Jawai brings the 'Chocolate Thunder'

Aussie Nathan Jawai had the best game of his short NBA career, scoring 16 points when his Minnesota Timberwolves visited the Portland Trailblazers this week.

Balling against opposing centre Greg Oden, Jawai hit 7 of 11 from the field for 16 points and six rebounds.

To put it in some perspective;

He scored TWO POINTS for his ENTIRE YEAR last season with the Toronto Raptors.

That’s how much of an improvement it was.

I watched the game back to see the big man in action, and loved how the announcers went from basically giving him shit, joking about his weight and the fact that they thought he looked like Darryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins, to acknowleding he has some skills, and backtracking to find some 'actual' info on him.

Before the "Bamaga Behemoth" had hit a shot the commentators were talking about how he was listed as weighing 280 lbs. / 127.0 kg.

“280 lbs on the moon”… before the other commentator added,

“Before he put the other leg on the scales."

Honestly, that made me laugh. The T'wolves uniform, doesn't make the big man look real svelte.

They went back to the Dawkins joke a few times.

Dawkins was a star during his injury plagued 14 year NBA career, known for his naming each of his powerful dunks, and shattering numerous backboards.

Dawkins famously proclaimed he hailed from a place called 'LoveTron'… (he was almost a precursor to Stephon Marbury is terms of strangeness)

Announcer: “He put LoveTron on the map.”


That also made me laugh.

But what made me smile the most was that by the end of the game they were praising the young Aussie, taking the time to look up some background info on him, and begrudgingly acknowledging after three straight Jawai baskets, “The T’Wolves have got something here…he can play.”

The last time someone not named Andrew Bogut had that much of an influence on an NBA game, was Chris Anstey way way back.

My theory is that big Nate was feeling so good, thanks to being in the hometown of best buddy, and fellow indigenous NBA baller, Patty Mills. Most likely hanging out with Patty for 24 hours prior to the game, and having that familiar face in the building would really help the shy giant.

Anyway, that’s my theory.

Good luck to the big fella.

Boomers v Lightning Preview

Back on their home floor for the first time since Round Two, the Boomers are keen to show their home town fans the team work and effort that has them placed first on the WNBL table, as they take on the Lightning for the second time in seven days.

Bulleen went two-from-two on the road in Round Five, knocking off the Perth Lynx in Perth on Friday 103-69, before heading to Adelaide on Sunday to defeat the Lightning 79-70.

Against the Lynx, Bulleen were led by Elyse Penaluna with 20 points and seven rebounds, and the terrific all round performance of Sharin Milner who finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and zero turnovers.

In a hard fought battle against the Lightning on Sunday, Bulleen pulled out the victory thanks to the efforts of two young Boomers recruits. Jenna O’Hea continued her great start to the season with a near triple double of 17 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, narrowly missing WNBL Player of the Week honours for her efforts. While, Rachel Jarry clashed with a tough Adelaide front court, adding 15 points for the Boomers.

Adelaide are coming off a mixed round of results in Round Five, as they defeated the Dandenong Rangers 75-66, before falling to our very own Boomers to finish the weekend.

Despite Bulleen being undefeated, with a club record start to the season of seven straight victories, the Lightning will not be taken lightly, and currently own an impressive record of 5-2. Two Adelaide players have been rewarded with WNBL Player of the Week awards in the first five rounds; guard Angela Marino for her efforts in Round Three and Cayla Francis in Round Five.

Boomers forward Rachel Jarry says she is happy to be back home, but knows tonight’s match up will not be easy against a fired up Adelaide keen to atone for last week’s loss.

“The season has kind of worked out a bit funny. We’ve got a lot of our travel over and done with. So it will be good to get a few home games in and getting the crowds coming down and supporting us.”

She said before conceding, “Adelaide, they shot pretty poorly, so I wouldn’t expect them to do that two weeks in a row.”

“I think we’ll have to work on our rotation in defence a little bit more… but not too much change, just try to keep it similar and get the win.”

The team was able to keep up their streak since they last took the Veneto Club floor, and with five home games in the next five weeks, now it’s up to the Boomers supporters to help cheer them on to even greater heights.

By Ryan Mobilia for Boomers Media

Power of the AFL catches baller Bass

Australian Basketball has let another big fish slip through their net. (these jokes could go all day)

It became known late today that basketball had lost yet another prospect to the AFL.

"The Power have recruited 198cm Daniel Bass, who returned to Australia in mid-2009 after a four-year stint playing for Metro State University in Denver.

"We keep a pretty close eye on basketball, especially some of the bigger blokes, given we've had some success there with Dean Brogan," Port Adelaide’s Rohde said.

"Daniel's certainly got some terrific athletic qualities and having been in an elite sporting environment in the States he's already had four years of physical development."

Players get poached all the time, Scott Pendlebury and Jack Watts are two current AFL players who could have easily played college ball. But this one is a little different for me.

I coached Daniel for one year, when he was just a junior. He played all five positions despite towering over all other kids his age.

His was always destined to make it to College basketball, he was just so dedicated to the sport, his craft.

I’ll never forget the final he won off his own bat for our team. His superior confidence and skill saw him call for the ball at the top of the key. Clearly the tallest player on the court, he proceeded to drive to the basket, with a first step reminiscent of Jerry Stack in his prime. As he faded away at the rim, his bank shot fell in while he bounced off the too late defence and slid on his butt for metres from the basket.

Ball game.

Now, the thing is, that was only one of 100’s of games in his life, of which I saw only a handful when he was 15-16 years old. But even at that age, it was clear to everyone. He was a baller.

What I mean is - Daniel was never a two, three sport kid, that gravitated in the end towards basketball because of his height. Basketball was his sport period. He was the kind of kid that would be playing and shooting every chance he got. His dad was a teacher at his high school, Eltham High, and Daniel would come every morning with his dad and would be shooting in the gym an hour before school started most days.

Now, he is lost to the sport.

Another one.

Another one who is without somewhere to earn money at home playing basketball. And not wanting to bounce around from Euro league to Euro league. He wants the financial stability, perhaps the notoriety, the celebrity, that basketball in this country cannot offer our best young players.

I interviewed Daniel on this blog from his College back in 2007, he’s a great guy and a really proud Aussie. You can read what he had to say here.

He attended Metro State in Colorado. The same college that NBL stars Mark Worthington, Dave Barlow and Luke Kendall among others attended.

Good luck to Daniel.

As his Facebook Profile Quote tells us;

“Will make the most of life. Going to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way.”

And if the opportunities to play make a living from basketball just aren’t there, who can blame him.

Ryan Mobilia for OneManWeave

Bulleen Boomers Round 3 Preview

The Bulleen Boomers will be looking to continue their faultless start to the 2009/10 season, when they embark on a road double header in Round Three.

They will face the Sydney Uni Flames on Friday night, before backing up to meet the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), for the second week in a row on Saturday evening.

The encounter between Bulleen and Sydney on Friday will capture the entire leagues attention, as two of the strongest teams in the WNBL meet for the first time this season.

Boomers Co-Captain Sharin Milner says she is excited about the upcoming challenge.

“They have a new look team, but they’ve had the same coach for a while, so I would expect the structure to be similar. Milner said.

“They are touted as a bit of a championship contender, so we’ll use the game as a bit of a yard stick for ourselves.”

Bulleen were too much for the inexperienced AIS to handle at the Veneto Club in Round Two, winning 110-40. While Sydney moved to a record of two wins, one loss in Round Two after accounting for Dandenong at home, 73-65.

Bulleen will be led by WNBL Round One ‘Player of the Week’ Elyse Penaluna, who after being hamstrung with foul trouble for much of her last game, will be looking to rebound with a strong Round Three showing. Picking up the slack on the scoreboard for the Boomers against the AIS was new recruit Liz Cambage, who led the way with 31 points, hitting 14 of 15 free throws.

Cambage, along with the rest of the Boomers, will have their work cut out for them, going up against a Sydney side headlined by Suzy Batkovic-Brown who, along with Natalie Porter, has been a dominant force for the Flames this year.

18-year-old Cambage knows she is outmatched in terms of experience, but is looking forward to the battle with Batkovic-Brown.

“I’ll probably be playing on her. Cambage said.

“She’s an Opal, she’s played all around the world, so it’s going to be a big game, I can’t wait.”

In Bulleen’s second game of Round Three, they meet the AIS. In last week’s one sided affair, it was the size, strength and shooting accuracy of the Boomers, spurred on by their home fans, which the players from the Institute could not find a way to overcome.

AIS Head Coach Phil Brown will be hoping for a more competitive showing this week from his team. However, despite playing back on their home floor, much the same is expected when they meet in Canberra on Saturday.

Bulleen v Sydney can be seen on ABC TV from 1.00pm Saturday.

Ryan Mobilia.

Bulleen Boomers 09/10 WNBL Preview

The Bulleen Boomers are only one day away from the start of their WNBL campaign for 2009/10, the 25th season for the club.

The arrival of Rachel Jarry to the Boomers squad last Saturday marked the completion of Bulleen’s roster.

It was the first training session the full team has had together, as they race to prepare for their first game on Saturday 3rd October.

Finishing Runners-Up last season, the team underwent some significant changes in the off season.

With the addition of Head Coach Tom Maher and a new look roster, Bulleen are looking to go one step further this year and bring home the Championship.

Despite limited preparation time together, both the coaching staff and players cannot wait for the season ahead.

“I’m feeling as excited as I have ever felt before a WNBL season.” said Head Coach Tom Maher.

“The team did wonderfully well last year, so it’s my job to make sure they continue at such a high standard.

“I believe we can do that, because we have recruited well and the whole team is really committed to Bulleen.”

Club stalwarts Sharin Milner, Desi Glaubitz, Kylie Reid, Elyse Penaluna, Anna Crosswhite and Lisa Pardon are back this season, and will be competing alongside the young and talented Boomers recruits.

Headlined by Opals squad members Elizabeth Cambage and Jenna O’Hea, other newcomers include Rachel Jarry, who was the Gems second leading scorer at the recent World Championships and Hanna Zavecz.

Co Captain Desi Glaubitz is thrilled about the way the team has come together.

“The depth we have been able to recruit, compliments the Grand Final talent of last year.

“I feel for the first time in many years we have a lot of depth.” she said.

Boomers and Opals representative, Elyse Penaluna is also looking forward to the new look attack.

“The biggest difference is that it’s going to be a lot more exciting to watch us play, with the likes of Cambage, Jarry, O’Hea and Zavecz joining the team.” she said.

The Boomers also have four young players in their squad, Olivia Deiana, Lauren Pearce, Nicole Goodridge and Lauren Jeffers, who have come up from the clubs Under 18 team, and have been playing in their Big V and Youth League teams.

Jessie Gourlay from the Nunawading Spectres, rounds out the Bulleen squad of 15 players.

Bulleen travel to Canberra for the Grand Final replay to take on the Capitals, in their first game of the season on Saturday 3rd October. You can catch all the action live on the ABC tip off 1:00pm.

The first home game for the Boomers is versus the AIS on Saturday 10th October, 7.30pm at The Veneto Club.

By Ryan Mobilia Boomer Media