Forde is locked in on January

Fresh after Saturday night’s homecoming win, the Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans have kept their focus firmly faced forward. With multiple troops returning to the court, Head Coach Adam Forde has put the emphasis on building a strong base rather than seeking the victories.

“Right now, it’s not so much about trying to get on a winning streak, but a day-to-day streak,” Coach Forde explained.

“Today could have been better, and so it’s important for the guys that we don’t want to ride the emotional rollercoaster of winning and losing, and that regardless of what the result is that we’re very process driven.”

Coach Forde has already established the focus for his troops – building to a playoff push in January rather than peaking in October – something that he’s pushed his squad to focus on even before the club’s Open Gym in June.

“We’re looking to become the team that we are in January – we’re trying to not peak in October. And so, whatever we dropped the ball on today, we need to make up for tomorrow and start stringing those days together.”

This is a major point of emphasis given the Taipans’ struggles during the first month of the new year in past seasons. Since moving to Cairns in 2021, Coach Forde has only won two games in January by a double-digit margin – one being last season’s overtime win against Adelaide.

The other game won by that margin was during the 2022-23 finals-bound campaign, where the Taipans won six of nine January games – including a five-game win streak to open the new year – so Coach Forde knows when he needs his troops ready.

With guard Kyle Adnam returning to the court in Round 2, the Taipans are hoping to see the return of the rest of the roster on Friday night. Jackson Makoi is set to make his debut, and forward Dillon Stith missed the home opener with bone bruising. After hurting his calf in the pre-season, Taran Armstrong will make the list but time will tell if he will hit the court.

“Taran is probably similar to Kyle with the expectation that we’ll have him in the list, and we’ll get him through shootaround and warm up. But if there’s a sense of unease or if not everyone’s on board – be it the medical staff, myself or Taran – there’s no reason to risk pushing him this early in the season.

Meanwhile, Tanner Groves has returned to full strength after entering the clash against Adelaide bruised.

“Tanner is great – he’s a warrior. He hasn’t missed practice or a game in five years, so that hit him harder more than anything. We definitely would’ve rolled him back out there in the second half, but we didn’t want to run the risk of injury unnecessarily. And he’s done the right things to get his body right.”

With the NBL Blitz, HoopsFest and now the home opener under their belts, the new look team are already gelling together and building their energy both on and off the court.

“The energy has been great – the guys are loving being around one another in the locker room and off the court, and Rob has been throwing Taco Tuesdays,” Taipans forward Sam Waardenburg said.

“And on the court, guys are competing every single day and it’s just a good energy. Even after the Illawarra loss, the energy that week was really special with the way guys responded and seeing that gives you a lot of confidence in our squad.”

However, Waardenburg was not content with where he was sitting after last season. The forward remained in the Far North over the break with fellow team leader Jonah Antonio – spending nearly every day on court, working on their craft.

“Right now, I’m just honing in on the things that I know I can do and do it better. Last season I didn’t shoot the ball well – I shot 40% from three in college, then high 30s in my first year here – so I was pretty disappointed.

“But I was able to just work and get it, and I haven’t been able to do that for a while. From my last season of college to this off-season, it’s just been go go go, with going to Germany, Summer League and all of that. So, it was nice to just get in the lab and work with the assistant coaches and Forde.”

When asked about what his personal goals were for this season, the Kiwi kept it simple:

“I just want to win a championship and put that first banner up in Cairns. That’s the main thing, and the only goal really.”

The Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans will return to their home court this Friday night to take on the reigning champions – the Tasmania JackJumpers. Catch all the action live with tip-off at 7:30pm – grab your tickets HERE.