‘Matured’ Young excited about return
NEWEST Taipan Mitch Young says he has matured mentally and added more tools to his game since he last played for Cairns.
As the Cairns Post revealed last week, Young is the final Australian signing for the club’s 2018-18 NBL roster, with first-year coach Mike Kelly now on the hunt for two Americans to fill his squad.
“I’m very excited to be returning to Cairns after three years away,” Young said.
“I have matured mentally and added some tools to my game since I last played for the Taipans, and the biggest thing for me now is I have a greater understanding of the league, of my role on a team and how I can help the Taipans have the best chance to compete for a championship.
“I have known Mike for a number of years and have always had great respect for him. I believe he will bring a toughness and competitiveness to the culture of the club, along with a more up-tempo style of game. I feel the style we are going to play should have fans excited and will allow the club to have success. It is a new era of Taipans basketball and it’s exciting to be part of.”
Kelly was always keen to see Young return to the club after two years with Brisbane.
“When you’re starting with a relatively blank slate, we obviously looked at every shape of how the roster could be formed. Mitch Young was a name we considered early, and then came back to again more recently. I think this is a great situation, given that there are so many talented locals available to fill the four and five spot. Mitch is going to fit in well,” Kelly said.