Nate Jawai returns to Cairns Taipans for 2019/20 NBL season

The Cairns Taipans have announced that Nathan Jawai will remain in orange once more for the upcoming 2019/20 NBL season, which makes it his fourth consecutive season with the team.

“We are happy to keep a totally committed and dedicated Nate on our team. Nate and the Taipans has been a great pairing, and we know the fans will be just as happy as I am that this basketball story gets to continue,” Taipans head coach, Mike Kelly shared.

“We’ve had great discussions regularly over the past few months and it really came down to just landing on an agreement that suited both parties, and it’s fun to be on the same page.

“We’ve both used the off-season space and time to reflect and determine the best way for this team to win. Nate wants nothing more than to bring a championship to Cairns.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI8bitlZjmY

During the 2018/19 NBL season, Jawai averaged 10.1 points per game and 5.2 rebounds with the Taipans, and was fourth in the league in field goal accuracy with 57% on 10.6 attempts a game. The 32-year old big man recently played in France for the Pro A League's Levallois Metropolitans, where he averaged 5.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13 minutes over 14 games.

“Nate looks and feels great right now, and he’s maintained his fitness levels after a demanding playing schedule in Europe. He’s more determined than ever to help the Taipans win and he’s had really good workouts since he’s been back,” said Kelly.

https://twitter.com/Natejawai/status/1129875107432861697

Jawai's signing follows the recent release and retirement of big man Tom Jervis from a two-year commitment with Cairns. The Taipans will have two import spots and two local roster positions that remain unfilled at the moment.