Category: Cairns Taipans

NBL: Breakers hold on to defeat Taipans

Staff

Via the National Basketball League The New Zealand Breakers continue to be the great enigma of the NBL but they delivered three strong quarters on Monday night in the Tropical Far North to hold out the Cairns Taipans in a thrilling finish 84-83. The Breakers hadn’t played since a 19-point loss to the Sydney Kings eight days ago and that was just four days following their stunning 23-point victory over the Illawarra Hawks. They put both the best and worst of those performances all into one game at the Cairns…

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NBL22: Jarrod Kenny re-signs with Cairns

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au: The CQUniversity Cairns Taipans will welcome back point guard Jarrod Kenny, who has re-signed for his fourth consecutive season in orange. The 35-year-old first joined the Taipans on a two-year deal in 2018 and signed another contract ahead of 2020-2021. Kenny makes his return to the Far North after suiting up in the NZNBL for a remarkable 20th season, with his Hawks dealt a narrow loss from the Saints (77-75) in the Grand Final last night. He won the 2020 New Zealand Championship with the Nuggets. “JK” also…

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Accessing every NBL21 roster

Brandon King

From Liam Santamaria at nbl.com.au: Can you believe it? After the longest off-season in NBL history we’re now only two weeks from opening night. NBL21 is just around the corner! So, as we approach the start of the season, let’s take stock of where each club currently sits in terms of their roster. Of course, most teams are locked, loaded and ready to go. Some, however, still have a final piece to add to their puzzle. As a bit of a snapshot, I’ve listed each squad’s returning players, their new…

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NBL21 Free Agency: DJ Newbill inks deal in Japan

Staff

From nbl.com.au: NBL20’s Best Defensive Player DJ Newbill has signed in Japan with Osaka Evessa for the coming season. The Club made the announcement official with a release on their website and social media channels. Newbill has spent the past three seasons in the NBL, his first with the New Zealand Breakers followed by two years with the Cairns Taipans. The lockdown defender was a key cog in the Taipans run to the Finals in NBL20, averaging 18.5 points and 1.3 steals per game. Newbill was rewarded for his strong…

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August 14 2020 NBL21 Free Agency

Brandon King

from nbl.com.au: With free agency underway, NBL Media’s Liam Santamaria is taking a look at each and every signing and breaking down what it all means ahead of #NBL21. SIGNING SNAPSHOT: JORDAN NGATAI TO CAIRNS Signed by: Cairns Taipans The deal: Two years (club option final year) Age: 27 2019-20 team: New Zealand Breakers 2019-20 stats (per game): 1.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, 27.3 FG%, 26.9 3P%, 50.0 FT% Projected role: Back-up wing. Quote: “Jordan is a talented, tough, team-first player… I want to continue to see him grow in our…

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NBL21 Free Agency : Cairns signs Jordan Ngatai

Brandon King

from nbl.com.au: The CQUniversity Cairns Taipans have signed New Zealand forward Jordan Ngatai for NBL21. The four-time NZNBL Champion, 2015 NBL Champion and Tall Blacks representative on a two-year deal (second year Club option), his first NBL contract outside of New Zealand. The versatile forward recently won the NZNBL title where he averaged second in each major statical category: points (18.2) rebounds (5.7) and assists (4.5) for the Otago Nuggets, playing alongside Taipans guard Jarrod Kenny. Like Kenny, Ngatai has a storied career with extensive experience in the NBL, NZNBL…

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What you need to know heading into NBL21 Free Agency

Staff

from Liam Santamaria at nbl.com.au : By Liam Santamaria It’s been a long wait but the 2020 free agency period is finally here. Delayed over three months by the Coronavirus pandemic, free agency will officially open across the NBL this Wednesday. Let’s gooooo! There are some big names in play this off-season, including two members of last year’s World Cup Boomers team – Chris Goulding and Cam Gliddon – who are both currently out of contract. Teams are also looking to bolster their stocks of local talent as they prepare…

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COVID-19 pandemic halts Taipans’ free agency

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au : Cairns coach Mike Kelly has revealed the COVID-19 situation has numerous Taipans locked down across the world, as the club’s free agency and offseason plans come to an unexpected halt. With a majority of Cairns’ playing group already settled in different cities globally to begin their winter programs, the COVID-19 lockdown has thrown a spanner in the works and forced the Taipans to adjust their methods. After a stunning NBL20 campaign, where Cairns fell one win shy of qualifying for the Grand Final, Kelly wants his side…

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Cairns pushes series to decisive Game 3 with 85-74 win

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au: The Cairns Taipans have answered every challenge so far in a remarkable #NBL20 campaign and they responded to the call on Sunday at Cairns Convention Centre to fix up what went wrong Friday and beat the Perth Wildcats 85-74 in Game 2 of the semi-final series. MVP Bryce Cotton was simply unstoppable on Friday night despite the best defender in the league DJ Newbill making him work hard for everything he earned. Cotton still delivered 42 points including 10/19 shooting from three and the Snakes just couldn’t let…

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Melbourne keeps hopes alive with 99-83 win over Cairns

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au : Melbourne United took a significant step towards salvaging their season by still reaching the post-season knocking off the finals bound Cairns Taipans in likely their best performance of #NBL20 on Thursday. With 6315 fans screaming like a sold out crowd at Melbourne Arena, United found a way to score their first win over the Taipans in four tries and keep alive their hopes of finishing in fourth place. The loss for the Snakes means they are locked into finishing in third position as their four-game winning streak…

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