Knight sees Jawai as man to spark Snakes
Taipans great says big man’s presence will make huge difference Ferrari says NASCAR mentality playing with fire
BASKETBALL TWO-TIME Cairns Taipans MVP Ben Knight believes returning big man Nate Jawai can be the firestarter to reignite the Snakes’ season.
Knight, who calls NBL games on SWR Sport radio in Sydney, saw his old club on Sunday and says the Australian Boomers’ post presence is what could lift Cairns when he returns in the coming weeks.
Jawai is targeting a New Year’s Eve return from his foot injury against the Perth Wildcats in the Far North, meaning Cairns should only be without their big target for two more games.
“Cairns fell in love with the three against Sydney and I thought another low-post presence down there would really help,” Knight said.
“Nate gives them a huge presence, he clogs up the paint, he changes shots and if the opposition has poor defence, he is going to dunk in their face.
“He is one of the best in the NBL when he gets the ball down low. Jawai being back will help establish the team again and hopefully go on a run late in the season to lift them to where they want to be.”
Knight, who played professional basketball from 1997-2011 across Asia, New Zealand and in the NBL, won two team MVP awards while in the Far North.
He shared the award on both occasions, with Aaron FERRARI could lead other Formula One teams into an alternative championship if the sport becomes too much like the US-based NASCAR series.
But it says it hopes it doesn’t Trahair in the 2000-01 season and with Anthony Stewart two seasons later.
The retired power forward now coaches the Norths Bears in NSW’s Waratah League and says the Snakes will be at their best with their backs against the wall, away at Adelaide and Illawarra over the next 10 days.
“They are great at home but on the road is the challenge and scoring on the road,” Knight said. “Aaron Fearne is one of the best in the business in how he prepares teams and how they grind but the way the league is going, you need to be able to score.
“They are prepared, they need to play to their strengths because whenever they get written off, they always find a way.”
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come to that. Speaking to reporters at the Italian team’s pre-Christmas lunch in Maranello, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said his previous threats to take Ferrari out of the sport after 2020 should not be taken lightly.
He also announced a February 22 launch date for the team’s 2018 car and said Ferrari should be challenging for the title after finishing runners-up to Mercedes this year.
Marchionne said Liberty Media, the US-based company which took over Formula One in January and sidelined former supremo Bernie Ecclestone, was learning the ropes.
“Making cars all the same with simpler and cheaper engines is like NASCAR, it doesn’t interest us,” he said.