Cairns Taipans
Encyclopedia
The Cairns Taipans are an Australia
n professional basketball
team competing in the Australasia
n National Basketball League
. The club is based in the northern Queensland
city of Cairns. The Taipans, named after a species of venomous snake
native to Australia
, entered the NBL
in the 1999/2000 season. The Taipans play at the Cairns Convention Centre
, and play in navy and white colours.
coach Rod Popp. Playing at the newly expanded Cairns Convention Centre, the Taipans played their first game against the Sydney Kings
in front of 4,407 fans. However, there would be few highlights in their first season, finishing last with a 2-26 record.
With a large turn-over of players in their second season, expectations for Cairns were low. Headed by Guy Molloy, a former South-East Melbourne Magic and Australian women's national team assistant coach, the Taipans would improve to 6-22, sell out five of fourteen home games and attract over 4,963 spectators per match.
Midway through the 2001/02 season, Taipans released import forward Matt Garrison replacing him with the exciting Jayson Wells, who made an immediate impact on the team averaging over 22 points and 10 rebounds per game including a season high 40 points against Canberra
and 39 points against reigning NBL champions Wollongong
. During the season the club registered their first ever wins against North Queensland rivals Townsville
, Wollongong, Adelaide
and Victoria
. The club also recorded their biggest winning margin in a match against Canberra and won the best of head to head battles against reigning title holders Wollongong and the Victoria Titans. The club again showed significant improvement to earn nine victories.
In 2002/03, the Taipans took another significant step forward by winning 13 games while finishing in eighth position, showing that the club should make the playoffs for the first time in the near future.
The 2003/04 season proved to be an exciting one for the Taipans, with the recruitment of experienced NBL championship-winning forwards Melvin Thomas and Marcus Timmons helping the Taipans to reach their first playoffs in franchise history. The Taipans first finals appearance resulted in a win, as Cairns upset Perth
103-96. Ultimately, the Taipans maiden post-season foray was stopped by the West Sydney Razorbacks
who would go on to come within a single game of the title. Timmons earned his team’s MVP award for the season.
The 2004/05 season witnessed the first-ever reversal of the Taipan’s forward progress from the past five seasons, resulting in championship coach Alan Black being signed to replace Molloy. The addition of All-Star Martin Cattalini
and Darnell Mee, as well as AIS up-and-comer Adam Gibson helped the Taipans to a fifth-place finish in 2005-06. Cairns defeated the Hunter Pirates
in the first round, and Anthony Stewart
hit a three late in overtime to help the Taipans past the Adelaide 36ers, and advance the Taipans to their first ever semi-final. The Taipans lost this to the defending champion Sydney Kings in two straight games, narrowly going down 84-82 in game two in Cairns.
The 2006/07 Taipans consolidated their form of the previous year with a 17-16 record and a sixth place finish. Many Taipans players enjoyed notable personal success. Martin Cattalini placed second in the NBL among scorers, behind New Zealand's Carlos Powell. Darnell Mee placed sixth in the league for assists, whilst new addition Kevin Owens was amongst the best rebounders and blockers in the league. The Taipans defeated the South Dragons 118-97 in the second quarter-final, and then beat the Perth Wildcats 82-78 in the fourth quarter-final to advance to the semi-final series against the Melbourne Tigers but were swept by the Tigers in 2.
Halfway through the 2008/09 season the Taipans were placed into voluntary administration. However a community based public ownership scheme was floated, and shares and syndicates were made available to purchase to the general public as a part of the team as a whole, in much the same way as the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. These shares raised the necessary half a million dollars of operating capital required by the new NBL guidelines and made the Taipans the first publicly owned professional sporting franchise in Australia. This same scheme of public ownership was followed by the Wollongong Hawks, who also successfully attracted enough investment to be viable for the 2009/10 NBL season.
After two seasons near the bottom. Cairns finished in 3rd spot in 2010-11 and won their first ever semi final game by beating Townsville in Game 2 74-57 to even the series and force the series to the deciding game. At the Crocodiles' home, Cairns would eventually win the decider Game 3 with a 10-point win, allowing them to go into their first grand-final series where they faced the New Zealand Breakers
. The Breakers won game 1 (85-67), before the Taipans fought a tough battle to win game 2 (85-81) in double overtime. With the series tied at 1-1, the grand-final went to game 3. The Breakers won 71-53, leaving the Taipans as runners-up for the 2010-11.
Source: www.nbl.com.au
Source: www.taipans.com.au & NBL website
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team competing in the Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
n National Basketball League
National Basketball League (Australasia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
. The club is based in the northern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
city of Cairns. The Taipans, named after a species of venomous snake
Taipan
The taipans are a genus of large, fast, highly venomous Australasian snakes of the elapid family.-Overview:The taipan was named by Donald Thomson after the word used by the Wik-Mungkan Aboriginal people of central Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia.There are three known species: the coastal...
native to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, entered the NBL
National Basketball League (Australasia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
in the 1999/2000 season. The Taipans play at the Cairns Convention Centre
Cairns Convention Centre
Cairns Convention Centre, which opened in 1997, is a multi-purpose arena, located in Cairns, Australia. The capacity is 5,300 people.It is the home arena of the Cairns Taipans basketball team. The record crowd is 5,500 for an NBL Finals game in 2004 between Cairns Taipans and Perth Wildcats...
, and play in navy and white colours.
History
The first coach in franchise history was former Cairns Marlins ABAAustralian Basketball Association
The Australian Basketball Association, often abbreviated to the ABA, is the second-tiered semi-professional men's and women's basketball minor leagues in Australia which sit under the professional National Basketball League and Women's National Basketball League .The ABA is representative of the...
coach Rod Popp. Playing at the newly expanded Cairns Convention Centre, the Taipans played their first game against the Sydney Kings
Sydney Kings
The Sydney Kings are a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. They are the only team to date to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit third behind the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne Tigers two away from the record five wins...
in front of 4,407 fans. However, there would be few highlights in their first season, finishing last with a 2-26 record.
With a large turn-over of players in their second season, expectations for Cairns were low. Headed by Guy Molloy, a former South-East Melbourne Magic and Australian women's national team assistant coach, the Taipans would improve to 6-22, sell out five of fourteen home games and attract over 4,963 spectators per match.
Midway through the 2001/02 season, Taipans released import forward Matt Garrison replacing him with the exciting Jayson Wells, who made an immediate impact on the team averaging over 22 points and 10 rebounds per game including a season high 40 points against Canberra
Canberra Cannons
The Canberra Cannons were a basketball team competing in the Australian National Basketball League. They went into financial administration in 2003 and were relocated to Newcastle, where they became the Hunter Pirates...
and 39 points against reigning NBL champions Wollongong
Wollongong Hawks
The Wollongong Hawks are a team competing in Australia's National Basketball League , based in the New South Wales city of Wollongong. They won the NBL championship in 2001 and finished as runners-up in 2005 and 2010...
. During the season the club registered their first ever wins against North Queensland rivals Townsville
Townsville Crocodiles
The Townsville Crocodiles are a professional Australian basketball team based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in the National Basketball League...
, Wollongong, Adelaide
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers are Adelaide's men's professional basketball team, established as the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the National Basketball League in 1982. The Adelaide 36ers tally of four championships is equal with the Melbourne Tigers and second behind the Perth Wildcats as the most...
and Victoria
Victoria Titans
The Victoria Titans were an Australian basketball team, that played in Melbourne, Victoria, in the National Basketball League. The team was the result of a merger of two Melbourne clubs for the inaugural NBL summer season of 1998/99...
. The club also recorded their biggest winning margin in a match against Canberra and won the best of head to head battles against reigning title holders Wollongong and the Victoria Titans. The club again showed significant improvement to earn nine victories.
In 2002/03, the Taipans took another significant step forward by winning 13 games while finishing in eighth position, showing that the club should make the playoffs for the first time in the near future.
The 2003/04 season proved to be an exciting one for the Taipans, with the recruitment of experienced NBL championship-winning forwards Melvin Thomas and Marcus Timmons helping the Taipans to reach their first playoffs in franchise history. The Taipans first finals appearance resulted in a win, as Cairns upset Perth
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...
103-96. Ultimately, the Taipans maiden post-season foray was stopped by the West Sydney Razorbacks
West Sydney Razorbacks
The Sydney Spirit were a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League...
who would go on to come within a single game of the title. Timmons earned his team’s MVP award for the season.
The 2004/05 season witnessed the first-ever reversal of the Taipan’s forward progress from the past five seasons, resulting in championship coach Alan Black being signed to replace Molloy. The addition of All-Star Martin Cattalini
Martin Cattalini
Martin Peter Cattalini is a retired Australian professional basketball player who won championships with both the Perth Wildcats and the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL....
and Darnell Mee, as well as AIS up-and-comer Adam Gibson helped the Taipans to a fifth-place finish in 2005-06. Cairns defeated the Hunter Pirates
Hunter Pirates
The Hunter Pirates were an Australian basketball team, based in the city of Newcastle, that competed in the National Basketball League.-Team history:...
in the first round, and Anthony Stewart
Anthony Stewart (basketball)
Anthony Stewart is an Australian former professional basketball player in Australia's NBL. At one time, Stewart worked in an off-court role with the Cairns Taipans.-Career:...
hit a three late in overtime to help the Taipans past the Adelaide 36ers, and advance the Taipans to their first ever semi-final. The Taipans lost this to the defending champion Sydney Kings in two straight games, narrowly going down 84-82 in game two in Cairns.
The 2006/07 Taipans consolidated their form of the previous year with a 17-16 record and a sixth place finish. Many Taipans players enjoyed notable personal success. Martin Cattalini placed second in the NBL among scorers, behind New Zealand's Carlos Powell. Darnell Mee placed sixth in the league for assists, whilst new addition Kevin Owens was amongst the best rebounders and blockers in the league. The Taipans defeated the South Dragons 118-97 in the second quarter-final, and then beat the Perth Wildcats 82-78 in the fourth quarter-final to advance to the semi-final series against the Melbourne Tigers but were swept by the Tigers in 2.
Halfway through the 2008/09 season the Taipans were placed into voluntary administration. However a community based public ownership scheme was floated, and shares and syndicates were made available to purchase to the general public as a part of the team as a whole, in much the same way as the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. These shares raised the necessary half a million dollars of operating capital required by the new NBL guidelines and made the Taipans the first publicly owned professional sporting franchise in Australia. This same scheme of public ownership was followed by the Wollongong Hawks, who also successfully attracted enough investment to be viable for the 2009/10 NBL season.
After two seasons near the bottom. Cairns finished in 3rd spot in 2010-11 and won their first ever semi final game by beating Townsville in Game 2 74-57 to even the series and force the series to the deciding game. At the Crocodiles' home, Cairns would eventually win the decider Game 3 with a 10-point win, allowing them to go into their first grand-final series where they faced the New Zealand Breakers
New Zealand Breakers
The New Zealand Breakers are a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. The Breakers joined the NBL for the 2003/04 season as one of two expansion clubs. The club is based in the city of Auckland, New Zealand and play their home games at the North...
. The Breakers won game 1 (85-67), before the Taipans fought a tough battle to win game 2 (85-81) in double overtime. With the series tied at 1-1, the grand-final went to game 3. The Breakers won 71-53, leaving the Taipans as runners-up for the 2010-11.
Honour Roll
| NBL Championships: | 0 |
| NBL Finals Appearances: | 4 (2004, 2006, 2007, 2011) |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 1 (2011) |
| All-NBL First Team: | Chris Burgess Chris Burgess Chris Burgess is an American basketball player. Burgess started his freshman year at Mater Dei High School where he transferred to his local school Woodbridge High School in California and played his remaining high school years. He then attended Duke University and University of Utah... (2005) |
| NBL Rookie of the Year: | Nathan Jawai (2008) |
| Gary Boodnikoff (2006) |
Source: www.nbl.com.au
Season-by-Season
| Season | Results | Finals | Coach | Captain | Club MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999/00 | 11th (2-26) | - | Rod Popp | Terry Johnson | N/A |
| 2000/01 | 9th (6-22) | - | Guy Molloy | Anthony Stewart | Ben Knight/Aaron Trahair |
| 2001/02 | 11th (9-21) | - | Guy Molloy | Anthony Stewart | Jayson Wells |
| 2002/03 | 8th (13-17) | - | Guy Molloy | Brad Davidson/Jayson Wells | Ben Knight/Anthony Stewart |
| 2003/04 | 6th (16-17) | Quarter-Finalists (1-1) | Guy Molloy | Brad Davidson | Marcus Timmons |
| 2004/05 | 10th (11-21) | - | Guy Molloy | Anthony Stewart | Chris Burgess |
| 2005/06 | 5th (18-14) | Semi-Finalists (2-2) | Alan Black | Anthony Stewart/Darnell Mee | Martin Cattalini |
| 2006/07 | 7th (17-16) | Semi-Finalists (2-2) | Alan Black | Anthony Stewart | Martin Cattalini |
| 2007/08 | 6th (16-14) | Quarter Finalists | Alan Black | Martin Cattalini | Nathan Jawai |
| 2008/09 | 9th (11-19) | - | Alan Black/Mark Beecroft | Martin Cattalini | Martin Cattalini |
| 2009/10 | 7th (11-17) | - | Aaron Fearne | Phill Jones | Dusty Rychart |
| 2010/11 | 3rd (16-12) | Grand Finalists | Aaron Fearne | Phill Jones/Alex Loughton/Ian Crosswhite | Ayinde Ubaka |
| 2011/12 | - | - | Aaron Fearne | Alex Loughton/Ian Crosswhite | - |
Source: www.taipans.com.au & NBL website
Current squad
Depth Chart
| Pos. | Starter | Bench | Bench | Reserve |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well... |
Ian Crosswhite | Jeff Dowdell Jeff Dowdell Jeffery Dowdell is an Australian basketball player currently playing for the Cairns Taipans in the NBL... |
||
| PF Power forward (basketball) Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low... |
Alex Loughton Alex Loughton Alex Loughton is an Australian professional basketball player for the Cairns Taipans.Loughton began to make a name for himself when he was selected in the Australian Under-20 team; he went on to average 17.4 ppg and 10.3 rpg and it was not long before scouts began to take notice of Alex... |
Dean Brebner |  Dusty Rychart Dusty Mike Rychart is a naturalised Australian professional basketball player, originally from the United States... |
|
| SF Small forward The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall... |
Brad Hill Brad Hill (basketball) Brad Hill is an Australian professional basketball player with the Cairns Taipans in the National Basketball League.... |
Aaron Grabau | James Mitchell | |
| SG Shooting guard The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team... |
Andrew Warren | Deba George | Matthew Adekponya | James Comino |
| PG Point guard Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that... |
Jamar Wilson | Kerry Williams | Mitch Philp | Jackson Hussey |