CT
Years ago
Taipans sign SEABL import Jerry Evans Jr.
Short term contract to cover Carrera while he's out:
Just a few days ahead of season tip-off, the CQUniversity Cairns Taipans have signed American Jerry Evans Jr to a short-term contract as an injury replacement.
The 27-year old recently played with the Sandringham Sabres in the SEABL, and was the League's fourth-leading scorer with an average of 21.1 points per game.
He spent the off-season training with Melbourne United, suiting up for them in their pre-season games against visiting college teams, where he had 12 points against Wisconsin and a double-double of 11 points and 10 boards against Texas.
"I thought he played well against Wisconsin and Texas. I liked his length, his activity, his ability to defend and also be disruptive. It was impressive," said Head Coach Aaron Fearne.
“I called [United Head Coach] Dean Vickerman to get his opinion of him, and he had nothing but positive things to say.
“United have a similar offensive system to us, so it should be an easy transition.”
Originally from Los Angeles, Evans Jr. attended the University of Nevada and went on to play professionally in Poland and Greece, before heading down under.
The 203cm forward joins the Taipans for his first NBL campaign, replacing Michael Carrera who is not expected to return for 4-6 weeks following knee surgery.
“There are a lot of advantages to bringing him in. He’s practiced with an NBL team already, played with other NBL athletes, and has spent time in Australia,” said Fearne.
“We’ll only have a couple of practice sessions before the season starts, but he’s already had a hit out and looked fantastic. He’s a good shooter, he’ll get to the ring and he’ll definitely bring some things that will help us out.”:
