New assistant coach will lift Taipans, one by one

CHAMPIONSHIP winning Wildcats skipper Damian Martin believes new Taipans assistant coach Jamie O’Loughlin will bring a personal touch to his new role with Cairns this season.

Martin, an Olympian at last year’s Rio Games, has had O’Loughlin as an assistant to Trevor Gleeson since the 2014-15 season as the two met as opponents for the first time last week in the Far North.

The tenacious Wildcats captain expects the Snakes squad to learn plenty from their new assistant, who replaced 2014 NBL Coach of the Year Gordie McLeod on Aaron Fearne’s bench for the 2017-18 NBL season.

“Jamie is really good on a one on one basis, he has a really high basketball IQ,” Martin said.

“He lives and breathes the game, he will be one of those guys who will pull a player aside and chat to them about where they can improve individually and within their role in the team.

“That is where the Cairns Taipans will really benefit from bringing Jamie across.”

Martin was given an unsportsmanlike foul for a scuffle under the basket with fiery Taipans import Michael Carrera on Saturday night and the smiling skipper was embracing the physicality of the contest.

“He (Carrera) is finding his role in the team, he is strong, physical and aggressive,” Martin said.

“He will be one of those guys that his teammates love playing alongside and he will try and rattle the guys on the other team.

“Look, as long as he plays hard and not dirty, I respect that, but he does play hard.

“He is still new to the league and new to his team and getting to know his teammates, he was just playing hard out there.”

The Wildcats travelled to New South Wales on Sunday and play Sydney Kings tonight at Moss Vale Basketball Centre before facing the same opposition on Wednesday evening at Qudos Bank Arena.