Fit and ready to play
Cairns big man OK for NBL season opener Plenty of feeling expected
TAIPANS talisman Mark Worthington is confident of solving part of the club’s injury crisis, declaring himself ready to go for the start of the NBL season.
The experienced big man missed the Australian Basketball Challenge in Brisbane owing to a cautious approach in the pre-season but said he had done everything since to be right for Saturday’s opener.
Worthington said watching the exciting brand of basketball in the pre-season was an incentive for everyone under injury clouds to work harder to get back on the court.
“If it was a regular season game I would have played but they were being a bit more cautious with me but I’m ready to go,” he said.
“It was just a good time to get right but it was great to see the boys step up and play great basketball, great team basketball and it was a real joy to watch.
“The guys that have been injured have just got to find their way back in and continue to contribute to the group that’s been doing such a great job so far.”
But Worthington said although he was fit, success this season would not be about one man.
“All the guys need to step up,’’ he said. ‘‘Obviously when we don’t have the budget of the other teams we need to do things really well and for us it’s just playing really well as a team and everyone has to contribute on the night.
“We know what we’re doing and we’re a pretty good basketball team and we’re only going to get better once these guys realise the talent they’ve got around them.
“With the league looking so much better than what it has in the past few years, every game’s going to be tough and we’re going to have to show up and play every night otherwise you’re just going to get beat.” TOWERING Bullets centre Tom Jervis says there is no point denying Thursday’s season-opening clash with Perth at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre carries extra significance.
Jervis and Brisbane import Jermaine Beal were part of the Wildcats side that claimed last season’s NBL title, but both have made their way across the country to join the reborn Bullets.
The pair were also in the Perth side that won the 2014 crown, bringing genuine championship pedigree to Brisbane and added spice to the showdown with the Wildcats.
Jervis expects plenty of feeling in the match-up between the traditional rivals that fought out the 1987 and 1990 grand final series at Boondall.
“Yeah, you could roll out the old cliche that it’s like any other game. But it’s not like any other game, it is something special playing against your old club,’’ Jervis said.
“The time I had with the Cats was a fantastic experience and I learned so much but I’m here now and I’m looking forward to taking my game to a new level.
“I was there long enough to know their mindset coming into this game and they’ll be coming here with a job to do.”
The last time a NBL player won a championship and took on their old team in Round 1 the following season was in 2004 when Travis Lane moved from Sydney to Perth.