Inside the training regime, new attitude preparing the Taipans for NBL22

By Liam Santamaria

The Cairns Taipans have just completed a six-week ‘back-to-basics’ training phase they hope will lay the foundations for a return to the NBL postseason.

Eyeing a bounce-back campaign after last season’s bottom-place finish, the Taipans will enter the 2021-22 season with a revamped roster, a new head coach and a fresh new attitude.

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Speaking on The Huddle podcast from his office in the Taipans’ practice facility, new head coach Adam Forde described the “early, early pre-season” his squad has just concluded.

“We call this a little bit of a reclamation stage,” Forde explained.

“It’s been a lot of skill work – ball-handling, passing, reactionary-type drills – a lot of things you don't get to do at any stage during an NBL season.”

While many other clubs have been conducting limited on-court work due to various COVID restrictions, Forde has been overseeing a lengthy program the Taipans hope will give them an edge.  

“It's almost like we’ve pulled out the playbook from when I used to work at Basketball WA, doing skill development with the young athletes over there. Sort of bringing it back to basics,” he said.

“We've been pretty fortunate that we've been doing that since the middle of August. We’ve actually given the guys next week off for that mental refresher before we have a few more guys returning and we start it up again.

“It's been great just establishing some team rules and getting a bit of a schedule and a routine in place. We’re starting with a foundation and building from there.”

While Forde has been happy with the efforts of his entire squad, a couple of returning Taipans have made particularly strong impressions.

“Majok (Deng) is basically knocking off all our scoring and shooting records at the moment and doing so with an injury. He's got great touch,” Forde said.

“And Nate (Jawai) is looking fantastic. He set himself a goal in terms of how he wants to look and what shape he wants to be in and he's hit all those KPIs. He’s in fantastic condition.”

Another to impress Forde has been new import Tahjere McCall, who stepped out of quarantine earlier this month after competing at the NBA Summer League.

“Tahjere has been everything and more since he got off the plane,” the Taipans coach said.

“He's going to make it tough on ball-handlers and finishers around the rim just because he’ll take it from you if you give him a chance. So yeah, everybody's been really impressive.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There is a different mentality in the Tropics under new <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CairnsTaipans</a> head coach Adam Forde ?<br><br>He caught up with <a href="https://twitter.com/Liam_Santa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Liam_Santa</a> on The Huddle podcast this week to talk his squad, preseason, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> and more.<br><br>Check out the full chat here: <a href="https://t.co/mrN2B5htis">https://t.co/mrN2B5htis</a> <a href="https://t.co/HDYoLYiOfO">pic.twitter.com/HDYoLYiOfO</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1441198341023358981?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Forde arrives in Cairns this year after parting ways with his former club, the Sydney Kings, at the end of last season. As he prepares for his first year in charge of the Taipans – his second as an NBL head coach – the 39-year-old has made it clear what he’s expecting from his team this season.

“It’s a success driven industry so we want to win and we want to finish top four,” Forde said.

“We're not going to be some pedestrian franchise that's along for the ride. We want to win and we want to win convincingly. There's a level of arrogance we want to have and all these guys are hungry for that.

“Success (for us) is winning. And if we don't win then there's going to be new players and new coaching staff and new high performance team. Cairns deserves a championship. (They’ve spent) twenty-two years in the league and they’ve come close, so that's the language we're speaking.”

It’s an attitude that’s sure to resonate with the Taipans’ passionate fan-base. Energised by a return to their beloved home arena, the Cairns Convention Centre, and the prospect of a fit and healthy roster, there’s a sense of optimism surrounding the Snakes in Far North Queensland.

That said, not many outside of Cairns are likely to pick them as a team destined for post-season action. According to Forde, that’s just how he wants it.

“We encourage everybody talking s**t and saying that we can't get it. We love being not taken seriously as a contender,” he added.

“We want to hear that and use it as fuel. Hopefully we can start generating some wins and building some momentum and start changing the way peop