WHITE TAKES THE LEAD
History shows all not lost
FORMER Taipans development player Jack White will carry the title of co-captain into the upcoming college basketball season at Duke.
White was with the club in 2016 and will share the leadership duties with Javin DeLaurier at arguably the biggest basketball school in the states.
The developing big still has love for the Far North, holidaying in the region in June of this year before heading back to Duke for his junior year with the Blue Devils. ON paper, sitting at the bottom of the ladder with a 1-3 record to start the NBL season would have been close to a worst-case scenario when new boss Mike Kelly was preparing for his first season in charge.
But, as I have learned, Cairns Taipans fans have a very long memory when it comes to their club, and they only need to turn their mind back two campaigns to find their side in a very similar predicament.
In the season of 2016-17, Cairns started 0-3, beaten by Perth, Sydney and then Adelaide on the road in their opening trio of games.
There are two ways to look at it. That Taipans team dropped all three games on the road to start the new season, which is far from being disgraced, while this one has already fallen in two home games, which should never happen to start a campaign.
That team and this Snakes outfit face the exact same path to get their season back on track — Melbourne United at home. The 0-3 Snakes welcomed then championship favourites United into the Far North for their fourth game of that season, won well and then went on to play in the playoffs.
This Cairns side will be ready and waiting.