Former Minnesota Timberwolve centre Nathan Jawai ‘couple of weeks’ away from Salties return
A former NBA big man could be the key piece to solving ‘an issue’ for the Salties as the veteran pushes for a return in the most important part of the season.
Northern Territory
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Australian basketball veteran Nathan Jawai could be the key to the Darwin Salties’ attempt of claiming a historic NBL1 North title in their second season.
The 36-year-old former NBA centre is working towards a return to the floor for the last eight games of the season following a calf strain which has kept him sidelined since Round 3, more than a month ago when the Salties played Rockhampton on April 15.
But if the 209cm Salties star doesn’t succeed in reaching match fitness in time for the triple-header from June 9 to 11, he could instead be back for the last five games of the season.
Salties coach Matt Flinn revealed a timeline for Jawai’s return saying he was hopeful the Perth Wildcats 2016 NBL champion would comeback in a “couple of weeks” which could play an important role in solving their defensive issues.
“We are certainly working with Nate, he has been in the physio room,” Flinn said earlier this week.
“Injuries happen and whilst we have been disappointed Nate hasn’t been pushing that training load we need him to do.
“It’s pretty obvious now we need some depth in the five spot so we’re working really hard with Nate to try and get him back on the floor.
“We’re hopefully anticipating that it may happen in the next couple of weeks.”
The sixth-placed 5-4 Salties have identified the defensive end and second halves as “an issue” following recent weeks where the side has given up or cut strong leads.
“It’s an issue we have to start to get better at, those third and fourth quarters,” he said.
“I just feel like our third and fourth quarters defensively are not good enough and what that does is it just puts a lot of scoreboard pressure on us.”
The Salties have lost their last two matches after previously being on a three-game win streak.
Flinn complimented the coaching and mentoring role Jawai has played while being on the injury list.
“He is an enormous resource for this club,” he said.
“What people don’t understand about Nate Jawai is his basketball IQ...
“He is incredible in the community, he is a mentor to a lot of our young guys here.
“The guy has played in the NBA and played all over the world.
“He has been coached by some of the best coaches in the world so it’s invaluable to get a guy like him in your program.
“We’re looking forward to seeing him back on the floor as soon as we can if that happens.
“If it doesn’t happen, we are really looking forward to seeing what impact he will have on this program moving forward.”
Asked if Jawai could coach one day, Flinn said he “absolutely” could.
The Salties will face eighth-placed Rip City at the Croc Pot on Saturday for their Round 9 encounter.
NBL1 North Round 8 review: Salties thriller win marred by shock loss in double-header road trip
It was a tough road trip for the Darwin Salties with just one win coming from the four matches.
The women won their first game in a thriller, defeating Mackay by a point to extend their win streak to eight on Friday night before going 20-points down to a strong Rockhampton the following day.
The men had a tough two days, narrowly losing to a mid-table Mackay by six points on Friday night before suffering a shock 10-point loss to Rockhampton who recorded their first win of the season.
It came after Salties men side had won three games in a row leading into the double-header.
In the only win on the Salties road trip, the women’s side stood tall against the Meteorettes who made a late charge.
A double team lay-up block from Chelsea Brook and Skye Rees on Meteorettes star Brittany Reeves kept the Salties ahead by a point with 40 seconds to go and ultimately won them the game.
The Salties were in front by a game-high 14 point mid-way through the third quarter but the Meteorettes fired back, going on an 8-0 run in the final term to level scores with just under four minutes left.
But then Salties co-captain Chelsea Brook led the way in getting her side over the line in the end with a clutch six points in the nail biting stages.
Brook had 22 points, 10 rebounds and two assists in the match while her fellow co-captain, Erin Bollmann, was a major influence with 18 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and five steals.
In the men’s, the Salties gave up a nine-point halftime advantage to go down by six points to the Meteors away from home on Friday night.
Salties co-captain Makuach Maluach led the way with 28 points and 11 rebounds in the match.
In Saturday’s encounter, the Salties had disappointed with a shock 10-point loss to the Rockets who had begun the season with seven straight losses.
Sean Macdonald was strong from beyond the arc landing five 3-balls from 10 attempts. He finished the game with 21 points, three rebounds and six assists.
Maluach continued his strong form from the previous night with 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine steals.
But it wasn’t enough as the Salties were hit hard by a third quarter onslaught where they were beaten 30-16 and had to come from 12 points down to win in the final term.
NBL1 North Round 8 preview: Salties eager to continue winning streaks in double-header road trip
The Darwin Salties will be striving to keep their men’s and women's sides’ winning streaks alive in Round 8 when they take on Mackay and Rockhampton in a blockbuster double-header in Queensland.
The women’s team is off to a flying start with seven straight wins to start the campaign, which has them in second position on the ladder.
It is also happy times for the Salties men who sit in fourth position and are on a hot three-game win streak after starting the season with a 2-2 record.
A hard fought game is anticipated for the men’s side who will face the seventh-placed Meteors for the second time in six days on Friday night, but this time without the home crowd advantage.
The Salties thrashed the Meteors when they played them at the Croc Pot on Saturday as they flew out to a 20-point lead in the first quarter before coming away 14-point victors.
A big response is expected from the Meteors however, who will want to bounce back with a win on their home floor.
The big Friday night clash comes before the Salties take on the bottom-placed Rockets the following day to finish out the road trip.
Salties co-captain Jerron Jamerson, a former Meteor, said his side were buoyed by their recent form.
“Winning those three games in a row gives us a lot of confidence,” he said.
“Not just winning the games but the way we won, being able to play our style of basketball offensively and defensively, I think that is the subject of the confidence we’re building.”
The women’s side will look to claim an eighth-straight win against the 14th placed Meteorettes on Friday night before they take on the fourth-placed Cyclones, who have former Saltie import Lauren Heard in the side on Saturday night.
Heard played 11 games for the Salties last season before getting injured and being replaced by Bollmann for the rest of the season.
Regular starters Catherine MacGregor and Ruby Porter are expected to return to the side in what will be a boost to the management of players for back-to-back games.
“We have eased Ruby and Cat back under medical advice and they have really responded well so we’re just really pleased that they’re back and we got a full group to choose from,” women’s coach Rod Tremlett said.
The Salties are coming off their biggest win of the season after defeating the Meteorettes by 24 points.
Salties women’s guard Jessica Boundy, who was a handy contributor in the win with four points and two assists, said the team was “excited” and feeling fit heading into their road trip.
“Gastro went through the team (last week) which sucked but we have all come out the other side of it now,” she said.
“We’re excited (for this week), road trips are always tough but I think we have put in the hard work this week and we’re looking forward to it.
“Seven and zero is always a good start, it is a reflection of our pre-season and how much hard work we put in but I think the competition really starts now.
“Teams have started to get their imports and the rest of their squads so I think the biggest competition is going to be from now in this road trip.”
NBL1 North Round 7 review: Bollmann’s day out, Jamerson, Foketi fire against former side Mackay
Saltie captains Erin Bollmann and Jerron Jamerson led the charge in a special night at the Croc Pot where two convincing wins were delivered alongside a new mascot.
The Round 7 matches were dedicated to Territory mums as players and officials wore pink for Mother’s Day.
Bollmann stepped up for one of the best NBL1 performances of the season at a time when it was badly needed with regular starters Catherine MacGregor (ankle) and Ruby Porter (illness) late withdrawals from the game while a viral gastro infection swept through the team during the week.
It was revealed post-game that just two out of the 14 listed players were unaffected by the infection as the women’s squad were reduced to limited preparations leading into the game.
But they showed no sign of the challenging situation as the Salties charged out to a 25-4 lead in the first nine minutes against Mackay with Bollmann leading the fast start.
The 29-year-old guard had 32 points, nine rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks in the game including 10 points, three rebounds and two steals in the first quarter which led her side to the magnificent opening.
The American-born Saltie was shooting at a smooth 75 per cent from the field and set a new season record for the most individual points by a female Saltie.
Co-captain Chelsea Brook was also influential in the Salties biggest win of the season, 82-56, with 19 points and five rebounds, including the first bucket which was the first of a trio of three-balls for the forward.
Salties women’s coach Rod Tremlett was stoked with the 24-point win considering the challenges with illness they faced ahead of the match.
“To be honest with you, we kept it quiet all week but a lot of the group has been really sick with gastro and stuff that has been going around town,” Tremlett said.
“All of them had it so we didn't really know who was turning up tonight so to get that win was really impressive and I mean Erin Bollmann was amazing tonight I thought.
“We knew with Ruby and Cath out, that’s leaving some points on the sideline for us so we knew Chelsea and Erin were going to have to be good tonight and I thought they really were.
“Then the role players came in and did their bit and I thought our defence was great tonight.
“I just felt a little bit at times we got our hands on the ball with rebounds, lost it or fumbled it.
“I think them being a little bit unwell through the week probably didn’t help but sometimes you got to win in tough spots and I think they were really good tonight.”
The win for the Salties women’s side keeps them in second position just one win behind Northside Wizards who have played an extra game.
The @DarwinSalties introducing their new mascot before the game last night against MacKay. @NBL1pic.twitter.com/0ySmvR83rJ
— Max Hatzoglou (@MHatzoglou) May 14, 2023
In the men’s encounter, a statement was made as former Meteors, Jerron Jamerson and Viliami Foketi, showed off against their old side in an impressive 14-point victory to go to fourth on the NBL1 North ladder.
Forward Deng Riak was also among the top performers in the Salties’ third-straight win after dominating in a fast start to the game which saw 8-0 and 25-5 advantages within the first seven minutes.
Riak scored seven points in the opening two minutes of the encounter to make it a 10-2 lead on a night where he finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.
Following Riak’s thrilling start, Foketi kept the momentum going with a stunning block to maintain a Saltie 10-4 lead before he went on to net back-to-back threes to make it 20-5 against his former side.
Salties skipper Jamerson was also key in the 60-36 first-half onslaught against a Meteors side who lost the night before to Cairns by seven points.
Jamerson had 29 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals for the game which included 16 points and four assists in the first half.
The third quarter saw a little comeback from the Meteors who won the quarter by a point, cutting the margin to 23 points after going on a seven and two run to finish the period.
But in the final quarter, two clutch three-balls from Foketi kept the Salties ahead by more than 20 points early in the term and ended any chance of a miracle Meteors comeback.
Foketi had a stunning night from beyond the arc with five three pointers making up his 15 points for the game where he went at 41.67 per cent from long range.
Sean Macdonald was also noticeable with 16 points in the game including his third and final three-ball for the game which came at an important moment to seal the win in the final quarter.
Deba George and Makuach Maluach were equally as influential on the night where contributions were evenly spread across the team.
Salties men’s coach Matt Flinn was pleased with the spread of contributors in the top win for the Salties who swap positions with the Meteors on the ladder from sixth to fourth.
“We always talk about you got to star in your role and sometimes we got players here who can really score it but they take a back seat due to the scout or someone else is going,” Flinn said.
“That’s a sign of a good team when people are willing to enjoy the success of others rather than just worrying about themselves.”
Flinn was glad his side’s fifth win of the season came against a classy opposition in the Meteors.
“They are a really good team so it was a good win for us,” he said.
“We still probably haven’t strung together four quarters of the way we can play at this stage but anytime you beat a quality side like that and they are extremely well coached, (we’re) really happy.
“We put a lot of work into that and now we will play them again in seven days time.”
NBL1 North Round 7 preview: Darwin Salties to wear pink against MacKay in Mother’s Day honour
Darwin Salties’ women’s team will look to maintain their unbeaten NBL1 record in pink when they play hosts to MacKay in honour of Territory mum’s ahead of Mother’s Day at the Croc Pot on Saturday.
The Salties are coming off double-header wins against the Brisbane Capitals when they wore the special jersey to raise awareness for breast cancer last weekend.
In addition, the women will also be aiming for their seventh straight win to start the season against a 14th placed Meteorettes while the men will go for three victories in a row against a fourth placed Meteors.
After Round 6, the Saltie women’s side sit in second position and the men’s team is in sixth with four wins.
It will be a race against the clock for two key Saltie guards in Catherine MacGregor and Ruby Porter, who will need to pass fitness tests just hours before the encounter to prove their readiness for play.
MacGregor went down with an ankle injury in the seventh minute of last week’s game but could make an impressive recovery.
Porter could also rejoin the team after missing last week’s match with illness.
She said she was “getting better day by day” and her return was going to be a “game time decision” alongside Macgregor’s.
Both Salties have been important contributors this season with more than 20 minutes of game time in each of their matches, except for the games they were injured in.
American-born Salties guard Erin Bollmann is set to play the match with her mother watching from back home.
“I’m from America so my mum’s going to be back home but she usually wakes up at four in the morning to watch it live so it’s going to be great to know that she is watching, especially on Mother’s Day,” Bollmann said.
Speaking about the reasons for her side’s successful 6-0 start to the season, the 29-year-old put it down to having a common goal of “playing team basketball” and “having fun.”
“I know that personally I have a blast playing with these girls and we’re just having so much fun out there playing as one and playing together,” she said.
Bollmann has put together an outstanding campaign so far with the fourth most assists and blocks in the competition while also fighting through a partial tear in her wrist.
In the men’s clash, the Salties will take on MacKay who will be coming off a Friday night match against Cairns.
The clash will also have Saltie guard Jerron Jamerson facing his former club, which he said he looking forward to.
“It’s always fun whether we play MacKay here or going back to MacKay the following weekend for Round 2,” Jamerson said.
“They got quite a few new players but a couple of old faces.
“We try and approach it the same way as we do every game.
“We just do what we do, try and keep up pace, pressure on defence.
“We feel like if we do that, it will speak for itself.”
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Originally published as Former Minnesota Timberwolve centre Nathan Jawai ‘couple of weeks’ away from Salties return
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