NATHAN Jawai has impressed Australian basketball great Luc Longley so much with his attitude to getting fit and healthy that he pushed for his inclusion in the Boomers team for the upcoming FIBA World Cup in Spain and has no doubt the big man can now have a big impact.

Jawai hasn’t played since taking a nasty fall and suffering a health scare while playing with Turkish club Galatasaray in the Euroleague late last year.

However, the 27-year-old has now moved to Canberra, done all the right things to get himself in game shape, has looked strong in camp with the Boomers and has been named in the Boomers team for the World Cup starting August 30 in Spain.

There is nobody better placed to help and judge Jawai's progress than the three-time NBA championship winner with the Chicago Bulls, Longley, and he was tremendously impressed with what he saw in camp with the Boomers.

Longley is an assistant coach for the Australian team and despite Jawai not having played since injuring his neck and suffering a health scare, he has been impressed with what he's seen.

Jawai has shown flashes of his potential to dominate inside during the camp and with that ability plus his size and skills including good hands and finishing ability, Longley always knew the only question mark ever surrounds his health and fitness.

However, Longley has seen a focus in Jawai that suggests he is ready to make the most of the tools he has and being part of the Boomers again could just be the springboard needed given it has been enormous in the now NBA careers of Patty Mills, Aron Baynes, Cameron Bairstow and Dante Exum.

"If he stays healthy and keeps improving like he is at the moment, then he is a very good chance to have a big impact on the team," Longley said.

"I think he has proven a lot of people wrong with this patch of work that he's done over the past six months. He has really applied himself. He has moved to Canberra to live to put himself in a position to succeed and he's doing it. I think that just shows great maturity on his part.

"I think he recognises that we've had a lot of guys come through the Boomers and kick on to success. It happened with Baynes, it happened with Bairstow and they might have been successful otherwise, but the Boomers experience helped them. Players are starting to recognise that it's a great supportive environment to take another step in their career and Nate sees that as well."

As a big man himself, Longley is fully aware of how difficult it can be to stay healthy while possessing such a big frame, but he is working closely with Jawai to only help him get closer to 100 per cent health, but to also be able to dominant when on court for the Australian team.

"According to Nate he's more focused than he's ever been on his conditioning and on his game, and on his career. He is reaping the rewards for that now because there have been times in this camp that he's dominated on the floor," he said.

"The physical side of it takes care of itself with the amount of training and practice we are doing, but for me with Nate it's more about trying to be an ally to for him to find ways that he can be effective within the team, and keeping him on point with all the things he needs to do."

At 27 years of age and now having played in the NBL with the Cairns Taipans, the NBA with both the Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves, and now having experience in Serbia, Russia, Spain and Turkey, Jawai's career is in his own hands if he can get healthy, and stay that way.

"I think it's clear to Nate that this is an important point in his basketball life and he is doing all the work to make sure it goes well, there's no doubt. I am impressed with how hard he's working," Longley said.

"At this point of his career the best thing he can do is go where there is a team who has a coach who likes him and where he's going to make the most money. That's the truth of the matter."

While NBA stars Mills and Andrew Bogut won't be in the Australian team at the upcoming World Cup, Longley is excited by the talent the Boomers possess with the likes of Baynes, Exum, Matthew Dellavedova, Bairstow, Brock Motum, Joe Ingles, David Andersen, Ben Simmons and Brad Newley.

That talent pool is exactly why he is involved heading into the World Cup and looking ahead to the 2016 Olympic Games.

"It's very exciting and that's why I'm here. I've got a nice fishing boat and a nice lifestyle going on so there is only one reason to come and do this, and that’s because I'm excited about the guys, the team and the coaching staff," Longley said.

"I think Andrej Lemanis is an exceptional coach and we have good young guys coming through, we've got good older guys who buy into the program and care and this World Cup campaign is one where we have a lot of pieces to play with.

"It's fun, the guys love it and they give every day. That's the kind of environment that you don't always get in the NBA or professional leagues. This is a different environment but one that I really enjoy."

The first step now for the Boomers in preparation for the World Cup is in Lithuania where they will play Finland on Friday August 8, Ukraine on Saturday August 9 and Lithuania on Tuesday August 11.

It is then on to Finland where the Boomers play Finland in Helsinki on Wednesday August 12 before heading to Nice, France.

There, the Australian team will play the Ukraine again on Saturday August 16, the Philippines on Sunday August 17 and France on Monday August 18.

It is then on to Strasbourg where the Boomers face Finland on Saturday August 23 and France again on Monday August 25.

The Boomers then head to Spain for the World Cup which sees them in Ground D alongside Angola, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico and Slovenia.

Their first game takes place on Saturday August 30 against Slovenia followed by matches against Korea on Sunday August 31, Lithuania on Tuesday September 2, Mexico on Wednesday September 3 and Angola on Thursday September 4.

Article by Chris Pike