Who is Nathan Jawai? Beyond the cool nickname of Aussie Shaq and some draft Bio stuff what do you really know about him. My answer was not a lot. First thing you should know is Nathan is not crazy about that nickname. That was one of the many things I would learn in my search of some info. Raps T.V once had a documentary called Searching For Lebron James. This was back when he was the high school superstar that everyone said was a lock for NBA stardom. The goal of the documentary was to interview Lebron. Which at the end they did. Sure I would like to interview Nathan Jawai. But like any good interviewer should do, I need to do the research and background. That is what this is going to be. Will I ever interview the large Australian Superstar? I have no idea. But by taking you along in my quest to know more about him we can all learn something. I don’t think this exists, and it may be a first, but welcome to my “blogumentary”. If nothing else, I invented a word.
By his size Nathan would make an impressive offensive lineman as well as a basketball player. He does have a connection to football. But I am not talking CFL, NFL or even Soccer. He was orginally a prospect to be a star in the sport known as Aussie Rules Football. If you have never seen it you really should. It has all the contact of the North American Game minus the pads. I don’t want to get to deep into but basically if you combine North American Football, Rugby and Soccer you have some idea of the sport. Myself I actually have seen the sport and it is rough and tumble action. TSN in it’s early days use to broadcast it here in Canada on Sunday mornings. At the age of 16 years old Nathan Jawai was looking at the chance to be a star of the AFL not the NBA. But his uncle Danny(Danny Morseau is not an uncle in the western sense. He is not a sibling of one of Jawai’s parents. But in the Torres Strait Islanderculture, the Thursday Islander is “uncle’’ and has been one of his mentors.) an accomplished athlete in his own right said that Nathan should be playing basketball and not Aussie Rules Football. Danny Morseau who was a two time Olympic Athlete for Australia recalled what he said to Nathan about looking to basketball instead of the AFL.
“Basically I said to him, you’re not built like an AFL player, you’re not built like a rugby league player, you’re built like a basketball player.It was about creating pathways and opening doors and he needed to know that if he was playing basketball, people would help open doors for him and support him and we did that.”- Quote From Carins Post- July 1 2008
Nathan would not exactly fall in love with his Uncle’s choice of sport. He would call home to his Dad and he recounts that conversation in the same article from July 1 in the Carins Post:
“My first game at Fretwell, I was like: I don’t know if I want to do this, I was so uncomfortable, I called home and my parents just told me to give it a try. A lot of this has to do with my parents because when I first came down, I’d call them and say, Dad, I’m not interested, I don’t want to play this sport. And my Dad was like, just give it a try. I gave it a try and the first two weeks, I kind of enjoyed it a little bit. I didn’t even know how to play the game, I didn’t understand anything. And then I kind of started enjoying myself. You know how people say you get a love for the game?”
He has come a very long way from that time. He was talked about by many and NBA scouts prior to the draft saw him as a raw talent and was someone that there was a lot of buzz around. The Toronto Raptors holding pick number 17 did not seem the logical place for him to be selected. In mock drafts Jawai was not thought to go that high. In Addition the Raptors did not have a second round pick at all. But the Raptors thanks to a trade end up with a second round pick and use it on Jawai. The fact he has a multi-year contract is a major statement to what the Raptors think about just what Nathan Jawai could become. It is rare a second round pick signs a multi-year deal in the NBA.
Another thing you should understand is Jawai has been getting his picture in papers in his homeland since he was a teenager. He is a big deal back in his country. Just like Jose Calderon is in Spain. Andrea Bargnani is in Italy. Recently departed from Raptors Carlos Delfino, Jorge Garbajosa and Rasho Nesterovic are all big stars in their homelands. Just how big a deal is Jawai in his homeland? I give you exhibt A:
Australian Government Offers Congrats To Jawai
The government of the United States was not congratulating Lebron James when he was drafted let alone Chris Bosh. Memebers of Team U.S.A now getting ready to go to China. I don’t recall a call from the Prime Minster for Steve Nash when he was drafted the highest ever for a Canadian to the Suns. Jawai was the rookie of the year playing for the Cairns Taipans. He is really an amazing story and he come from humble roots. I spoke via e-mail with James Silver the sports editor for the Cairns Post. He was very helpful in helping me put this altogether. First thing I asked him was about how the people of Australia feel about Nathan Jawai?
“Nathan Jawai has excited Australian sports fans for a number of reasons. The story of the Bamaga behemoth’s rise to prominence after humble beginnings is a great one and will be retold for years to come. Basketball is facing numerous problems in Australia, particularly in the NBL, but Jawai is an example of how Australia can be a breeding ground for champions.”
When the Raptors were part of Euro Live last year we all got to see what huge stars that Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon and now Ex-Raptor Jorge Garbajosa were in their homelands. Well the people of Australia who are truly a sports carzy nation in a good way, they really growing to love this guy just as much if not more.
Jawai is also someone that has given a lot of hope to people. He is first indigenous person to be drafted to the NBA and comes from very humble roots. He comes from a place called Bamaga. John Fa Aoso a friend of Nathan from the area explains that Bamaga is a community made up of 10 different clans of indigenous people. It is located in the far north tip of Queensland. It is a very beautiful tourist spot. But for the residents of the area they face many problems that inculde lack of housing, employment and a higher than average rate of crime. Many of the youth have problems with alchool, drugs and std’s and under age pregnancies. Nathan and his success coming from this community has been something that has inspired many as you will hear several times as you read on. James Silver explains about this rags to riches climb made by Nathan has impacted his community:
“Jawai has inspired many indigenous youths to follow their dream. He has come from a community (Bamaga) that has many social problems but has managed to break into one of sport’s biggest leagues. He is a friend of fellow indigenous star Patrick Mills, who is going well in the US college system(NCAA) and will play for the Boomers(Australian National Team) in the Olympics. Mills is also likely to play in the NBA in a couple of years.”
Aaron Fearne who coached Jawai from basically his start in basketball right to the pros had this to say about Nathan’s fame in his homeland and small community of Bamaga:
Aaron Fearne Taipans Assistant Coach-”The basketball community of Australia have been following him with a great deal of interest. He generated a lot of hype here in Australia with his size, quickness and most of all the number of dunks he had. Australia has not had a local talent like him because what he could do was very rare for an Australia and in particular an Indigenous Australia at. The Thursday Islander community where Nate is from is over the moon that Nate has achieved what he has so far. He is all they talk about at the moment. He is a huge role model for all Indigenous Australia and has shown them that if he can get to where he has so far that they can do the same, it may not be in basketball but could be in whatever they choose to do.”
Paul Groiss Assistant Coach of Australian Men’s Basketball team talked about the growing fame of Nathan in his homeland:
Paul Groiss Assistant Coach Of Australian Men’s Basketball-”When Nathan left the AIS to go to Midland College he was relatively unknown in the general public, he was known around Australian basketball circles, some USA College coaches knew of him, of course he was more widely recognised in Cairns but not internationally. Now with all the media attention from him being drafted 41st and being signed by Toronto Raptors I think Nathan is becoming more widely known in Australia generally. Obviously he is a role model for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and to anyone and everyone who has dreams of being a great sportsperson and living their dream, his dream has become a reality and is a remarkable story and there is hope for everyone.”
Last season Raptor fans all got to know a humble kid from Goodwater, Alabama. Something tells me that Jamario Moon and Nathan Jawai will have a lot in common. A guy from a small city in Alabama and another from a small place in Australia. These two as they would say in Australia should be “mates”. Jamario Moon is said to be packing on some extra weight this off-season. Well he may have found himself a very large workout partner. We all were amazed by Jamario’s story last year. But Nathan Jawai’s may be even more amazing. He has only played basketball for five years. Where I am from there are leagues where kids start playing basketball at the age of six. So by the end of high school they would have been playing basketball for 12 years at least.
So I continued on in my quest for knowledge of Jawai. I made contact with his team in Australia. They after all would know best about the guy that was their star player. It was the most logical place to go. I would be directed towards Aaron Fearne who is an assistant coach with the Carins Taipans the team Nathan played for in Australia. Aaron as you know by what you read so far agreed to talk with me about Nathan. He is not just a coach of Nathan’s but is a close friend and mentor to him and has been a big part of his journey and will continue to be. I asked Aaron to tell us about Nathan as a person as most here do not know much beyond the nickname “Aussie Shaq”:
“Well first of all Nathan really dislikes being called Aussie Shaq so the fans of Toronto will have to come up with a new nick name for the big guy if they wish. The ones I know are Big Nate, Big Dot. Nathan has a quiet personality when he is in new and different places and when he is meeting people for the first time. When he gets comfortable with where he is at he opens up a lot and is a fun person to be around.
Given the size of Nathan that is a good helpful hint for anyone going to look for an autograph. But do not be afraid to approach him because everyone I talk with said he is very friendly. I mentioned that Aaron has a long history with Nathan and over that time has developed a close bond with him. I ask him for a little history of how that came to be:
“He has only been playing basketball for 5 years and over that time we have developed a very close relationship. I coached him when he played for my under 23 Cairns Marlins and played along side him for the Cairns Marlins (a D2 team here in Cairns Australia) in 2004. When he went to the Australian Institute of Sport we talked on a regular basis and I helped mentor him while he was there. He then did a short stint at Midland College in Texas that did not work and he ended up coming back to Cairns and played the 2007 season for the Cairns Marlins. This time around I was his coach and we won the National Title for the Australian Basketball Association. Then he played his first year of professional basketball with the Carins Taipans in the 2007-08 season. Again I hope I had some influence on him over the course of his first year as a pro on how to deal with the media, fans, game situations and dealing with the ups and down of a basketball season”
Nathan as mentioned was part of the AIS. That was the next stop I made on this quest for knowledge. They got me in contact with Paul Groiss who we have heard from already.To tell us more about what exactly the Australian Insitute Of Sport is exacly, I asked Paul Groiss to explain:
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) leads the development of elite sport and is widely acknowledged in Australia and internationally as a world best practice model for elite athlete development. The AIS is a pre-eminent elite sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The AIS has been the nation’s sports training powerhouse mainly due to the AIS facilities and the cutting edge Sports Science Sports Medicine support. The AIS campus is located Australian Capital Territory.
Basketball was one of the eight founding sports of the AIS. The program began in 1981 under Head Coach Dr Adrian Hurley. It is based in Canberra and offers residential scholarships to men and women. The program has developed a strong tradition of striving for excellence in basketball and in life, through a family-like atmosphere that supports the development of talented junior players. This tradition of excellence and professionalism ranks the Basketball program with the best of the AIS programs, and sees the program recognised around the world as one of the best of its kind. Coaches in the program are dedicated to the ideal of ensuring players’ daily improvement in their basketball development, academic progress, employment, welfare and personal growth. There is a full-time support network of highly qualified sports medicine doctors, physiotherapists, massage therapists, a nursing sister, physiologists, biomechanists, psychologists, academic tutors and house parents to assist with players’ specific needs.
I asked Paul how Nathan ended up as part of the AIS Program. He explains how he became aware of the raw basketball talent:
Nathan was bought to my attention in 2003 by Danny Morseau and Aaron Fearne when I was in Cairns working as the Head Coach of the Queensland North NITCP (National Intensive Training Centre Program) Basketball. The program provides part time scholarships in each State and Territory for 14-17 year old basketball athletes to attend camps, be provided with individual training, basketball camps and strength and conditioning, sports science and ACE (Athlete Career Education). Nathan started playing basketball in Cairns and was selected with to play with Queensland at the National Under 20 Championships. From these championships Nathan was offered a scholarship at the AIS.
It is truly amazing that Nathan a product of the program and with only 5 years of playing the game of basketball has got where he is today. For that to happen you would need to learn and develop a lot of skill in a very short time. Aaron Fearne has been there from the start and can speak the best to how that has happened. After all he has been there to see it:
“5 years ago when he first started to play he was very raw but very talented. He had great feet and great hands. Was always very quick and athletic for his size so to have all those tools to start with is always a bonus. He has picked up the game so fast and is a very smart player and reads the game well. He is still learning what it takes to be a pro in regards to his professionalism at a high level and what it takes to get his body in great shape. He has done a great job with that over the last 18 months and has know given himself a chance to play in the NBA.”
Now he has got to that point and even has a few summer league games under his belt. But you can not really get a true understanding of a player in that little amount of time. So I asked both Aaron Fearne Taipans Assistant Coach and Paul Groiss an Assistant Coach for the national team in Australia for a scouting report on Nathan is at this point in his career:
Aaron Fearne-”Nathan has great size 275lbs 6′10” and is very quick. He has nice poise in the post and has a number of skills around the rim. Shoots the 12′-15′ jump shot well. Defends on ball screens well and talks well on defense. Is a solid rebounder but needs to become a dominate rebounder and a better shot blocker than what he is right now which will come as he continues to learn the game.Needs to continue to improve his jump shot and left hand jump hook.”
Paul Groiss-”BIG BODY Nathan is a power player, has a strong body and he likes dunking the ball and is quick off the floor (second chance opportunities and rebounds). He seals and works in the low post very well and he likes the spin move in the low post. Nathan needs to have some “go to” post moves to be more effective. He needs to work on his shooting and mid range game but he has improved in that area in the last 12 – 18 months. He uses the pick and roll well with his size and quickness and he will get better at this aspect through his experience in the NBA. He was one of our better on ball screen defenders at the AIS because of his wing span, strength and his lateral quickness. He has good vision on the court but needs improvement in his passing. Nathan is a good rebounder but will need to improve this stat in the NBA. His body will become more hardened with the NBA schedule and the level of athletic talent and strength of player he will have to defend every night. Considering his short time playing basketball I believe Nathan can be a very special player and could have a long career in the NBA. I am sure everyone will see a great improvement from him throughout the year and years to come. It would be harsh to expect great things from him straight away but I have the confidence in him that he will do the work, he is a quick learner and be a great addition to the Raptors team. “
But what lies ahead for him as far as challenges in the NBA. Paul Groiss talked about some of those things above. What can this big man from down under eventually be. Arron continues on with his thought on the challenges and future of Nathan in the NBA:
First thing that he will need to learn is the NBA style of game. The set plays, the no zone rules and as all rookies that come into the NBA dealing with the speed of the games. The travel and playing games almost every other day will be another thing that Nate will need to deal with and get use to. It will not be like here in Australia where you play a game pretty much every weekend or a Wednesday and Saturday type thing. I feel he can be a very good NBA player because he has the speed, size, lentgh and skill level to really turn himself into a very nice player. He has only been playing the game for 5 years and the improvement he has made has been very impressive and I feel we have only seen the tip of the ice berge on how good he can be. But don’t get me wrong he still has a lot of work in front of him if he is to prove to himself, his friends and family and the Toronto Raptors that he can be a legit NBA player.
Now Nathan Jawai as mentioned played in the NBL for Carins Taipans. Even in this world of global sports I think it is safe to say that not to many in Canada know anything about the league. How does it would compare to say the NCAA, Euro League and the NBA. Aaron as a coach in the league gives us his thoughts:
“From a NCAA point of view just the experience, age, strength etc would cause NCAA teams lots of trouble. We play a very up and down game in Australia.The top Euro League teams would be a big challenge for teams here in Australia but playing here in our country or playing in Europe would make a big difference in how the games would play out. Europe play a very controlled style of game and their teams are a lot bigger than our teams. Here we play with a lot of 6′7” , 6′8″ type 4 men where in Europe alot of 4’s are 6′9″+ The size and athletisum of the NBA player would be something teams here could not be able to handle very well. But what makes these match ups interesting is that overseas we can play a lot of zone. But could we stop the fast breaking style of all NBA teams would be the question.”
Nathan Jawai will be learning about the NBA game right here in Canada. Eric Smith happened to see him in Toronto checking out his future home. This was just a few days before the trade would make Jawai and Jermaine O’Neal Raptors. Eric had a brief chat with Nathan and he wrote about it in his blog “The Rap”. I asked Aaron Fearne if Nathan had shared any thoughts with him coming to Canada:
“Nathan would like me to join him in Toronto for at least the first year to help mentor him along as he makes his transiton into the NBA. I would take leave from the job I am currently doing here in Australia and that is as the assistant coach of the Cairns Taipans. The Taipans are very accommindating to allow me to do this which I turely appreciate and will be a big learning experience for me as well. Which I am really looking forward to.”
It is very obvious that Aaron and Nathan have a great relationship from what you have read to this point. I asked Aaron his personal thoughts on how he felt about Nathan being drafted to the NBA:
“Look a number of people have really helped Nathan to get to this point but I guess over the last five years I have had the opportunity to develop a very strong relationship with him both on and off the court. He has come a long way and has a long way to go both personally and professionally as all young men do as they become pros. He is a tremendous talent but as we all know that does not get the job done and most of us need some guidence as we head along our journeys and Nathan is no different. I just try to share my thoughts with him as we go along and he bounces thought that he has about this and about that as well. We have a great understanding with each other,but believe me when I think he has stepped out of line or isnt doing this or that to the best of his ability then I will let him know, but he appreciates that at the end of the day. I am proud of him that he has got to this point in his young basketball career but he still, in my mind, has a lot of hard work in front of him if he is to reach his potential. I wish him all the best.”
I also asked Paul Groiss about his personal feelings upon hearing the news that Nathan had been drafted in the NBA:
I was estatic. On the day of the draft I was away coaching our AIS team playing in SEABL (South East Australian Basketball League – 2nd tier to NBL) on a road trip in Geelong . I was getting text messags all day about Natha being drafted at number 41. Our current group of AIS scholarship holders were very excited. It was a major coincidence that we beat Geelong that night by 41. I was so happy for Nathan and very proud of where he has come from as a player and person. He has put in a lot of work both here at the AIS and with the Taipans and there are a support network of people here at the AIS from the coaches, Physio, Strength and Conditioning, ACE and Nutrition that have assisted Nathan along the way. Nathan is a good person, kind hearted and a great team person who loves to compete and win.
As for Nathan Jawai what was he thinking after being selected by the Pacers in the second round and end up based on a trade a Toronto Raptor. He had this to say:
Nathan Jawai Quote From Carins Post(June 28 2008)-“I’ll definitely be playing. I’m going to work my tail off for that. It motivates me that I got picked in the second round. ‘
I asked Paul Groiss about where Nathan would be in comparison to the two most common Australian names that NBA fans would think of. Luc Longley the fromer Chicago Bull and current Bucks former # 1 draft choice Andrew Bogut. Here is what he said about that:
“Andrew Bogut and Luc Longley are household names in Australia. I think by now everyone is talking about Nathan Jawai. He had a stand out year in the NBL last season and with the media attention about his selection in the NBA draft he is now widely recognised. Nathan is different player to both Andrew and Luc. Longley was used to great effect as a part of the triangle offense with Chicago. He was a good passer and low post presence but was limited athletically and with his perimeter jump shot. Bogut has great hands, a very good passer, solid mid range jump shot, can put the ball on the floor, can play from the low post and high post and is very, very competitive. Potential is a very difficult barometer to gauge on – we as coaches hope every player reaches their potential and more but with Nathan being new to the game and with not much pro experience I can only see him improving a lot in his skill package, his body and his maturity as a player. The sky is the limit for him. The type of player he is, is something Australian Basketball has never had. He could be one of the best players alongside Heal, Longley, Bogut that Australia has produced. I look forward to a future Australian men’s team (Boomers) with AIS graduates Patrick Mills, Brad Newley, Joe Ingles, Aron Baynes, Nathan Jawai, Aaron Bruce, Andrew Bogut and Andrew Ogilvy to name a few. It is a very exciting future for Basketball in Australia.”
Nathan recently got in touch with Groiss and he is looking forward to playing in Toronto and learning from Jermaine O’Neal who came with Jawai as part of the T.J Ford trade to the Pacers. Also part of that deal was Roy Hibbert of Georgetown. Ironically who had a draft bio done about him by myself as well. Many fans are already making comparisons of the two players. I will look at that on another day. I will say that both from my research on them seem to be very good people and hard workers. They have that in common.
This ends the search for Nathan Jawai. I hope you have learned a lot about him and his homeland. But this search can not end without thanking all the people that were kind enough to talk with me. Not just the people in the article but the many people that helped me get in touch with those people. Prior to writing this I had always liked the people of Australia. I have never been there but I have admired the passion and love of sports they have. That was on display at the Sydney games in 2000. But after this experience I am even more convinced the people of Australia are great people. Speical thanks to the Cairns Post, Cairns Taipans Organization and The Australian Insitute of Sport and the Men’s Basketball program. I thank you on behalf of myself and all Raptor Fans for your help in this story being told. I welcome you and the people of your country to the Dino Nation and welcome you to join the people of Toronto and Canada as fans of the Toronto Raptors.
As for the readers of this journey I hope you enjoyed getting to know the story of Nathan Jawai. I hope that I did a good job in telling it because it really was a story worth telling. I can say that I am a fan of Nathan no matter if I ever meet him or not. His story is nothing short of amazing. It inspires me to keep at my dream which is writing for Raptor Fans each day.
Hopefully after reading this you have gotten to know Nathan and have become a fan of his story and him. I hope you all will join me in saying welcome to Canada. Aaron Fearne is also going to be coming to Canada too. So welcome to him as well. In the end of all this I have become a fan of Nathan even though I have seen very little of him playing as a basketball player. His amazing story makes me want to see him have success. Good stories like his do not come around everyday.
Update July 26-Based On The Response To This Blog
Dino Nation Blog has had so many folks reading this, I decided to create a Fan Club for Big Nate on Facebook. So if you have a facebook account click on the link below to join his fan club I created on Facebook:
Nathan Jawai Fan Club On Facebook
