The

2021–22 NBL season The 2021–22 NBL season was the 44th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams are contesting in the 2021–22 season, which commenced on 3 December 2021. Australian broadcast rights to the ...

was the 23rd season for the

Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Conventio ...

in the NBL, and their first under the leadership of their new head coach Adam Forde.

Squad

Signings

* Imports

Scott Machado Michael Scott Machado (born June 8, 1990) is an American-Brazilian professional basketball player for Avtodor Saratov of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for Iona College and represents the Brazilian national basketball team. ...

and

Cameron Oliver Cameron Oliver (born July 11, 1996) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Nevada Wolf Pack. High school career Olive ...

, and Next Star

Mojave King Mojave King ( ; born 11 June 2002) is a New Zealand-American professional basketball player for the Indiana Mad Ants of the NBA G League. He began his career in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) in 2020 where he played a season f ...

had already signed two-season contracts the season prior. * After their penultimate game of the 2020–21 season, the Taipans announced that head coach Mike Kelly would not be returning for the 2021–22 season. * On 25 June, the team option on

Jordan Ngatai Jordan Ngatai (born 7 March 1993) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Wellington Saints of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played six seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL and is ...

's contract was taken up by the club. His original contract was a two year contract (with the second year being a team option), having only joined the Taipans at the start of the 2020–21 season. * On 26 June,

Kouat Noi Kouat Noi (born 29 October 1997) is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Early life Noi was born in Khartoum, Sudan during the height of the Second ...

signed a new two-season contract with the club (the second year being a mutual option). This extends his time in Cairns up to potentially four seasons, having joined the team before the 2019–20 season. Nathan Jawai and the club also took up their mutual option on the second year of his contract, extending his time in Cairns to seven seasons. * On 27 June, the final day before free agency began, the Taipans took up the mutual option on the contract of

Majok Deng Majok Machar Deng (born 1 March 1993) is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Tasmania JackJumpers of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball in the United States for Indian Hills Communi ...

. They also abandoned the option on the contract of Mirko Đerić, instead signing him to a three-year deal (the final year being a mutual option). * On 29 June, Adam Forde was announced as the club's new head coach, signing on a two-year deal. Forde joined the club as an experienced coach in the NBL, having spent eight years as an assistant coach with the Perth Wildcats, followed by a two-year stint with the

Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the ...

, both as an assistant coach and as a head coach. * On 13 July, Deng re-signed for three seasons, overriding the mutual option that himself and the club had taken up weeks earlier. The new extension will see Deng remain in Cairns until 2024. * On 14 July, King was transferred to the Adelaide 36ers. * On 19 July,

Keanu Pinder Keanu Pinder (born 28 May 1995) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League (NBL). Early life Pinder was born in Derby, Western Australia to an Indigenous Australian mother from th ...

was signed as the club's first new player for the season. He signed on a two-year deal (second-year mutual option). * On 24 July,

Jarrod Kenny Jarrod Daniel Kenny (born 17 September 1985) is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. He played many seasons in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) for the Hawke's Bay Hawks and represented the New Zealand Tall Bl ...

re-signed with the Taipans for the 2021–22 season. This will be Kenny’s fourth season with the Taipans after he joined the club for the 2018–19 season. * On 5 August, Sam Gruggen was signed as an assistant coach on a two-year deal. Gruggen joined the club after serving as an assistant coach for Forde during the 2020–21 season, as well as serving time with the Townsville Crocodiles. * On 6 August, Tahjere McCall signed with the Taipans on a one-year deal. McCall joined the Taipans after serving as an injury replacement player with Orléans Loiret Basket and winning the NBA G League championship with the Lakeland Magic. During his time with the Magic, McCall was voted into the G League's All-Defensive Team. * 13 August, Bul Kuol was signed on a two-year deal and filled the final place on the roster. Kuol played College basketball with the

California Baptist Lancers The California Baptist Lancers are the athletic teams that represent California Baptist University, located in Riverside, California, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( ...

and Detroit Mercy Titans before returning to Australia, where he averaged 18.2 points and 4.8 rebounds with the Knox Raiders of the NBL1 South. * On 18 August,

Kerry Williams Kerry Williams (born June 15, 1973) is an American voice actress who has worked with 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media, TAJ Productions and DuArt Film and Video. She grew up in the Tidewater area of Virginia and has worked in Florida, Ja ...

was signed as the second assistant coach. Williams spent the season prior as the head coach of the Cairns Marlins of the

NBL1 North NBL1 North, formerly the Queensland Basketball League (QBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Queensland partnered wit ...

, and before that also spent multiple seasons with the

Cairns Dolphins The Cairns Dolphins are an Australian basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Dolphins compete in the women's NBL1 North league and play their home games at Early Settler Stadium. Team history After operating a successful basketball p ...

of the Queensland Basketball League. Williams also spent five seasons with the Taipans as a player before transitioning into a front office role with the club. * On 16 September, the Taipans announced that import Cameron Oliver had been released from the final year of his contract after signing an

Exhibit 10 The NBA salary cap is the limit to the total amount of money that National Basketball Association teams are allowed to pay their players. Like many professional sports leagues, the NBA has a salary cap to control costs and benefit parity, defined b ...

contract with a California based National Basketball Association team, later revealed to be the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. * On 17 September,

Stephen Zimmerman Stephen Eric Zimmerman Jr. (born September 9, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for UNLV before being selected with the 41st overall pick in the ...

was signed as Oliver's replacement on a one-year deal. Zimmerman signed with the club after winning the Czech National Basketball League with Basketball Nymburk, where he averaged 8.9 points and 7.9 rebounds across 17 minutes per game. * On 7 October, Brayden Inger was signed by the Taipans as a development player. He joined the club after competing in the NZNBL with the Southland Sharks. * On 30 December,

Marshall Nelson Marshall Lance Nelson (born 31 January 1994) is an Australian-Belgian professional basketball player for the Rockingham Flames of the NBL1 West. Debuting in the State Basketball League (SBL) in 2014 for the Perth Redbacks, Nelson went on to play ...

was signed as an Injury Replacement Player for Machado.

Roster

Depth chart

Pre-season

Ladder

Game log

, -style="background:#fcc;" , 1 , 14 November , Adelaide
L 87–91 (OT)
, Deng, Zimmerman (18) ,

(11) ,

(5) , MyState Bank Arena
not available , 0–1 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 2 , 16 November , Tasmania
L 66–81
,

(16) ,

(11) ,

(9) , MyState Bank Arena
not available , 0–2 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 3 , 21 November , @ Perth
L 96–87
,

Nate Jawai Nathan Leon Jawai (born 10 October 1986) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Darwin Salties of the NBL1 North. Standing at 209 cm, he plays at the power forward and centre positions. Early life Born at the Royal Hospita ...

(21) , Tahjere McCall (13) , Tahjere McCall (6) , Ulverstone Sports & Leisure Centre
not available , 0–3 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 4 , 24 November , Brisbane
L 86–94
, Tahjere McCall (17) ,

(10) , Noi,

Machado Machado is a surname of Portuguese origin meaning the word "axe" or "hatchet" dating back to approximately 2nd century Europe. It is commonly found in Portugal, Spain, Brazil and Latin America, and India (Southern Tamil Nadu and Southern Kerala) ...

(5) , Ulverstone Sports & Leisure Centre
not available , 0–4 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 5 , 26 November , @ Tasmania
L 83–68
,

(12) ,

(8) , Tahjere McCall (5) ,

Elphin Sports Centre The Elphin Sports Centre (formerly known as Dowling Street Stadium) is an indoor sporting venue located in Launceston, Tasmania. Construction commenced at the centre in 1964 and was opened in August the following year. Launceston Casino City ...

not available , 0–5

Regular season

Ladder

Game log

, -style="background:#fcc;" , 1 , 5 December , @ Perth
L 90–67
,

(17) ,

(14) ,

(6) , RAC Arena, Perth
10,800 , 0–1 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , 11 December , Tasmania
W 69–62
, Tahjere McCall (20) ,

(12) , Tahjere McCall (5) ,

Cairns Convention Centre The Cairns Convention Centre is a convention and entertainment centre in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The venue was selected the World's Best Congress Centre in 2004 and 2014. Description The centre has a floor space of on a site in the Ca ...

4,015 , 1–1 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , 18 December , Adelaide
W 93–67
,

(23) ,

(9) , Tahjere McCall (10) ,

3,314 , 2–1 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 4 , 31 December , Perth
L 78–84
,

(27) ,

(9) , Kenny, Kuol, Noi (4) ,

4,339 , 2–2 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 5 , 25 January , @ S.E. Melbourne
L 87–77
, Tahjere McCall (16) ,

(8) , Tahjere McCall (9) , Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium
2,634 , 2–3 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 6 , 29 January , Illawarra
L 75–94
, Tahjere McCall (19) ,

(12) , Tahjere McCall (6) ,

3,095 , 2–4 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , 5 February , @ Brisbane
W 94–102
, Deng, Kuol (26) ,

(14) , Tahjere McCall (6) , Nissan Arena
2,695 , 3–4 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 8 , 12 February , @ Illawarra
L 87–81
, Tahjere McCall (17) ,

(9) , Tahjere McCall (4) ,

WIN Entertainment Centre Wollongong Entertainment Centre (also known by its naming rights sponsor WIN Entertainment Centre and colloquially as the WEC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The WEC opened on 5 September 1998 ...

2,652 , 3–5 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 9 , 14 February , New Zealand
L 83–84
,

(21) ,

(11) , Tahjere McCall (6) ,

2,795 , 3–6 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 10 , 18 February , @ Illawarra
L 79–54
,

(11) ,

(8) , Tahjere McCall (3) ,

2,275 , 3–7 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 11 , 20 February , @ Adelaide
L 82–71
,

(21) ,

(13) , Tahjere McCall (5) , Adelaide Entertainment Centre
5,068 , 3–8 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 12 , 24 February , Brisbane
W 73–69
,

(17) ,

(12) ,

(7) ,

2,853 , 4–8 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 13 , 27 February , Melbourne
L 73–89
, Tahjere McCall (16) ,

(9) , Tahjere McCall (7) ,

3,272 , 4–9 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 14 , 6 March , @

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

L 98–88
,

(26) ,

(14) ,

(8) ,

Qudos Bank Arena The Sydney SuperDome (currently known as the Qudos Bank Arena) is a large multipurpose arena located in Sydney, Australia. It is situated in Sydney Olympic Park, and was completed in 1999 as part of the facilities for the 2000 Summer Olympics. ...

9,112 , 4–10 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 15 , 11 March , Tasmania
L 69–85
,

(19) ,

(8) , Kenny,

(5) ,

3,300 , 4–11 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 16 , 13 March ,

L 77–86
, Tahjere McCall (21) ,

(8) , Tahjere McCall (7) ,

3,629 , 4–12 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 17 , 18 March , @ Adelaide
L 83–57
,

(15) ,

(14) ,

(6) , Adelaide Entertainment Centre
3,596 , 4–13 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 18 , 20 March , @ Brisbane
W 88–98
, Tahjere McCall (21) ,

(9) ,

(11) , Nissan Arena
2,409 , 5–13 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 19 , 25 March , S.E. Melbourne
L 74–86
, Tahjere McCall (14) ,

McCall McCall is a Gaelic surname, of Irish and Scottish origin. Notable people with this surname include: * Andy McCall (footballer, born 1911) (1911–1979), Scottish footballer and manager *Andy McCall (footballer, born 1925) (1925–2014), Scottish f ...

Pinder Pinder may refer to: * Pinder (surname), people with the surname Pinder * Pinder, New Brunswick, Canada * Pinder Gully, gulley in Signey Island * the keeper of a pinfold An animal pound is a place where stray livestock were impounded. Anim ...

(9) ,

(5) ,

3,044 , 5–14 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 20 , 27 March , @ New Zealand
W 90–93
,

(19) , Deng, Noi (6) ,

(6) ,

closed event , 6–14 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 21 , 2 April , S.E. Melbourne
W 90–85
,

(21) ,

(13) ,

(11) ,

3,206 , 7–14 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 22 , 4 April , @ New Zealand
W 77–87
,

(21) ,

(14) ,

(6) , MyState Bank Arena
closed event , 8–14 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 23 , 8 April , @ Tasmania
L 87–80
, Nathan Jawai (17) ,

(9) ,

(6) , MyState Bank Arena
4,738 , 8–15 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 24 , 10 April , Melbourne
L 63–92
,

(15) ,

(12) ,

Ben Ayre Benjamin Ayre (born 8 December 1995) is an Australian professional basketball player for the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL). He is also contracted with the Wellington ...

(5) ,

3,418 , 8–16 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 25 , 16 April , @ Perth
L 106–87
,

(24) ,

(8) , Tahjere McCall (11) , RAC Arena
10,314 , 8–17 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 26 , 18 April , @ Melbourne
L 92–80
,

(20) ,

(9) ,

(10) , John Cain Arena
6,042 , 8–18 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 27 , 21 April ,

L 77–87
, Tahjere McCall (22) ,

(14) , Tahjere McCall (4) ,

3,150 , 8–19 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 28 , 23 April , Brisbane
W 112–98
, Tahjere McCall (42) ,

(7) , Tahjere McCall (10) ,

3,552 , 9–19

Awards

Club awards

* Club MVP: Tahjere McCall

References

External links

Official Website

Team Statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:2021-22 Cairns Taipans Season Cairns Taipans season Cairns Taipans season Cairns Taipans seasons Cairns Taipans

Squad

Signings

Roster

Depth chart

Pre-season

Ladder

Game log

Regular season

Ladder

Game log

Awards

Club awards

See also

References

External links