NBL champion Mark Worthington says it is on Cairns’ imports to turn the team’s fortunes around, piling pressure on Admiral Schofield, Marcus Lee and Andrew Andrews to perform on Friday night.
The Taipans take on a red hot South East Melbourne Phoenix lineup in a game that pits third against tenth.
“It’s the imports, plain and simple. It’s not a singular player. It’s the imports that need to step up,” Worthington said on NBL Now.
“Admiral Schofield, NBA credentials, has come in and been very hit and miss as a player so far.
“Your team has been suffering with injuries and setbacks. You have to step up as well.
“And Marcus Lee, please, please don’t foul. Just play hard.
“Like 90 per cent of the time, Marcus Lee does the right play defensively. And it’s the 10 per cent at the end of the play that usually gets him in trouble.
“If we get a 90 per cent of Marcus Lee and play that sort of defence, if he steps up and makes it hard at the rim for a Jordie Hunter or John Brown, that goes a long way towards the Taipans being competitive tonight and being able to win the game.”
Worthington said Andrew Andrews has perhaps the most important role of all.
“The first game of the season for Cairns was against South East Melbourne and they had an extraordinary amount of turnovers in that game, because they didn’t have a point guard,” he continued.
“Andrew Andrews comes into the team now. So they’ve got a steady head as a point guard that can’t turn the ball over. So that’s first and foremost.
“Step up … it’s the Cairns Taipans’ imports for me.”
The Taipans have been hit heavily through injury so far this season, with Sam Waardenburg, Reyne Smith and Alex Higgins-Titsha all on the sidelines.
They will be looking for big performances from Mojave King, who scored 32 points on Friday, and Jack McVeigh when they take on the in form Phoenix on Friday night.
Watch the game live on ESPN from 7.30pm AEDT.
