BIO: Rashamel Jones was born in Port Chester, New York (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Rashamel Jones made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans at 23 years of age. He scored 11 points in his first game.

The Cairns Taipans entered the NBL for the first time in 1999/00, with head coach Rod Popp assembling an inaugural roster featuring American imports Rashamel Jones and Ricky Robinson, captain Terry Johnson (via Newcastle), veteran Andre Moore, Grant Kruger (via Newcastle) and local talent including Aaron Grabau and Aaron Fearne. Jones arrived in Cairns fresh from winning the 1999 NCAA championship with the University of Connecticut, where he had served as co-captain and a key reserve under coach Jim Calhoun. The Huskies defeated Duke 77-74 in the championship game to claim the school’s first national title, while Jones was also recognised as Connecticut’s Outstanding Senior Athlete in 1999. Moore had gained Australian citizenship that year, allowing him to return to the NBL as a local player after several seasons in the state leagues. Despite the success enjoyed by the Cairns Marlins in Queensland basketball, the step up to the national competition would prove difficult for the expansion club.

Cairns made its NBL debut against the Melbourne Tigers at Melbourne Park on October 2, where Jones finished with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists in a 98-71 loss. Robinson led the Taipans with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Johnson added 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Melbourne was led by Andrew Gaze, who recorded 33 points, five rebounds and 10 assists, as the Tigers comfortably defeated Cairns in its first appearance in the national competition.

Jones (17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals across 25 games) immediately became one of Cairns’ primary offensive options, taking on a much larger scoring role than he had occupied during his final college season. He provided athleticism, perimeter scoring and rebounding alongside Robinson (18.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals across 13 games) and Johnson (16.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals across 23 games), who shared the team’s offensive responsibilities. Moore (7.9 points and 5.4 rebounds across 27 games) supplied experience in the frontcourt, while the Taipans struggled to adjust to the standard of the NBL against more established opponents.

The Taipans played their first home game at the Cairns Convention Centre on October 12, losing 104-78 to the Sydney Kings. Jones contributed 10 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal, while Robinson led Cairns with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists and Johnson added 23 points. Sydney was led by Matthew Nielsen, who recorded 21 points, five rebounds and two assists, as the Kings spoiled the club’s first appearance in front of its home supporters.

On October 30, Jones took part in the inaugural Reptile Rumble against North Queensland rivals Townsville at the Cairns Convention Centre. He finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal, making all five of his free throws, while Robinson added 18 points, four rebounds and three assists and Moore contributed 16 points and seven rebounds. Townsville dominated behind Andrew Goodwin, who recorded 26 points, five rebounds and six assists, as the Crocodiles defeated Cairns 103-75, handing the Taipans their heaviest defeat of the season to that point.

After seven consecutive defeats, Cairns finally recorded its first victory in franchise history on November 13, defeating the Sydney Kings 99-86 at the Cairns Convention Centre. Jones played an important role in the breakthrough, contributing 20 points, two rebounds and three steals, shooting 8-of-14 from the field and connecting on two three-pointers without committing a turnover. Johnson led Cairns with a season-high 30 points, while Robinson produced 27 points, 14 rebounds and three assists. Sydney guard Drew Barry finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, but the result ended the Taipans’ winless start and gave the club its first significant milestone in the national competition.

The Taipans continued to struggle following their breakthrough victory, with several narrow defeats highlighting their difficulty closing out games. Cairns also underwent a change to its import rotation during December, with Robinson making his final NBL appearance against the Adelaide 36ers on December 18. Jones led the Taipans with 26 points, four rebounds, one assist and three steals, shooting 9-of-20 from the field and connecting on five three-pointers. Robinson added 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Johnson contributed 16 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Adelaide was led by Martin Cattalini, who scored 26 points and grabbed four rebounds, as the 36ers claimed a 98-89 victory at the Cairns Convention Centre. Robinson was released after his final NBL game on December 18 and was replaced by Al Hamilton.

Without Robinson in the lineup, Cairns claimed its second victory of the season on December 27, defeating the Brisbane Bullets 84-79 at the Brisbane Convention Centre. Jones led the Taipans with 25 points, seven rebounds, one assist and two steals, shooting 9-of-19 from the field and connecting on three three-pointers. Moore added 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Johnson contributed 15 points and five assists. Brisbane was led by Simon Kerle, who finished with 18 points and four rebounds, but Cairns held on to secure the first road victory in franchise history. The result provided another milestone for the expansion club, although it would prove to be the Taipans’ final victory of the season.

Hamilton (17.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals across 12 games) made his first appearance for Cairns on January 7, giving the Taipans another scoring and rebounding option alongside Moore. Jones missed three consecutive games during January before returning to the lineup later that month. Despite the addition of Hamilton, Cairns continued to struggle, with the Taipans unable to build on their two historic victories. Jones gradually regained his offensive rhythm and became the team’s leading scoring option during the closing stages of the season.

On February 17, Jones delivered one of his strongest all-round performances against the Wollongong Hawks at the WIN Entertainment Centre. He finished with 26 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block, shooting 11-of-22 from the field and connecting on three three-pointers. Hamilton contributed nine points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Kruger added nine points and five rebounds. Wollongong was led by Glen Saville, who recorded 17 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals, as the Hawks defeated Cairns 90-75 despite Jones’ offensive performance.

The following night, Jones produced his best overall and highest-scoring performance of the season against the Victoria Giants at Melbourne Park. He exploded for a season-high 34 points, five rebounds, two assists and one block, shooting 13-of-25 from the field, connecting on two three-pointers and making all six of his free throws in 47 minutes. Hamilton provided 18 points, eight rebounds, one assist and four steals, while Nik Mirich contributed eight points and six rebounds. Victoria was led by Darryl McDonald, who recorded 27 points, 10 assists and two steals, as the Giants defeated Cairns 103-87. Jones’ performance established his NBL career-high scoring mark and highlighted his growing offensive importance to the Taipans.

Jones continued his late-season scoring run against the West Sydney Razorbacks at the Whitlam Centre on February 25, recording 30 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. He shot an efficient 12-of-19 from the field, connected on five of his nine three-point attempts and played 42 minutes. Hamilton delivered his own season-high performance with 29 points, 14 rebounds and three assists, while Grabau added 13 points, four rebounds and two assists. West Sydney was led by John Rillie, who finished with 28 points, six rebounds and six assists, shooting 10-of-14 from the field and making four three-pointers. Despite the combined 59 points from Jones and Hamilton, the Razorbacks defeated Cairns 106-96, extending the Taipans’ losing streak to ten games.

The Taipans were unable to turn their individual performances into consistent results, with Jones leading the team’s scoring efforts following Robinson’s departure. Grabau (7.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals across 28 games) and Kruger (6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds across 28 games) were the only players to appear in all 28 regular-season games, providing continuity throughout the club’s inaugural campaign. Mirich (4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds across 24 games), Fearne (5.0 points across 13 games) and Matthew Shanahan (4.3 points across 22 games) also contributed to the rotation. Despite Jones producing three performances of at least 26 points during February, Cairns failed to record another victory after its December win over Brisbane, losing its final 13 games.

Cairns finished its inaugural regular season in last place with a 2-26 record, missing the playoffs. The Taipans’ final game came against North Queensland rivals Townsville at the Cairns Convention Centre on March 10, where Jones produced his only double-double of the season with 22 points, a season-high 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Moore added 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Hamilton contributed 16 points, 15 rebounds and four assists. Townsville was led by Andrew Goodwin, who recorded 21 points, three rebounds and six assists, as the Crocodiles defeated Cairns 99-87 to end the Taipans’ first NBL season.

Rashamel Jones played one season in the NBL. He averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2 assists in 25 NBL games.