Big Fabijan making most of his chance

BASKETBALL

THE New Year’s Eve crowd might need to keep their eyes on Fabijan Krslovic if the big man gets into the paint with space.

Krslovic was a development player for the Taipans last year and was this season elevated into the full-time roster.

While he’s always done his job without too much fanfare, there was a moment in Sunday night’s home win against the Adelaide 36ers that provided a career highlight.

A Scott Machado shot from the beyond the arc bounced off the rim, and Krslovic, in the left corner with nothing but space around him, collected the pill then jumped up for a massive dunk.

It came in as No. 6 on the NBL’s weekly Top 10, and garnered quite the reaction from the home crowd as the Taipans went on to dominate the 36ers and bounce back into the top four.

It was Krslovic’s best game of the season, as he grabbed five rebounds, an assist and seven points, but the dunk was the talking point in a night in which the No. 20 said he just went about doing his job.

“I don’t try to bring it out too much because other teams might expect it’s coming so I just keep it in the back pocket and bring it out on special occasions,” Krslovic said.

“A few of the other bigs got in a bit of foul trouble so I was preparing myself as the game went on and guys just talked to me all game. I just do what I do – come in, be solid, plug holes and not screw up too much.”

There’s no more special occasion then the Taipans’ next clash, a home bout with South East Melbourne on New Year’s Eve, so there’s every chance fans could be in for a sequel.

There’s plenty of basketball between now and then.

The squad played Melbourne United last night, and preparation has already begun for a clash with the Phoenix which will have a major bearing on the top four. The Taipans play three games in nine days, but despite the distractions this time of year can bring, Krslovic said the squad was well-placed when it came to focusing on the game.

“We love playing basketball so you talk about rest and things like that but it’s good to just keep rolling from game to game.”

That genuine excitement is just part of why the Taipans have been successful, as coach Mike Kelly works with a diverse and talented roster with genuine finals hopes.

“We’ve got a good mix of old heads and some young guys looking forward to long careers and they’re continuing to try to improve and Fab is one of those guys,” Kelly said.

“He’s been really good, and he’ll look to continue to improve.”

sport@cairnspost.com.au facebook.com/TheCairnsPost www.cairnspost.com.au twitter.com/TheCairnsPost