Taipans Add Davey as DP

The Cairns Taipans have signed 6’6 forward Joshua Davey as a development player for the 2022/23 NBL season.

The 22-year-old attended Lubbock Christian University and played in the NCAA Division II for two years, before the school’s season was cancelled for his junior year.

In his return to Perth, Davey joined the Lakeside Lightning, where he led the NBL1 with the best offensive rebounding average in the country (5.5 per game) during the 2022 season, along with 8.2 points and 11.9 rebounds across 19 matches.

“We got shooters. But I need an animal that’ll set hard screens and collect the misses, and that’s what Josh brings. He has a great motor and huge work ethic. He led the entire country at the NBL1 level with offensive rebounds per game at a touch under six,” Taipans coach Adam Forde said.

“That’s six extra possessions he gets for the team just through effort and hustle. We need that type of grit. I’m going to call him Pacman.”

Choosing to explore opportunities in the NBL instead of returning to college, Forde said Davey will add another dimension to the team’s practice as he fights for court time.

“JD is not a stranger to an NBL training floor – he’s been training with Perth and had some workouts in Tassie recently. The feedback from those clubs was great, but being similar to a Jarred Bairstow type of player meant there wasn’t really a place for him there. However, I need that here,” Forde said.

“JD has a particular skill set that we are deficient in. If he comes to work with a kick butt mentality every day, then I don’t see how he can’t start taking minutes off of other guys.”

Davey joins the Taipans this week, alongside guard Gabe Hadley who is also added to the squad as a training player. Hadley suited up for the Geelong Supercats in the NBL1 South this year, averaging 14.0 points and 4.5 rebounds.

“Gabe was second in the south conference in three-points made, shooting at 41 percent. Before that, he completed his college career at the University of California San Diego, again shooting at 41 per cent during his whole time there,” Forde said.

“He’s another great character for our club - he finished up his season in the NBL1 with Geelong and drove straight up to Cairns to join us.”