Sunday Dech lands in Cairns, ready for pre-season

New Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans guard Sunday Dech has arrived in Cairns, ready to begin his 11th year in the league and a long-awaited reunion with Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde.

With the 32-year-old and Coach Forde committing to the Club for at least the next two seasons, it’s been signing that has been years in the making.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Dech at Cairns Airport this morning.

“I think I’ve talked to Fordey every off-season when contracts have come up, and obviously our story goes way back – to finally get signed, I’m definitely chomping at the bit to get up here, get settled in and get the season underway.”

Both working their way through the ranks in Western Australia before joining the Wildcats in the early 2010s, Dech and Forde have spent the last decade competing against each other on the NBL court but will now represent the Far North together.

“He coached me when I first started playing basketball. He was progressing through the coaching ranks as well, and he gave me a lot of time,” Dech said.

“I was late to starting basketball and it was one of those things where you put the work in and he was always there, always willing to give me extra advice, extra coaching tips.

Joining a strong local core recruited by Coach Forde, competing for his longtime mentor isn’t the only reason for the South Sudanese Australian’s move to Cairns.

“Basketball is ever evolving and so are teams, and to have a coach be stable in a team for that long, goes a long way, because you learn from the previous year and the year before that.

“I think this is the year where the stars align. It’s a culmination of all the learnings prior but also understanding where the league is going and where basketball is going as well.

“That’s why I’m up here. That’s why Brucey is up here, KP, Jack – you name it.

“That’s why we’re all coming to play for him, because we know he cares for us deeply as people, but then on the court too he’s going to expect nothing but greatness and push us to be the best we can be.”

Dech and Kyrin Galloway are the first two players to arrive ahead of the pre-season, with Keanu Pinder, Luke Paul and Shaun Bruce all due in the coming weeks.

The Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans’ season begins 20 September. Memberships currently AVAILABLE NOW, with single-game tickets on sale later next month.