"Assistant GM" McCall Crucial in Cairns Signing

The circles that run within professional basketball are remarkably small, and it’s one of those circles that played a key role in Cairns’ recent recruitment of import point guard Patrick Miller.

Miller, 31, will arrive in Far North Queensland for NBL24 following a stint with Brose Bamberg in the German Basketball Bundesliga. Prior to his numerous stints overseas though, he completed a collegiate career at Tennessee State – just one year before Tahjere McCall suited up for the Tigers.

“I think Tahj has adopted the role of assistant general manager for us,” Adam Forde said. “Tahj just seems to know everybody.

“They definitely would have played the casual pickup game, but I don’t think they would have played together professionally. They’re excited for it, as am I.

“He’s a tough guard and an elite defender so he’s going to raise the bar in that category for us, but with him we can rely on a guy who’s played on some big stages in some real clutch moments of the game.

“We can look to rely on him to be able to shoulder that burden and take on the big moments.”

McCall will not be the only familiar face to Miller when he walks through the doors at the Taipans though. While they would have only came into contact with each other in passing – he can also thank Sam Waardenburg for inadvertently alerting the Cairns' setup to his abilities.

Miller scored 19 points and added six assists for Bamberg against Waardenburg’s Riesen Ludwigsburg during the German season, and averaged 17.1 points and six assists per game over 26 appearances.

“That was a game I watched, and that’s what alerted him to us,” Forde said of Miller's experience in Germany.

“There’s a very similar style of play with some players who have played here in the past, and I think his capability to be a top five scorer and an All-NBL First Team nomination was a standout.

“Watching his game against Sam and having those communications with Tahj, then the ball just got rolling from there.

“He’s going to make a real splash in this league.”

While Miller is still yet to touch down in Cairns to begin his career with the Taipans, former Davidson centre and first year professional Sam Mennenga has arrived in Queensland ahead of his debut campaign.

Mennenga averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in his final year of college basketball, and Forde has backed him to make an immediate splash in the NBL.

“He’s a beast,” Forde said. “I think we’ve got a real gem there and he’s going to surprise some people.

“I know there’s a lot of hype with some rookies around the league at the moment, and maybe he falls under the radar because he’s a New Zealander.

“He’s absolutely going to grab the bull by the horns and own it.”