‘Writhing in agony’: Phoenix lose star as Taipans impress
The luckless Phoenix are fearing the worst after former NBA-contracted power forward Tyler Cook was added to their growing casualty ward during Thursday’s NBL clash with Cairns.
The luckless Phoenix are fearing the worst after former NBA-contracted power forward Tyler Cook was added to their growing casualty ward during Thursday’s 87-80 loss to Cairns.
Cook, already a nominated injury replacement for star import Alan Williams, was left writhing in agony after he copped a stray finger to the eye from Taipans big man Sam Waardenburg with three minutes left in the second term.
It put an exclamation point on a rough night for the understrength Phoenix, who battled but fell to a hot Taipans outfit who delivered their first win of the season in their home opener.
Experienced import guard Patrick Miller again stepped up for the home side in the absence of starting duo Tahjere McCall and Taran Armstrong, leading Cairns with 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Next Star Bobi Klintman (15pts, 11reb) and Bul Kuol (12pts, 7 reb) both contributed heavily, as did NBL23 Next Generation Player Sam Waardenburg had 14 rebounds to go with his six points, four blocks and a steal.
Mitch Creek (20pts, 8 reb) and Gary Browne Jr (13pts) led the scoring for South East Melbourne, but the loss of Cook was too tough to overcome.
COOK GONE
The Phoenix forward was driving to the basket when he copped the stray, accidental contact from the reigning NBL Next Generation Player, and he hit the deck.
A furious Phoenix coach Mike Kelly hurled his clipboard at an advertising board courtside before making his way to Cook, who was writhing on the floor after the contact.
NBL courtside commentator Derek Rucker said Cook suffered a laceration on or near the eye, “reacting violently” to eye drops administered in the change room.
“It was not good at all, you have to feel bad for the young man,” Rucker said.
In an update after halftime, Rucker revealed Cook would play no further part in the game after suffering “a contusion”, and he would be taken away to get checked,
“Nobody wants that to happen from either team,” Kelly said.
“Sam, right away, reached down to Tyler because he knew he poked him in the eye.
“Nobody wants that to happen – players, coaches, refs. It’s just something … it’s a contact sport.”
To add insult to the injury, coach Kelly copped a tech foul to hand his former club a free throw.
Any loss of Cook would be disastrous for the Phoenix, who are already without Williams and Gorjok Gak, while the experienced Craig Moller missed due to a virus.
The Phoenix trailed 22-20 at the first break before opening the second term with a 10-1 run to take a healthy lead.
Cairns led 36-35 when Cook went down, and the Taipans capitalized by extending their advantage to 43-38 by the main break, and never looked back.
BOBI WATCH
The sample size is still fairly small, at least in the NBL, but the Next Star is showing why he is such a highly-touted prospect and potential lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Klintman was somewhat subdued in the season opener against the Breakers but he broke off the shackles in a breakout performance against the Phoenix, with an electric four-minute stretch which included two threes, a steal and runaway slam.
His block of Owen Foxwell’s fourth quarter shot brought the Orange Army to their feet as he showed why he is so highly regarded.
“I’m not satisfied yet, we’re going to keep going,” Klintman said.
Forde praised the projected NBA Draft lottery pick, who finished with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double, three blocks and two steals, but it’s the maturity with which he’s picked his spots that has stood out most.
“This is why we were desperate to get him, he ticks so many boxes for us,” Forde said.
“It’s cool that he’s here and we can be part of his journey.
“Having him in the change room, the locker room, practice, the energy he brings is great, it’s exactly what we want.”
WORTH THE WAIT
It took almost two minutes for the first points of the game but Sam Waardenburg ensured it was very well worth the wait with a monster two-handed jam.
He caught the ball, stepped off his left to beat Matt Kenyon and won the race to the bucket to get himself into consideration for the NBL’s Top 10.
Cook returned the favour in the first minute of the second term, slamming it home in the face of Waardenburg – then let the Cairns fans know about it.
The Taipans return to action on Saturday when they face the Bullets in Brisbane, while the Phoenix travel to the Hawks.
FORDE CONFIDENT HISTORY WON’T REPEAT
Taipans coach Adam Forde has no concerns history will repeat as Cairns’ only national sporting team plays its first game at home for the NBL24 season.
The present will meet the past when the Taipans host the Phoenix in their home opener at the Snakepit on Thursday night, as Forde goes face-to-face with former Cairns coach, Mike Kelly.
The trajectories of Forde’s time in Cairns mirrors Kelly’s first two seasons and the current coach is desperate to ensure his third year in charge is the complete opposite of what Kelly endured.
Both men struggled to break through for results in their first campaign, registering single-digit wins (Forde’s nine to Kelly’s six) in their maiden season in the tropics.
The second year was remarkably similar for both men.
In NBL20, Kelly steered the Snakes to the semi-finals with a 16-12 record, a season in which they surely would have made the championship series had they not dropped the opener to Perth in overtime.
He was named coach of the year, had a player in MVP calculations and picked up a few other gongs and All-NBL selections at the league’s night of nights.
Forde took the Taipans to the semi-finals last year after their equal second best regular season run (18-10), picking up the coach of the year honour as his players swept a number of positional awards.
The Snakes’ fairytale run ended at the hands of eventual champions Sydney Kings, but not before Cairns pushed them every inch of the way.
Cairns fans hope Kelly’s third year, when the team went 8-28 in a long, punishing campaign, is where the similarities will end.
Forde is confident they will.
“Oh yeah, very confident – because I’m running it,” Forde said. “I’m very confident in what we’ve done. It’s the nature of the business. If it was to eventuate the other way, I’d take ownership in it.
“My level of confidence in what I do and what the group does, we’re not going to be anywhere near the bottom.”
Cairns comes into Thursday’s clash off a loss to the Breakers in New Zealand, when a Taipans team missing four players battled their way to a 98-87 loss in Auckland.
The Taipans showed plenty of fight given Tahjere McCall, Taran Armstrong, Josh Roberts and Kian Dennis (DP) were all unavailable for the round 1 game, but were overrun in the second half.
Forde is confident in his troops, who according to he and import point guard Patrick Miller just need more time to gel.
“We’re still learning,” Forde said before their season opener. “Right now we have a lot of talented individuals, so the more games and minutes we log in the training court and in the arenas, those individuals are going to become a team very quickly.”
Miller agreed.
“We just need more time to gel and be with each other, get healthy – that’s most important,” Miller said.
“We’ll learn from that first game.”
The Phoenix went 1-1 in their first-round double-header.
Fellow former Cairns basketballers Ben Ayre (Taipans, Marlins) and Kody Stattmann (Cairns junior, former Bullet) are part of a Phoenix side which scored an impressive win against the Wildcats on Sunday.
The Phoenix led Perth by 30 points at one stage before settling for a 110-99 win.
AYRE PRIMED FOR CAIRNS RETURN
Dynamic Phoenix guard Ben Ayre doesn’t care if he starts on the court or the bench, as long as he gets to ball out when he takes on his former NBL club for the first time.
Ayre played different roles in the Phoenix’s opening round double header, finishing with 28 points across the loss to Melbourne Utd and win against Perth to put himself in the spotlight as a player to watch - and potential KFC SuperCoach bargain.
As Ayre prepares to return to the city with whom he became a crowd favourite over the past two seasons, the 28-year-old declared he was more interested in playing whatever role is required by the staff rather than get caught up on his starting status.
“I don’t read into it too much,” Ayre said of the roles.
“I’m just happy to play whatever role I can; if it’s to start, come off the bench, it doesn’t matter, it’s basketball to me really.”
Ayre became a favourite through his stint in Cairns, which included campaigns for the Taipans in the NBL and Marlins in NBL1 North, and it was coming off the bench for the Snakes that he perfected his role of being a dynamite bench option who could spark the offence into action.
While his averaged 5.5pts across those 32 games, he produced several key, explosive individual outings which catapulted Cairns to victory.
“This is exactly what I’m supposed to do – I don’t think it’s any surprise to them, and it’s no surprise to me,” he said.
“Just come out, play defence, bring energy, and take my opportunity on the offensive end where I can.”
Ayre is a man who is driven to compete, which may be why he fit into the Taipans system under Forde so well, but there will be something at stake when he faces off against his former teammates at the Snakepit on Thursday night.
“I know a bunch of guys in that team and the coaching staff and they love to compete, the same way I do,” Ayre said.
“I’m just excited to go there.
“We used to compete at practice every day last year, now it actually means something, so it will be fun to go out there and get after them.”
His fan-favourite standing may mean he receives a warm welcome on Thursday when he is among several men who swapped the snakeskin for the green of the Phoenix.
This will be the first time Mike Kelly returns to Cairns as a head coach of a rival outfit since his mixed run at the helm of the Taipans.
Kelly steered Cairns to one semi final appearance in his three seasons in charge, winning 31 of his 95 games in charge, which ended after the final game of NBL21.
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He was part of the Wildcats’ set up in recent seasons, but returned to a head coaching role at the Phoenix this summer for the first time since that three-season stint.
Cairns product Kody Stattmann was around Taipans training while growing up, but is yet to play for the Snakes, having made his NBL debut at the Bullets last season.
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
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