No Bul for Blitz

The Cairns Taipans won’t rush star Bul Kuol’s recovery, with the 26-year-old tipped for a Round 1 return.

Kuol was sidelined with a wrist injury suffered during a scrimmage in late August, and will be kept out of this month’s Hungry Jack’s NBL Blitz on the Gold Coast. 

“There’s no real need for Bul at the Blitz,” coach Adam Forde said. 

“He’s one of our returning guys. He’s pretty established in the role and what we expect from him.

“If he’s cleared to play, it will probably be more the ‘getting the rust off’ type component than anything else.

“At the moment we expect him to be right for Round 1 and that’s what we’re planning for. Anything else is a bonus.” 

Kuol was key to Cairns’ journey to the Playoffs in NBL23, and while it’s a very different looking Taipans side for NBL24, they’re still going in with big expectations. 

Import Patrick Miller is one of the new faces at the club, and boasts extensive experience in Europe, including a scoring title in Lithuania last year. 

Miller says there’s an incredible feeling among the playing group leading into the Blitz. 

“We’ve got great chemistry already. We’re joking, then we’re serious, everybody’s feeding off each other,” he said. 

“There’s a lot of emotion in here right now. 

“We’ve got a lot to do this year, so we want to focus on that, but it’s starting off great.”

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The Taipans have close to a full roster to choose from on the Gold Coast, with Forde identifying it as an opportunity to test the depth and quality of the club’s roster. 

“We’ll rotate guys through, because it’s still three game in five days,” he said. 

“We don’t expect Tahj [McCall] for example to play 30 minutes a game for three games … we’ll do that appropriately, with the idea that we really focus on Round 1.

“The things we want to check off at the Blitz go a bit beyond the result, as superficial as that sounds.

“We really want to make sure we’re hitting some KPI's offensively and defensively, that we’re building towards our identity ... but also give guys the opportunity to showcase what they’re capable of doing, because they may find themselves moving up in the pecking order of minutes and rotations.

“I’ve got an idea of who my front seven, front eight guys are, but the Blitz always provides an opportunity, a platform for guys to surprise. 

“It’s three games, 40 minutes apiece of teaching points, room for improvement and areas of exploration.”

One player looking to put his name forward for a starting berth, Sam Mennenga. 

In his first year as a professional, the former Davidson star has caught the eye of his new teammate. 

“The presence he’s got on the court makes it seems like he’s a vet, like he’s been playing pro before,” Miller added. 

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The Taipans will travel to New Zealand for their season-opener on September 30.