Taipans takeover NBL Awards

CQUniversity Cairns Taipans star Keanu Pinder has made history with Cairns, becoming the first NBL player to ever win the Most Improved Player award twice, an accolade he has remarkably achieved in consecutive seasons under newly crowned Coach of the Year Adam Forde. In just his second season in Cairns, “Fordey” has been recognised as the best coach in the league after recruiting the youngest team in franchise history, to register the second-best ever win record. In his line-up, rookie Sam Waardenburg accepted his well-deserved Next Generation award as the inaugural winner of the new honour while DJ Hogg was named to the All-NBL second team, alongside Pinder. To cap off the honours, the club was acknowledged off the court, with Taipans CEO Mark Beecroft being named the Executive of the Year.

In his first year in the NBL, Pinder managed just 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds across 35 games with the Adelaide 36ers before joining Cairns, where he reunited with his former junior coach and evolved to 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds in 28 games. The versatile forward won the Most Improved in 2022, and took another leap this year, improving to 16.9 points and 9.3 rebounds in just 19 games, before injury cut his spectacular season short. The 27-year-old makes league history with this year’s Most Improved award, as the first player to ever win twice and has managed the historic feat back-to-back. 
 
Much of Pinder’s success is due to his longstanding relationship with Adam Forde, who has been honoured as the Coach of the Year. After finishing ninth last year with nine wins, Forde has steered an incredible turnaround to double his win record (18-10) while securing a third-placed finish. Despite enlisting the most inexperienced team on paper, Forde has created an enviable culture and distinctive style of play that has been recognised across the league. He takes home the Lindsay Gaze trophy with 64 votes, a clear margin ahead of other nominees Mody Maor (52 votes) and Chase Buford (34). 
 
Sam Waardenburg was also a clear standout for the now-defunct Rookie of the Year nod, but rightfully takes out the first Next Generation award for his brilliant NBL debut. The University of Miami graduate joined the Taipans on a two-year deal last June, and averaged 10.8 points, shooting at 53.6 per cent from the field to go with 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his first 25 games as a pro.   
 
Another new addition to the team last year was import DJ Hogg, who has been quietly consistent and impressively efficient for Cairns; not missing a single game throughout the regular season. The 2021 G-League champion made an outstanding case for his NBA ambitions, averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals for an All-NBL Second Team nod, alongside Pinder. 
 
The Taipans won every category they were nominated for on the court but were recognised off the court too, as CEO Mark Beecroft was hailed for his contributions with the Executive of the Year award. Beecroft is the longest serving CEO in the league, having been involved with the organisation for almost 20 years and in his 14th season at the helm. 
 
During his extensive tenure, he has been responsible for securing landmark naming rights sponsors (Skytrans, CQUniversity) as well as a number of successful long-term partnerships including Cairns Regional Council, Kenfrost Homes and the Reef Hotel Casino, ensuring ongoing stability and support to the club in the community-owned model. Beecroft also serves as the President of Cairns Basketball and continues to be integral to the growth and future of the sport in the Far North Queensland region. 
 
Next, the CQUniversity Cairns Taipans play their seeding qualifier against the Tasmania JackJumpers at the Cairns Convention Centre this Thursday night (7:30pm AEST) with a win advancing them to the semi-finals against New Zealand. A loss will see them host the winner of the play-in qualifier on Sunday afternoon (1:00pm AEST) with that outcome determining the opponent for the Sydney Kings’ semi-final series. All NBL Finals are broadcast on ESPN. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE! 

FINAL VOTES

Andrew Gaze Trophy – Most Valuable Player
Xavier Cooks (Sydney) - 120 votes
Bryce Cotton (Perth) - 96 votes
Mitch Creek (South East Melbourne) - 80 votes

Most Improved Player
Keanu Pinder (Cairns) – 48 votes
Will McDowell-White (New Zealand) – 46 votes
Sean Macdonald (Tasmania) – 34 votes

Damian Martin Trophy for the Best Defensive Player
Antonius Cleveland (Adelaide) – 37 votes
Dererk Pardon (New Zealand) – 34 votes
Shea Ili (Melbourne) – 26 votes

Best Sixth Man 
Barry Brown Jr (New Zealand) – 73 votes
Tyler Johnson (Brisbane) – 41 votes
Rashard Kelly (Tasmania) – 26 votes

Lindsay Gaze Trophy - Coach of the Year
Adam Forde (Cairns) – 64 votes
Mody Maor (New Zealand) – 52 votes
Chase Buford (Sydney) – 34 votes

Next Generation Award 
Sam Waardenburg (Cairns) – 47 votes
Sam Froling (Illawarra) – 45 votes
Luke Travers (Perth) – 24 votes

All-NBL First Team
Xavier Cooks (Sydney) – 54 votes
Mitch Creek (South East Melbourne) – 45 votes
Bryce Cotton (Perth) – 54 votes
Milton Doyle (Tasmania) – 42 votes
Derrick Walton Jr (Sydney) – 41 votes

All-NBL Second Team
Keanu Pinder (Cairns) – 33 votes
Dererk Pardon (New Zealand) – 22 votes
Barry Brown Jr (New Zealand) – 37 votes
DJ Hogg (Cairns) – 30 votes
Chris Goulding (Melbourne) – 23 votes

Executive of the Year
Mark Beecroft (Cairns)

Fans’ MVP 
Kai Sotto (Adelaide)

Gametime by Kmart Award
Reuben Te Rangi (South East Melbourne)

Referee of the Year
Vaughan Mayberry