 year old in the street - they can probably help.

LOL ...