Taipans Off-Season Report - April

With the off-season in full swing, the Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans are hitting courts across the globe. Keep up to date with all their latest moves and performances here.

In his first stint in the NBL1 since departing for the College of Charleston in 2021, Reyne Smith has gathered momentum quickly.

The Maitland Mustang has hit the court six times since their season launch and has risen into the conference’s top 5 scorers with an average of 20.7 points per game.

Also leading his side for blocks, the guard reached a season-high of 32 points over the weekend with three assists, three rebounds and two steals.

He’ll next face former Taipans teammate Alex Higgins-Titsha’s Bankstown Bruins on May 2, before preparing to face Majok Majok and Fabijan Krslovic later in the month.

In the NBL1 North, Angus Henskens and his Mackay Meteors opened their season with a 15-point win over Rockhampton, before falling to Southern Districts to find themselves in seventh on the ladder early in the comp.

After only playing two games across the opening two rounds, Mackay will play seven games in May, including a trip to Cairns on May 23.

Tune into all NBL1 games live on NBL1.com.au, with select games available via Kayo Freebies.

Maintaining his form from the NBL to his stint in Puerto Rico, Jack McVeigh has played a crucial role in the rise of the Capitanes de Arecibo since he joined them last month.

Ending their 2025 campaign with a 18-16 record, the Capitanes have started their 2026 season with eight wins from 10 games. Their two losses have both been by just two points.

Joined by familiar NBL faces Derrick Walton and Tim Soares, McVeigh is currently averaging 20 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

The Taipans’ marquee man will have a quiet month of May with only eight games scheduled, however four of those matches will be against Mayaguez and the NBL trio of Nathan Sobey, Tyrell Harrison and Sam Waardenburg.

All BSN games are available LIVE on the Baloncesto Superior Nacional YouTube channel.

Taipans lead assistant Will Lopez has returned to the helm of a team for the first time since coaching the Cairns Dolphins in 2024, and the Hawkes Bay Hawks have experienced a rough start in the NZNBL.

Sitting ninth in the 11-team league, the Hawks lost their opening four games by single digits, with Kyle Adnam briefly spending time with the side as an injury replacement.

However, new import Jeremy McLaughlin is set to finally join the team, and the Hawks have a chance to prepare before hitting the court again on May 2. They’ll play Auckland Tuatara who have the likes of Robert Loe, Thomas Vodanovich and Sean Bairstow in their ranks.

Catch all the action on FIBA’s YouTube channel.