2024–25 Cairns Taipans season

2024–25 Cairns Taipans season
2024–25 Cairns Taipans season
Head coach	Adam Forde
Co-captains	Taran Armstrong; Sam Waardenburg
Arena	Cairns Convention Centre
NBL results
Record	3–7 (30%)
Ladder	10th
Finals finish	TBD
	Stats at NBL.com.au
	All statistics correct as of 2 November 2024.
	← 2023–24 2025–26 →

The 2024–25 Cairns Taipans season is the 26th season of the franchise in the National Basketball League (NBL).

Roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Cairns Taipans roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.
G	1	Armstrong, Taran (C)	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	88 kg (194 lb)
G	2	Edwards, Rob (I)	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	93 kg (205 lb)
F	3	Stith, Dillon	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)	98 kg (216 lb)
G	4	Adnam, Kyle	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)	84 kg (185 lb)
G	5	Dufelmeier, Tad (NRP)	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	79 kg (174 lb)
G	6	Antonio, Jonah	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)	88 kg (194 lb)
G	9	Makoi, Jackson	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	89 kg (196 lb)
F	11	Higgins-Titsha, Alex (DP)	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
F	13	Gak, Akoldah	2.10 m (6 ft 11 in)	102 kg (225 lb)
F	14	Galloway, Kyrin	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)	98 kg (216 lb)
G	20	Stattmann, Kody (DP)	2.02 m (6 ft 8 in)	91 kg (201 lb)
F	21	Waardenburg, Sam (C)	2.08 m (6 ft 10 in)	100 kg (220 lb)
F/C	22	Groves, Tanner (I)	2.08 m (6 ft 10 in)	109 kg (240 lb)
G/F	32	Bradshaw, Pedro (I)	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)	82 kg (181 lb)
G		Taylor, Deshon (I)	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	84 kg (185 lb)

Head coach

Adam Forde

Assistant coach(es)

Will Lopez
Kerry Williams

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Development player
(IN) Inactive
(I) Import player
(TP) Training player
(SRP) Special restricted player
(NS) Next Star player
Injured

Roster

Updated: 30 October 2024

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2
PG	Taran Armstrong	Kyle Adnam	Jackson Makoi
SG	Rob Edwards	Jonah Antonio	Kody Stattmann
SF	Pedro Bradshaw	Dillon Stith	Alex Higgins-Titsha
PF	Sam Waardenburg	Kyrin Galloway
C	Tanner Groves	Akoldah Gak

Standings

Ladder

Pos	2024–25 NBL season v t e
Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	PCT	Last 5	Streak	Home	Away	PF	PA	PP
1	New Zealand Breakers	8	6	2	75.00%	4–1	W3	4–1	2–1	711	673	105.65%
2	Illawarra Hawks	9	6	3	66.67%	3–2	L1	2–2	4–1	887	805	110.19%

3	Melbourne United	11	7	4	63.64%	3–2	L1	4–3	3–1	995	931	106.87%
4	Adelaide 36ers	9	5	4	55.56%	3–2	L1	4–1	1–3	812	846	95.98%
5	Sydney Kings	11	6	5	54.55%	2–3	W1	2–2	4–3	972	919	105.77%
6	Perth Wildcats	9	4	5	44.44%	3–2	L1	3–2	1–3	791	832	95.07%

7	Brisbane Bullets	7	3	4	42.86%	3–2	W1	1–2	2–2	612	628	97.45%
8	S.E. Melbourne Phoenix	10	4	6	40.00%	4–1	W2	1–3	3–3	871	850	102.47%
9	Tasmania JackJumpers	10	3	7	30.00%	1–4	L2	2–2	1–5	766	841	91.08%
10	Cairns Taipans	10	3	7	30.00%	0–5	L6	2–4	1–3	846	938	90.19%

Updated to match(es) played on 4 November 2024. Source: NBL.com.au

The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.

Ladder progression

	Leader and qualification to semifinals
	Qualification to semifinals
	Qualification to play-in
	Last place

2024–25 NBL season
Team ╲ Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Team ╲ Round
Adelaide 36ers	8	8	6	5	5	4	4
Brisbane Bullets	6	10	9	9	7	8	7
Cairns Taipans	10	7	4	6	6	9	10
Illawarra Hawks	1	1	2	2	1	1	2
Melbourne United	2	3	5	3	4	2	3
New Zealand Breakers	5	2	1	1	2	3	1
Perth Wildcats	4	5	8	7	8	6	6
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix	7	9	10	10	10	10	8
Sydney Kings	3	4	3	4	3	5	5
Tasmania JackJumpers	9	6	7	8	9	7	9

Updated to match(es) played on 4 November 2024. Source: NBL.com.au

Game log

Pre-season

2023 NBL Blitz game log
Total: 0–4 (Home: 0–2; Road: 0–2)

September: 0–4 (Home: 0–2; Road: 0–2)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record
1	7 September	@ Melbourne	L 94–87	Rob Edwards (24)	three players (8)	Pedro Bradshaw (4)	Carrara Indoor Stadium n/a	0–1
2	9 September	Sydney	L 77–99	Tanner Groves (15)	Tanner Groves (11)	Jackson Makoi (6)	Gold Coast Sports Centre n/a	0–2
3	12 September	Perth	L 76–89	Rob Edwards (16)	Tanner Groves (9)	Pedro Bradshaw (4)	Gold Coast Sports Centre n/a	0–3
4	14 September	@ Brisbane	L 85–82	Antonio, Stith (16)	Akoldah Gak (7)	Tad Dufelmeier (5)	Gold Coast Sports Centre n/a	0–4

Regular season

2024–25 game log
Total: 3–7 (Home: 2–4; Road: 1–3)

September: 1–1 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record
1	21 September	Illawarra	L 75–102	Tanner Groves (17)	Bradshaw, Groves (7)	Tad Dufelmeier (3)	Perth Superdrome 2,878	0–1
2	28 September	Adelaide	W 101–97	Rob Edwards (31)	Sam Waardenburg (11)	Kyle Adnam (5)	Cairns Convention Centre 4,141	1–1

October: 2–5 (Home: 1–2; Road: 1–3)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record
3	4 October	Tasmania	W 90–78	Taran Armstrong (20)	Sam Waardenburg (7)	Armstrong, Edwards (5)	Cairns Convention Centre 4,538	2–1
4	6 October	@ Melbourne	W 88–101	Rob Edwards (23)	Pedro Bradshaw (9)	three players (4)	John Cain Arena 9,766	3–1
5	10 October	Perth	L 87–90	Rob Edwards (24)	Akoldah Gak (10)	Sam Waardenburg (7)	Cairns Convention Centre 3,750	3–2
6	13 October	@ Sydney	L 99–73	Sam Waardenburg (22)	Sam Waardenburg (9)	Kyle Adnam (5)	Sydney SuperDome 11,076	3–3
7	19 October	Illawarra	L 75–87	Pedro Bradshaw (18)	Pedro Bradshaw (14)	Adnam, Waardenburg (4)	Cairns Convention Centre 4,362	3–4
8	25 October	@ Adelaide	L 99–93 (OT)	Rob Edwards (27)	Sam Waardenburg (14)	Jackson Makoi (6)	Adelaide Entertainment Centre 9,382	3–5
9	27 October	@ Melbourne	L 106–63	Antonio, Waardenburg (11)	Antonio, Higgins-Titsha (8)	Sam Waardenburg (4)	John Cain Arena 9,210	3–6

November: 0–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record
10	2 November	Brisbane	L 88–92	Rob Edwards (27)	Alex Higgins-Titsha (11)	Galloway, Makoi (4)	Cairns Convention Centre 4,445	3–7
11	10 November	@ S.E. Melbourne	0–0				John Cain Arena	–
12	16 November	New Zealand	0–0				Cairns Convention Centre	–
13	29 November	Sydney	0–0				Cairns Convention Centre	–

December: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
14	5 December	@ Tasmania	0–0	Derwent Entertainment Centre	–
15	7 December	@ S.E. Melbourne	0–0	John Cain Arena	–
16	14 December	Perth	0–0	Cairns Convention Centre	–
17	20 December	@ Brisbane	0–0	Brisbane Entertainment Centre	–
18	26 December	Melbourne	0–0	Cairns Convention Centre	–
19	31 December	New Zealand	0–0	Cairns Convention Centre	–

January: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
20	3 January	@ Illawarra	0–0	Wollongong Entertainment Centre	–
21	12 January	@ Sydney	0–0	Sydney SuperDome	–
22	14 January	S.E. Melbourne	0–0	Cairns Convention Centre	–
23	17 January	@ Brisbane	0–0	Brisbane Entertainment Centre	–
24	19 January	Adelaide	0–0	Cairns Convention Centre	–
25	23 January	Illawarra	0–0	Cairns Convention Centre	–
26	25 January	@ Perth	0–0	Perth Arena	–

February: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
27	1 February	@ New Zealand	0–0	Spark Arena	–
28	6 February	Brisbane	0–0	Cairns Convention Centre	–
29	8 February	@ Tasmania	0–0	Derwent Entertainment Centre	–

2024–25 season schedule

Transactions

Re-signed

Player	Date Signed	Contract	Ref.
Sam Waardenburg	11 April 2024	1-year deal	^[1]
Jonah Antonio	3 May 2024	1-year deal	^[2]

Additions

Player	Date Signed	Contract	Former team	Ref.
Jackson Makoi	22 April 2024	1-year deal	Sydney Kings	^[3]
Kyrin Galloway	29 April 2024	2-year deal	Adelaide 36ers	^[4]
Tanner Groves	7 May 2024	1-year deal	SC Rasta Vechta	^[5]
Rob Edwards	24 May 2024	1-year deal	Delaware Blue Coats	^[6]
Dillon Stith	2 July 2024	2-year (club option)	Casey Cavaliers
Alex Higgins-Titsha	11 July 2024	2-year deal (club option)	Inner West Bulls
Kody Stattmann	11 July 2024	1-year deal	S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
Pedro Bradshaw	30 July 2024	1-year deal	Indiana Mad Ants
Kyle Adnam	7 August 2024	2-year deal (club option)	Illawarra Hawks
Tad Dufelmeier	11 September 2024	1-year deal (NRP)	Dandenong Rangers	^[7]

Subtractions

Player	Reason left	Date Left	New Team	Ref.
Bul Kuol	Free agent	30 April 2024	Sydney Kings	^[8]
Josh Roberts	Free agent	17 August 2024	Aris B.C.	^[9]

Awards

Club awards

Club MVP:
Defensive Player:
Players’ Player:
Commitment to Community:
Members’ Choice MVP:
Coaches Award:

References

^ "Sam Waardenburg signs extension with Cairns Taipans". ESPN.com.au. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
^ "Cairns retain hot-hand sharpshooter". NBL.com.au. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
^ "South Sudan superstar heads to Far North Queensland". NBL.com.au. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
^ "Done deal: Taipans officially sign Kyrin Galloway". Taipans.com. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
^ "Taipans welcome Tanner Groves". Taipans.com. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
^ "Roster heats up with Rob Edwards". Taipans.com. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
^ "Roster Update: Dufelmeier named Nominated Injury Replacement". Taipans.com. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
^ "Bul Kuol signs three-year deal with Sydney Kings". ESPN.com.au. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
^ "Josh Roberts at ARIS Midea". arisbc.gr. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.

External links

Official Website

[1] "Sam Waardenburg signs extension with Cairns Taipans". ESPN.com.au. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.

[2] "Cairns retain hot-hand sharpshooter". NBL.com.au. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.

[3] "South Sudan superstar heads to Far North Queensland". NBL.com.au. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.

[4] "Done deal: Taipans officially sign Kyrin Galloway". Taipans.com. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.

[5] "Taipans welcome Tanner Groves". Taipans.com. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.

[6] "Roster heats up with Rob Edwards". Taipans.com. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.

[7] "Roster Update: Dufelmeier named Nominated Injury Replacement". Taipans.com. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.

[8] "Bul Kuol signs three-year deal with Sydney Kings". ESPN.com.au. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.

[9] "Josh Roberts at ARIS Midea". arisbc.gr. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]