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The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

From the indigenous population of Torres Strait, located on the Northeastern tip of Australia and the southern coast of New Guinea, Jawai hopes that his relocation to the United States proves to be more successful than his first trip to the mainland. In just one season with the Taipans, he received National Basketball League All-Star Game MVP honors and was named the league's Rookie of the Year in a unanimous vote.

Jawai did not begin playing basketball until age 15, having been discovered while trying to become a rugby player at St. Augustine College in Cairns. He spent his formative years playing for the Australian Boomers and Crocs Under 21 squads. He later attended the Australian Sport Institute on a scholarship and led the Cairns Marlins to the ABA national championship in 2004.

Jawai's first venture to the United States saw him earn a starting job at center for Midland Community College in 2006-07. He played in the team's first 14 games, but suffered torn knee cartilage vs. North Lake College in December, missing the team's final 27 contests, as the Chaparrals would eventually capture the 2007 National Junior College Athletic Association national championship.

The center averaged 11.4 points per game on 49.2 percent shooting from the floor and 64.5 percent from the free throw line. He averaged 5.9 rebounds and one blocked shot per game, as he also chipped in with 13 assists and 14 steals. He would leave the school and return to Australia, signing with Cairns, but did not play for the Taipans until the next season.

"I tore my cartilage and they (Midland coaches) put me back on the court a week after the operation with no physio," Jawai told Tim Morissey of the Daily Telegraph when asked why he left the community college. "I could have ruined my career if I got injured again over there."

In 2007-08, Jawai started 30 games for the Cairns Taipans. He led the team to a 16-14 record, as he was named the league's Rookie of the Year. He led the team in scoring (17.7 ppg), rebounds (9.6 rpg) and blocked shots (1.0 bpg). He made 57.5 percent of his attempts from the floor and 64.5 percent from the free throw line.

Jawai hopes to play for the Australian National Team in the 2008 Summer Olympics, if the NBA team that drafts him is willing to excuse him for the summer. Center Andrew Bogut of the Milwaukee Bucks, a fellow Australian, pushed for Jawai's addition to the team, despite having him miss considerable practice while in the United States preparing for the NBA Draft.

The head coach of the national team, Brian Goorjian, is anxious to see Jawai in an Australian Boomers uniform. "He's unique with his power around the basket, his court savvy. He's definitely somebody to have a real strong look at, and he's somebody with a bright, bright future," Goorjian stated. "I think he's the best talent that has come into our league in a long, long time and I don't think we've had anybody like him in that position. Whether he's ready or not ready I think the sky's the limit for him and I think he could play in the NBA at some point in time."

ANALYSIS

Positives: Physically imposing talent who is built along the lines of an offensive lineman (called "Baby Shaq" for his wide and massive frame) ... Athletic and mobile player with a muscular body, long arms, broad shoulders and very soft hands, showing good ball distribution skills ... Was not in the best of shape last season, but has undergone a rigorous training program, honing his already impressive muscle tone while trimming excess fat before arriving at the 2008 Las Vegas camp ... Shows a soft touch around the rim and though he lacks that 7-foot frame, he plays bigger than his size indicates ... Light on his feet, doing a nice job of running the court ... His 89-inch wingspan allows him to elevate above the rim to get his fair share of blocked shots ... Thanks to his time playing soccer and rugby as a child, he is very good with his vertical movement and shows better foot speed than most centers ... Despite limited experience as a basketball player, he is a smart player and a quick learner, needing minimal reps to retain plays ... Uses his strength and wide frame to easily establish position ... For a player of his size, he is well coordinated and demonstrates good explosion getting off the floor ... Looks natural and fluid getting up and down the court ... Has a fluid spin move to move back off a defender and keeps his man honest, forcing him out of the paint to challenge Jawai on his right-handed jump hook ... Lacks three-point range, but can step out and fire the mid-range jump shot from 12-to-15 feet from the basket ... Playing off the offensive glass, he has a quick second bounce to get the ball ... Gets to most of those put-backs off the offensive side due to his lower body strength, which he has learned to use more effectively last year to box out the big men ... Plays with true aggression, but is not the type who will get reckless and draw fouls ... Is nicknamed "Baby Shaq," but has a very soft touch, good elbow angle and a quick release when shooting from the free throw line ... Has good spin and fade away moves and a natural feel for the rim when he gets the ball in his hands on post entry passes ... Does a good job of squaring his shoulders, staying low in his stance and rooting out the other big men in the paint ... Classic power dunker who consistently finishes around the basket ... When fed the ball off the pass, he is quick to drive and get it to the rim ... Despite his size, he is very effective at getting down court on the fast break ... Best with his back to the basket, but showed the later part of 2007-08 a developing mid-range jumper that is NBA caliber ... Loves the action at the rim and gets very emotional (in-your-face type) putting down the emphatic dunk ... Catches the ball well working inside and has the upper body strength to win most battles at the offensive glass ... Has good ball handling skills and is one of those rare big men who won't turn the ball over if he puts it on the floor for a few dribbles ... Has a good feel for double teams and the vision to quickly find the open shooting option ... Can fire the ball through traffic with good precision and is very effective at tossing the ball out of the post to an open teammate ... Quick and agile slipping through the crowd on the way to the basket, doing a nice job of drawing contact along the way ... Uses his size and strength to dominate around the basket, as opponents struggle to try and move him out of the paint ... Good help defender who will do the "garbage work" on the court, whether setting the pick or chasing after lose balls.

Negatives: Lacks experience, having played the game just six years, mostly against caliber of competition you would find in a United States junior college ... Until recently, he has not had the opportunity to receive good weight room training and he did carry around some excess bulk that made him deal with stamina issues late in games (see the West Sydney, Singapore Slingers and Perth games and the quarterfinals vs. New Zealand) ... Has natural strength, but will need a few more months in the weight room to develop the power game needed to play the NBA game ... Has good vertical speed, but looks sluggish with his lateral movement, especially when he has to come out of the paint to provide help defense or get to the perimeter shooter ... Perhaps due to conditioning issues, he does not always play at full speed (will disappear for stretches) ... Has marginal face-the-basket skills and even though he has developed an adequate mid-range jumper, he does not have NBA caliber three-point range and is a liability when shooting from the perimeter ... Must be more alert to positioning when needed to rotate over and protect the basket ... Needs to do a better job of staying in front of the shooter when playing away from the rim, as slashers have had good success getting past him for an unimpeded shot ... Looks sluggish coming off some rotations and does not have the redirection agility to defend on quicker pick-and-rolls ... His offense consists mostly of dunks and put-backs, as he is not really creative with the ball in his hands (except for the emphatic dunk) ... Must improve his footwork playing in the paint (when he gets too narrow in his base, he loses balance when having to turn and run, taking some false steps to build acceleration) ... Has tried to work on his perimeter game, but his shots lack elevation (more than a fair share are blocked) and when he tries to slash to the rim, he gets off balance and will then just fire up a fade away shot from an oft-kilter position, generally resulting in an air ball.

Compares To: GLEN DAVIS-Boston ... Teams that discounted Davis' ability because of a less than stellar conditioning program need to rectify that mistake by keeping a close eye on Jawai. He never had a good training program until recently, relying mostly on his natural strength for his power game. He lacks experience playing the game and the competition he faced in Australia could rival that of a junior college in the states. However, he is an imposing wide body who plays bigger than his size indicates. He will never develop a game from the perimeter, but his back to the basket skills will earn him good money. He has that freakish wingspan that allows him to crash the boards and come down with the ball, especially on the offensive glass. He shows good explosiveness on his way to the rim, which he loves to destroy off an emphatic dunk. He has good finishing ability around the basket and even with just six years on the court, he appears to be a very quick study and a player with a lot of upside.

CAREER NOTES:

Jawai became the first rookie to lead Cairns in both scoring (531 points) and rebounds (288) since the team joined the Australian National Basketball League in 1999.

2007-08 SEASON

Earned Australian National Basketball League Rookie of the Year honors, receiving all 105 votes ... Selected the Most Valuable Player of the NBL All-Star Game, as he scored 24 points with 12 rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot ... In 30 games, he led the Taipans in scoring with 531 points (17.7 ppg), averaging 31.6 minutes of action ... He paced the squad and ranked fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.575), making 211-of-367 attempts ... Connected on 109-of-169 free throw attempts (.645) ... Led the squad and ranked third in the league with 288 rebounds (9.6 rpg), grabbing 99 of his boards from the offensive glass ... Delivered 59 assists, 13 steals and led the team with 30 blocked shots ... Had 79 turnovers and 86 personal fouls ... Scored at least 10 points in 26 contests and produced 10 double-double performances.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

Opened the season with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists vs. the New Zealand Breakers ... Followed with eight boards, three assists and 14 points vs. the Gold Coast Blaze ... Flipped in 22 points, as he grabbed 18 rebounds, including eight from the offensive glass, as he also blocked three shots vs. the Sydney Kings ... Tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot vs. the Melbourne Tigers ... Added 14 boards, a pair of assists and 17 points vs. the Brisbane Bullets ... Totaled 23 points with 15 rebounds, including six on the offensive side, as he chipped in with four assists and blocked three shots vs. the Wollogong Hawks ... In back-to-back games vs. New Zealand, Jawai scored 23 points with six rebounds, three assists and two steals in the first contest and 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting, adding nine rebounds and two assists in the next ... Followed with 18 points, hitting on 8-of-11 field goals, as he also blocked two shots, snared 10 boards and added two assists vs. the South Dragons ... Jawai torched West Sydney for 16 points and six rebounds, followed by 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 12 rebounds in back-to-back clashes ... Jawai was credited with 25 points, 16 rebounds and a pair of assists vs. the Singapore Slingers ... He then hit Melbourne for 21 points, as he grabbed 11 rebounds and had three assists ... Hit on 8-of-9 field goals, totaling 21 points with two blocks, a pair of assists and nine rebounds vs. Brisbane ... Chipped in 28 points on 13-of-17 field goals, as he had 15 rebounds, including five off the offensive boards vs. the Townsville Crocs ... Poured in 21 points and made nine rebounds vs. Gold Coast ... Successful on 9-of-11 field goals, scoring 20 points while taking down 11 rebounds, as he added two assists, a steal and a blocked shot vs. Wollogong in the regular-season finale.

2006-07 SEASON

Jawai started the first 14 games at center for the Midland Community College (Decatur, Ga.) Chaparrals, playing for head coach Grant McCasland ... The team would go on to win the NJCAA national title ... Scored 160 points (11.4 rpg), as he made 60-of-122 field goals (49.2 percent) and 40-of-62 free throws (64.5 percent) ... Registered 76 rebounds (5.9 rpg), including 55 off the defensive boards ... Blocked 13 shots, had 13 steals and generated 14 assists ... Suffered torn cartilage vs. North Lake College, missing the team's final 27 contests ... Returned to Australia, signing with the Cairns Taipans, but did not play basketball again until 2007-08.

2006-07 GAME ANALYSIS

Made his United States debut with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals vs. Cochise ... Made 10-of-11 field goals on the way to totaling 23 points with three steals and eight boards vs. Western Oklahoma State ... Scored nine points, as he grabbed nine rebounds and dished out two assists vs. the Abilene Christian junior varsity ... Totaled 12 points, making all five field goal attempts, as he pulled down eight boards vs. Grayson County ... Had 10 rebounds with three blocks and 12 points vs. North Lake ... Scored 12 more points in the next game vs. North Lake (12/11), but hurt his knee, missing the rest of the season.

ADDITIONAL BASKETBALL Played for various Under 21 squads, including the Australian Boomers and Crocs ... Helped the Cairns Marlins capture the ABA national championship in 2004 and also won a silver medal at the Oceania U20 Championships while playing for the Australian National Team that year ... Averaged 6.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.7 blocks and 1.0 assists while averaging 19 minutes per game in 2005 for the Queensland U-20 squad, earning All-U-20 third-team honors from Australiabasket.com ... Also played for the Southern District Spartans (ABA) and was a member of the Australian U-21 team that played in the World Championships in Argentina ... Attended the Australian Institute of Sport (ABA) in 2005, spending 2006 at the Institute ... Attended the Team Australia Tryout and Developmental Camp in 2007 ... Is tentatively scheduled to play for the Australian National Team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

INJURY REPORT

2006-07 SEASON

: Missed the final 27 games after suffering torn knee cartilage vs. North Lake College (12/11).

PERSONAL

Born 10/10/86 in Sydney, Australia ... Grew up in Torres Strait Island, Australia ... Resides in Cairns, Australia.