FRESH BITE
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VENKY Jois is working hard to regain the fitness he lost during two weeks of quarantine ahead of a potential Cairns Taipans debut in Launceston on Friday.
The Australian big man was added to the Taipans roster as a replacement for star import Cam Oliver, who has been waived for the remainder of the season and has returned to the US for family reasons.
Jois said he was “very happy” to be home and was eager to contribute.
“It’s just nice that there’s that bigger opportunity there for me,” he said. “I’m confident that I can step on the floor and hopefully get my fitness back quick.
“I hope it doesn’t take too long, sitting in a hotel room for two weeks probably isn’t the best preparation but I was fit before coming in. It goes very quick but hopefully it comes back just as quick.”
The former NBA GLeague forward was expecting a tough challenge if he is called upon to make his Taipans debut this Friday night against the Breakers.
“It’s definitely thrown into the fire, but as far as getting game fitness there’s nothing like the real thing,” he said. “If you see me out there winded on the court, you’ll know why, but hopefully in the coming weeks I’ll be fully fit.”
Jois described himself as an “aggressive and “energetic” basketball player.
“I know Cairns are especially missing a big part of their rebounds with Cam leaving, so I know that’s something they’ll want me to come and make a heavy contribution to,” he said.
“I think I can play defence really well, I think I can pass the ball, attack, whether its post or perimeter, I think I can do a lot of things and hopefully that will translate on the court.”
While Jois will be asked to take on some of Oliver’s workload, coach Mike Kelly said it was not a like-for-like replacement for Oliver.
“Cam has been playing 30 minutes a game and this is not a replacement for Cam Oliver as much as a player who we think can rebound the ball very well and fit in with the group,” he said.
The coach said Jois could swing between the four and five spots.
“Sometimes we’ll go a little smaller and he can play the five, but he’s really comfortable as a four-man, both guarding and attacking offensively,” he said.
“I think he gives us a chance to just show some different looks. He can play with Nate Jawai and he can also play in the smaller line-up with Fab (Krslovic) or George (Blagojevic), so he gives us some versatility there.”
Kelly said Jois “played hard all the time”.
“As a player who plays inside a lot, as far as rebounding and playing defensively, he plays with strength and quickness in there more so than being a big body,” he said.
Jois said the opportunity to play for the Taipans “weirdly” came about through a post on his Instagram page.
“I had a friend that was like ‘oh you didn’t tell us you were back’, so I was like, ‘okay, better tell everybody’, so I announced that and Cairns hit me up probably four days later,” he said.
“It fell perfectly for both our situations, obviously with Cam leaving and me being available two days later to fill his big shoes, it kind of worked out.”
The Taipans will play the Breakers at the Silverdome.