Cairns Taipans Bring Back George Blagojevic

The Cairns Taipans have announced the re-signing of young forward George Blagojevic on a two-year deal with the second year being a Club option.

Blagojevic joined the Taipans to begin his professional basketball career, after graduating from the University of Hartford in May last year.

The AIS alum was recruited by the NCAA Division I Hartford Hawks and averaged 14.3 points and 7.5 rebounds as a senior. He remains in a small elite group of Hartford players in their 1,000-Point/500-Rebound Club.

The Taipans rookie had limited opportunities to hit the court in his first year, but has remained in Cairns throughout the off-season to train with the team; despite the cancellation of NBL1. Most recently Blagojevic put on a show in the "Top of the North" series against Townsville, putting up 40 points across both games.

Taipans Head Coach Mike Kelly said that the 23-year old is yet to reach his potential in the NBL and has been extremely focused on fighting for more minutes this upcoming season.

"Last season George showed flashes of his ability to become a strong NBL rotation player, and his hard work and love of the game is paying off in the way he’s been training this off-season," said Kelly.

"We’re trying to grow as a team and get better with the building blocks from last year. George has had to fight and scratch for every minute on the court and it’s been fun to see him rise to the challenge.

"This season, I’m expecting all the guys to step up, including George. He’s going to get more opportunities and I know he’s going to be ready to take it."

Blagojevic and assistant coach Jamie O’Loughlin will continue their longstanding player-coach relationship, both originally from Geelong and uniting on multiple campaigns with the Emerging Boomers, Basketball Victoria, Cairns Marlins, Geelong Supercats and now back-to-back seasons with the Taipans.

Blagojevic joins Nate Jawai, Kouat Noi, Jarrod Kenny, Mirko Djeric, Fabijan Krslovic, Jordan Ngatai, Majok Deng and Mojave King with two remaining import spots available for 2020-21.