The big Boomer is back
Jawai jams his way back into the Boomers
TAIPAN Nate Jawai looks good in orange but even better in green and gold. If the Far Northern marquee centre can breeze through tonight’s NBL clash with Adelaide, he is almost certain to be recalled to the Australian Boomers. JAWAI’S AUSSIE RECALL
THE biggest man in the NBL is almost back in green and gold.
Barring an injury tonight against Adelaide, Taipans marquee centre Nate Jawai is poised to be recalled to the Australian Boomers in place of sidelined Perth big Angus Brandt for the fifth window of FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
The 32-year-old was selected in the original 24-man squad last month for the qualifiers against Iran and Qatar next week in Melbourne but missed out on Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis’ final 12-man team.
With Wildcats centre Brandt battling an ankle complaint over the last few weeks, he has withdrawn himself from the squad, and Jawai is all but certain to be recalled when the official team is released on Monday.
The pending return to the Boomers team is a huge tick of a approval for the big man’s resilience after battling finger, foot and knee injuries over the past two seasons.
He was last with the green and gold camp in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, where he just missed selection for the final team.
The Taipans have battled to put wins together this season but Jawai’s resurgence has been a huge positive, averaging almost 11 points and six rebounds a night.
Cairns coach Mike Kelly said he could not speak more highly of the way Jawai has performed since he took over at the club.
“Nate has improved daily, he is engaged and buying in, and it seems like he is loving the competition every day with our guys at training,” Kelly said. “That is showing in games. “We will continue on the ‘getting better every day’ mode and that is helping him.”
The former NBA big man last played in a major tournament with the Boomers at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.
Brandt did not travel to play New Zealand today but is hoping to be fit for Perth’s rematch against the Breakers on Sunday.
“It has not been released yet but I have pulled out the Australian squad,” Brandt said.
“Because of the ankle, I wanted to make sure I was right for the long term.
“It is my second sprain in about eight weeks so I want to make sure it is right.”
Former Snakes Cameron Gliddon, Mitch McCarron and Nathan Sobey are all also named in Lemanis’ squad. The Boomers play Iran next Friday followed by Qatar three days later.