Taipans ready to Blitz competition
HERE we go again.
Skipper Cameron Gliddon has experienced this time of year on numerous occasions before leading into another NBL campaign but the captain brings two new faces with him this time.
The 2017-18 National Basketball League season unofficially starts this weekend, with all teams competing in the NBL Blitz in Traralgon, Victoria.
Fresh Cairns Taipans imports Scoochie Smith and Michael Carrera will be confronting their first NBL preseason tournament this week while Gliddon is the reigning MVP of the event taking out the coveted Ray Borner Medal.
Smith will not feature for the Snakes in their three games due to injury but Venezuelan Carrera will be keen to show he can match it with the league’s best at the Blitz.
VETERAN Cairns forward Alex Loughton says the Taipans have good reason to have extra bounce in their step with a near clean bill of health, a friendlier draw and the core of last year’s semi-final squad returning for a tilt at the NBL title.
Loughton said the Taipans were better placed than this time last year when they overcame a sluggish start to surge into the finals only to lose to eventual champions Perth.
Cairns were hit hard by a brutal fixture full of away games to start the 2016-17 campaign with a number of their stars having precious little game time under their belts in the pre-season.
But the draw is kinder this season with more home games upfront and only man mountain Nathan Jawai and US import Scoochie Smith not suiting up for the Blitz.
“We are only a couple of guys away from having our full squad,” Loughton said.
“We retained a lot of the core from last year and added a few nice pieces to the puzzle so hopefully we can have a better start, which plays a big part.”
Loughton said the Taipans learned a great deal from their loss to Brisbane in Rockhampton on Saturday night, when Cairns were on top for most of the night before being overrun by the Bullets in the fourth quarter.
“We will take those lessons into this week,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Perth Wildcats have signed 201cm American Jean-Pierre Tokoto for the upcoming NBL season.
He joins the club as an injury replacement for Devondrick Walker.
Tokoto was selected by Philadelphia 76ers with pick No.58 in the 2015 NBA draft.
The 23-year-old most recently represented the Utah Jazz at the NBA Summer League and said he was looking forward to his first stint in Australia.
“It’s a winning culture at the Wildcats and everybody wants to be a part of a winning culture, so it was an easy decision for me,” he said.
The Wildcats start their title defence at home to Brisbane on October 7.