Jawai Gets His First Win In D-League

Well I attempted to live blog it, but that didn't work out so well. Nathan Jawai got his first D-League start, wearing 00 like Robert Parish did back in the day. He would see 31 minutes of action, shot 2-7 but 8-11 from the the line and end up with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Former Raptor Luke Jackson would lead the Stampede with 24 points as they got revenge on division rival Utah. Idaho would get the 104-96 win and go back to first in the Division. Jim Kelly was interviewed at halftime and had some things to say about Jawai. He revealed that Nathan is going to be monitored monthly in regard to his heart condition. He did not feel it was a major concern. He said that the Raptors have no specific plan for Nathan and that how he played would dictate if he remained in Idaho. Not from a numbers point of view but from just getting into game shape. He brought up the fact the Nathan is still very raw and new to the sport of basketball. It seemed that the Raptors would be content to have him be there for the near future at least. Kelly expressed confidence in Bryan Gates who is a former D-League coach of the year. The plan is for Nate to remain and have someone from the Raptors check in on him in about 3 weeks was the time line suggested. It seems clear that Nathan's defense is ahead of his offense at this point and after fouling out in his debut he only had 3 fouls on this night. Below is a complete Boxscore.

Boxscore Idaho/Utah

Dino Nation Blog will continue to keep tabs on Nate while he is in the D-League and keep working with the good folks in Idaho at bringing you some information on both Nathan and the Stampede. Idaho has a break and will not be playing for awhile so Nathan should have a chance to learn things and get to know his team better. They will be playing Utah once again on the road this time.