NICKNAME/S: JK

BIO: Jarrod Kenny was born in Auckland (NZ) and attended Westlake Boys High School. The 188 cm point guard has represented the New Zealand Tall Blacks multiple times.

From 2002 to 2008, Kenny split time between playing for the Harbour Heat and earning his physiotherapy degree at the Auckland University of Technology.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Jarrod Kenny made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 30 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game.

On the heels of a injury-riddled season that ended in a semi-final defeat, similar to the 2010/11 season, coach Trevor Gleeson was confident heading into the 2015 season that he had a team capable of winning Perth’s seventh championship. After conceding his side struggled with chemistry issues the past season, Perth added high-profile recruits Casey Prather and Nathan Jawai as well as backup guard Jarrod Kenny to correct team balance.

With the team’s acquisition of Nathan Jawai, a injury-free Matthew Knight was able to move to his natural position of power forward for the first time while Shawn Redhage was moved to a bench role.

This first month of the season began by losing Damian Martin (5.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals) after he suffered a broken jaw and missing teeth after a errant elbow from Townsville Crocodiles forward Brian Conklin. He returned to action by the end of the month, despite originally being ruled out for three weeks.

Further injuries saw Wildcats leading scorer Casey Prather (16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists 1.2 steals) also miss a number of games. Also a big part of Perth’s success this season were big numbers from Beal (15.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists) and the healthy combo of Knight (11.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists) and Jawai (10.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) which saw Perth sit among the top spots on the ladder all season.

The battle for the top spot saw Perth and Melbourne go back and forth all season, the Wildcat’s able to hold the top position for four rounds while United owned the top spot for 14 rounds. Both teams faced off in some gruelling battles during the season, including a career high night from Jermaine Beal, who notched up 40 points (sinking ten three-pointers) after not scoring at all in the first quarter as Perth dismantled Melbourne (113-83). A few weeks later, Melbourne took their revamp and defeated Perth (92–87) in a game that pushed the Wildcat’s into third position on the ladder for the only time that season.

The Wildcats finished the season in second place (18–10) (behind United) and reached the playoffs for the 30th straight season, a streak not matched in any other Australian or American professional sport code.

Next, the Wildcat’s went on to make light work of the Rob Beveridge-led Illawarra Hawks in game one of the semi finals. Casey Prather (19 points) led the Wildcats in scoring in the game one victory (80-68). In game two, the Hawks would even the score behind what was perhaps Oscar Forman’s best playoff game ever, one where he barely missed and finished with 21 points to defeat the Wildcat’s in convincing fashion (104–87).

Once the team returned home, Perth would take out the series (2-1) with a conclusive 89-74 victory. Jermaine Beal led the team in scoring with 17 points, and Prather added another 15 points, including a thunderous one-handed slam over AJ Ogilvy early in the fourth quarter.

On the opposite side of the bracket, a surprise upset saw reigning champions New Zealand (16-12), who had narrowly made the playoffs as the third seed, eliminated top seed Melbourne in two straight games to face Perth in the championship series.

In game one, the Wildcat’s played some of their best basketball thanks to Jawai’s presence inside, Prather’s athleticism, Kenny’s ability to provide a spark while Damian Martin went to the bench… all of the critical factors they were lacking last season. The result being a six-point win (82–76) to open the series.

After struggling in game one, Beal (20 points) finished as the high scorer of game two but would also make a crucial late-game turnover in the dying seconds of the match that would cost Perth the game. Riding the hot form of Breakers guard Cedric Jackson (13 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists) who recorded a near triple-double, New Zealand were able to even the series with a win back in Auckland (72–68).

With the deciding game in Perth and 13,090 of the ‘Red Army’ in attendance, the Wildcats’ core of Redhage, Wagstaff, Knight, Hire, Beal and Jervis made sure history didn’t repeat itself. Casey Prather (19 points) and Jermaine Beal (14 points) did most of the damage on the scoreboard for the Wildcats, but it was Martin’s inspirational display in defence that shone the brightest. Martin would be named Grand Final MVP after keeping star Breakers guard Cedric Jackson scoreless in the deciding game as the Wildcat’s claimed their seventh championship in a blowout win (75–52).

Kenny would play in all 34 games for the Wildcats, averaging 4.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.

2016/17
The 2016 offseason saw a lot of change in personnel, with three key players from the 16 championship team (Nathan Jawai, Tom Jervis and Jermaine Beal) moving on. To replace them, coach Trevor Gleeson brought in Angus Brandt, Jameel McKay and Jaron Johnson and began their attempt to secure the team’s first back-to-back championships since 1991.

In April 2016, the team re-signed both Damian Martin (three-year deal) and Matthew Knight (two-year deal), who had just undergone shoulder stabilisation surgery on his left arm. Shortly after, injury struck Knight (9.4 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) again, this time during the 2016 pre-season. This led to him being ruled out for two months. To cover for the loss of Knight, the team added veteran forward Lucas Walker, who had been training with Melbourne United after not being re-signed by the Adelaide 36ers.

After adding Walker, the Wildcats started the season off strong with a 4–1 record, but things went south quickly after that.Long-term injuries to Martin, Knight and Kenny were hurting the Wildcats, and by December, Perth had slumped to a 7–9 record and sat in the last spot on the ladder.

Import Jaron Johnson (13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) would take the brunt of the Wildcats’ poor start and be replaced with three-point specialist Andre Ingram just three games into the season. In a bizarre twist, Ingram (8.5 points, 2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals) left the team and returned to the US after just two games, citing mental issues, and Johnson was then brought back into the squad. Johnson’s return would be a temporary solution however, he was shown the door again in December with the Wildcats seising the opportunity to sign former NBA guard Bryce Cotton. It was around this time also that veteran Shawn Redhage (2.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists) announced that he would retire at the end of the season.

Throughout the roller-coaster of roster changes, Prather (19.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.6 steals) had continued to carry the offensive load for the Wildcats, this included a career-high 39 points in a 92–89 win over Melbourne United (Dec 9). In February, Prather also put up 29 points in a win over the Sydney Kings (101–74), then two days later, recorded 26 points and a career-high 11 assists in a win over United (96–94). Martin (4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 steals) also returned to form after his injury, and in his 250th NBL game (Jan 28), he scored a season-high 11 points to go with six rebounds and four assists in another win over Melbourne (73–71). But it was the addition of Cotton that saw the Wildcats become a completely different team, winning eight of their remaining twelve regular-season games, the last two being must win games in order to reach the playoffs. Cotton (23.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 steals) finished as the league’s leading scorer, while Prather finished second in NBL MVP voting (107 votes) behind Jerome Randle (147) of the Adelaide 36ers and was selected to the All-NBL First Team.

Alongside Perth’s two import stars, Kenny averaged 4.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2 assists as the team finished in third place with a 15–13 record.

in the semifinals, Perth (15-13) would face Cairns (15-13) at home, where Cotton (34 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Prather (22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals) led the way offensively for a easy win in game one (91-69). In game two, Perth closed out the series (74-66) with Prather (24 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists) leading the team in scoring and Jesse Wagstaff (20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals) having a huge game off the bench

In the NBL Grand Final series, Prather (22 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists), Cotton (18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists), and Knight (18 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals) delivered a balanced offensive attack, winning the opening game by twelve points (89-77). The series moved to Wollongong for game two, but the Wildcat’s continued their playoff winning streak (89-77), with Cotton (20 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals) and Prather (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists) being the team’s primary scorers on a night the Wildcats had five different players deliver double figure scoring efforts. Perth won game three comfortably (95-86), finishing undefeated in the postseason, claiming their eighth championship and winning back-to-back for the first time since 1991.

A number of record-breaking moments occurred in the game three win. Most prominently, Bryce Cotton was named Grand Final MVP after putting up 45 points, the most ever scored in a NBL Grand Final game. Cotton’s 27.7 points per game over the Grand Final series marked the most from any player in 20 years.

Trevor Gleeson became the first coach to win back-to-back championships in Perth while Prather delivered a historical season. Prather was voted Wildcats MVP for the second year in a row, becoming the only player to be a club MVP in more than one championship season, as well as becoming the first Perth player to win two championships in his first two seasons.

2017/18
Perth were able to re-sign Grand Final MVP Bryce Cotton but lost two-time Club MVP Casey Prather, who was unable to commit to the Wildcats season due to pursuing NBA opportunities. Perth would sign Devondrick Walker in the meantime, leaving Prather with no place on the roster after he had exhausted his NBA options. Walker then suffered a foot injury during the pre-season and Perth were forced to replace him with JP Tokoto. Other changes to the roster included Derek Cooke Jr replacing Jameel McKay and Lucas Walker stepping up from a training player role to a full-time squad member in place of the retired Shawn Redhage.

The Wildcats then started the season with a 10–3 record, which included Hire playing his 200th game for Perth (becoming the 11th Wildcat to reach the mark) before missing five games due to a low-grade calf strain. Hire’s injury coincided with Perth dropped to 13–9 by mid-January.

Around this time, Matthew Knight (5.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) made it public that he would retire at the end of the season, but as a result of three early-season head knocks, he chose to bring his retirement forward and retired in early November, playing in only five games.

The Wildcats started the season on top of the ladder with a record of 10–3 but would then lose Damian Martin (4.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 steals) for two games with an ankle injury (14 Dec). Perth also faced injuries to Clint Steindl (2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds) and Greg Hire (2.1 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists), which saw the team drop to 13–9 by mid-January. Import Derek Cooke Jr (5.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) then became the brunt of repeated criticism, with many calling for the team to replace him to his lack of production. Cooke Jr would, however, remain with the team for the entire season, and when the roster returned to full health, he helped Perth finish the regular season off strongly and secure third place on the ladder (16–12). Kenny would play in 30 games, and averaging 5.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.

On the eve of their finals campaign, Martin was named the league’s Best Defensive Player, earning the honour for a record-breaking sixth time. Tokoto (15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 steals) earned a spot on the All-NBL Second Team, and Cotton (19.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 steals) was selected to the All-NBL first team, as well as being named league MVP, becoming just the third Wildcat to win the award after Paul Rogers (2000) and Kevin Lisch (2012).

In game one of the semi finals series against second-seeded Adelaide 36ers, the Wildcats were soundly defeated (109–74) in what was their second biggest finals loss in club history. The only time the Wildcat’s have lost by a larger margin in their 32-year finals streak was in 1989, when they lost to North Melbourne by 55 points. Game two saw a much closer contest, but Perth still fell short by one point (88–89), stopping Perth from winning a third championship in a row.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2018/19
After finishing sixth with an 11-17 record the previous season, Cairns moved in a new direction, parting ways with long-time coach Aaron Fearne after nine seasons and appointing Mike Kelly. The Taipans also lost Cameron Gliddon (to Brisbane), Mitchell McCarron (to Melbourne), Jarrad Weeks (to New Zealand) and Stephen Weigh (retired), leaving Nathan Jawai, Alex Loughton and Kuany Kuany as the only returning players.

Kelly rebuilt the roster by adding Lucas Walker (via Perth), Rob Loe (via New Zealand), Dexter Kernich-Drew (via Perth) and Mitch Young (via Brisbane), alongside imports Melo Trimble, Devon Hall and DJ Newbill (via New Zealand).

After spending three seasons with Perth and winning back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017, Jarrod Kenny (via Perth) signed a two-year deal with Cairns on April 26. Kenny had also recently helped New Zealand win bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, with Kelly saying, “He’s a tough player that plays hard all the time.”

Cairns opened the season in Brisbane on October 13, where Kenny (0 points) came off the bench as the Taipans defeated the Bullets 88-70. Trimble (32 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) starred on debut and Newbill (16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) also impressed, while Reuben Te Rangi (18 points and 3 rebounds) led Brisbane.

Kenny (4.9 points across 28 games) appeared in every game for Cairns, starting nine times and not missing any time through injury. He provided stability and leadership off the bench and led the Taipans in three-point shooting at 44 percent, making 27 three-pointers across the season. After winning its opening game, Cairns lost 14 consecutive games as the new-look roster struggled to find consistency.

Kenny’s best game of the season came against Brisbane on January 3, where he made six of nine shots and all three of his three-pointers to finish with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Hall (24 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal) and Jawai (18 points and 4 assists) also produced strong games as Cairns defeated Brisbane 109-80 at the Cairns Convention Centre, ending its 14-game losing streak and recording its first home win of the season, while Lamar Patterson (27 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Brisbane.

On February 4, Kenny (13 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal) started against Illawarra and made three three-pointers, with Newbill (20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) and Loe (16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block) also contributing, but Cedric Jackson (13 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals) helped the Hawks defeat Cairns 110-95.

Kenny’s competitive mentality, work ethic and willingness to fill whatever role was required earned him the Taipans’ Coaches Award. Trimble (22.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals across 28 games) led Cairns offensively and earned All-NBL Second Team honours as well as the club’s Most Valuable Player award, while Newbill (14.3 points and 4 rebounds across 27 games), Jawai (10 points and 5.2 rebounds across 27 games), Hall (8.8 points and 4.3 rebounds across 28 games), Loe (7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds across 28 games), Loughton (6.5 points across 25 games) and Walker (6.1 points and 4 rebounds across 26 games) were the team’s other major contributors. Cairns went 3-11 at home and 3-11 on the road.

Cairns closed the season against Sydney at Qudos Bank Arena on February 16, where Kenny (13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) made all four of his field-goal attempts, including all three of his three-pointers. Trimble (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Loughton (17 points and 3 rebounds) also contributed, while Andrew Bogut (12 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 blocks) led Sydney to an 89-84 victory, leaving Cairns last with a 6-22 record.

2019/20
After finishing last with a 6-22 record in 2018/19, Cairns entered Mike Kelly’s second season looking to rebuild around a smaller returning core. Melo Trimble (to Melbourne), Rob Loe (to New Zealand), Lucas Walker (to Sydney), Dexter Kernich-Drew (to Melbourne), Kuany Kuany (to Sydney) and Devon Hall (to Oklahoma City) departed, while Alex Loughton and Mitch Young retired. Kelly added Scott Machado (via South Bay Lakers), Cameron Oliver (via Delaware), Majok Deng (via Adelaide), Mirko Djeric (via Dynamic Belgrade), Kouat Noi (via TCU), George Blagojevic (via Cairns Marlins) and Anthony Fisher (via Cairns Marlins), while Fabijan Krslovic was upgraded from development player to the full-time roster.

Kenny missed Cairns’ October 4 season opener against Sydney, his only game out for the season, with no injury or reason for the absence publicly confirmed. He returned for the October 11 road game against Brisbane, playing seven minutes without scoring as Cairns lost 90-74, with Oliver (16 points and 7 rebounds) and Machado (16 points and 10 assists) leading the Taipans, while Nathan Sobey (21 points and 5 assists) was Brisbane’s best.

Kenny (3.3 points across 30 games) remained Cairns’ experienced back-up point guard behind Machado, providing defence and a steadying presence off the bench throughout his second season with the Taipans.

One of Kenny’s best games came at RAC Arena on October 18, where he finished with 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists as Cairns stunned defending champion Perth 99-76 for its first win of the season. Oliver (22 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and Deng (22 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led the Taipans, while Nicholas Kay (15 points and 5 rebounds) was Perth’s best.

Ten days later, Kenny (5 points) was ejected during the third quarter against Melbourne after receiving an earlier unsportsmanlike foul and then a technical foul, forcing Machado to play additional minutes. Jawai (18 points) and Oliver (17 points and 11 rebounds) helped Cairns recover from a 12-point quarter-time deficit, while Shawn Long (21 points and 17 rebounds) led Melbourne as the Taipans won 90-85 and improved to 2-4.

Kenny’s best game of the season came against Adelaide at the Cairns Convention Centre on January 18, where he made three three-pointers and finished with a season-high 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist off the bench. Newbill (28 points) and Oliver (24 points and 15 rebounds) led Cairns, while Daniel Johnson (38 points and 8 rebounds) starred for Adelaide as the Taipans won 108-91.

Another of Kenny’s best performances came in Adelaide on February 8, where he finished with 7 points, 1 assist, and 2 steals in 20 minutes as Cairns defeated the 36ers 99-80 and secured its first postseason appearance since 2017. Oliver (31 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) and Newbill (17 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals) led the Taipans, while Johnson (14 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) was Adelaide’s best. The victory gave Cairns nine wins from 10 games and completed a remarkable turnaround from the previous season.

After opening the season 0-3, Cairns won seven of its next 11 games to reach 7-7 before putting together a five-game winning streak during the second half of the season. A loss to Sydney briefly stopped their momentum before another four consecutive victories secured a postseason berth with two games remaining.

Newbill (18.5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.3 steals across 30 games) led Cairns in scoring, won NBL Best Defensive Player and earned All-NBL Second Team honours, while Oliver (17.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks across 31 games) joined him on the All-NBL Second Team. Machado (16.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.3 steals across 31 games) led the NBL in assists, finished runner-up in MVP voting, earned All-NBL First Team honours and was named both NBL Fans MVP and Taipans MVP. Deng (11.9 points and 4 rebounds across 31 games), Noi (9.5 points and 5.8 rebounds across 22 games), Jawai (8 points and 3.4 rebounds across 31 games) and Djeric (7.3 points and 3 rebounds across 29 games) provided the other major production, while Kelly was named NBL Coach of the Year. Kenny’s contribution was also recognised by his teammates, who voted him the Taipans’ Player’s Player.

With third place already secured, Cairns closed the regular season against Brisbane at Nissan Arena on February 15, where Kenny (7 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist) played 20 minutes off the bench. Deng (20 points and 7 rebounds) and Oliver (13 points and 3 rebounds) led Cairns, while Sobey (30 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals) led Brisbane to a 124-88 win. Cairns finished third with a 16-12 record, improving by 10 wins from the previous season and recording its best finish since 2014/15.

Cairns opened its semifinal series against defending champion Perth at RAC Arena, where Kenny (2 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist) played nine minutes off the bench as Machado (31 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists), Newbill (25 points) and Oliver (19 points and 17 rebounds) pushed the Wildcats into overtime. Bryce Cotton (42 points and 6 assists) and Kay (23 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) led Perth, while Jesse Wagstaff (10 points and 3 rebounds) made two free throws to put the Wildcats three points ahead with 11 seconds remaining. Machado missed a tying three-pointer before putting back his own miss for two as Perth held on for a 108-107 win.

Game two moved to the Cairns Convention Centre, where Kenny (5 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists) helped the Taipans build a 30-16 first-quarter lead and a 16-point advantage by halftime. Oliver (22 points and 19 rebounds), Newbill (16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Machado (13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) led Cairns, while Clint Steindl (18 points) and Terrico White (13 points and 4 rebounds) led Perth as the Taipans won 85-74 and forced a deciding game.

The series returned to RAC Arena, where Kenny (2 assists in six minutes) saw limited court time as Oliver (20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) and Machado (19 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) led Cairns, while White (26 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Kay (24 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) carried Perth. After the loss, Kelly pointed to Newbill and Jawai and said, “I think when I look back I’m gonna be able to reflect and see the big picture of what this group did led by these two,” and “how special the season was while it was still going.” Perth won 93-82 and ended Cairns’ season.

2020/21
After finishing third with a 16-12 record and falling one win short of the Grand Final the previous season, Cairns entered NBL21 looking to build on its breakthrough year under coach Mike Kelly. The NBL reducing the import limit from three to two saw DJ Newbill depart (to Japan), while Scott Machado and Cameron Oliver returned, Nathan Jawai re-signed and Jordan Ngatai (via New Zealand) joined after six seasons with the Breakers. NBA prospect Mojave King was also added through the Next Stars program.

On August 6, Jarrod Kenny re-signed with Cairns on a one-year deal for his third consecutive season with the club after helping the Otago Nuggets win the NZNBL championship and being named the league’s Best Defensive Player. “JK is the whole package, and he’s been huge for the Taipans in his two years here,” said Kelly.

Cairns opened the season against Sydney at the Cairns Pop-Up Arena on January 16, where Kenny (3 points and 2 rebounds) came from the bench as the Taipans recovered from six points down entering the fourth quarter to win 87-86. Machado (17 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 steal) and Mirko Djeric (15 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists) led Cairns, while Casper Ware (18 points and 3 assists) was Sydney’s leading scorer.

Kenny (2.6 points across 36 games) continued as Cairns’ backup point guard, appearing in every game and making three starts. Kenny did not miss a game through injury during the season.

Kenny’s best all-around game came against Brisbane at Nissan Arena on January 30, where he finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, making three three-pointers and committing no turnovers. Kenny hit a three-pointer late in regulation to tie the scores and force overtime, with Machado (23 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists) and Oliver (21 points and 8 rebounds) leading Cairns, while Nathan Sobey (30 points and 4 assists) and Victor Law (29 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) led Brisbane before Law scored at the basket as time expired to give the Bullets a 105-103 win.

Kenny’s best scoring game came against Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on April 2, where he made four three-pointers and finished with 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. Oliver (19 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block) and Ngatai (17 points and 6 rebounds) led Cairns, while Jock Landale (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists) led Melbourne to a 95-85 win.

Cairns’ season was heavily disrupted by injuries and departures. Oliver (17.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) led the team in scoring and rebounding before being waived on compassionate grounds after 24 games when complications with his wife’s pregnancy required him to return to the United States, with Venky Jois (6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds, via Pirot) signed as his replacement. Machado (15.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 7 assists) remained Cairns’ primary playmaker, while Majok Deng (12 points and 4.5 rebounds) missed 16 games after suffering a partial tear of his left MCL and Kouat Noi (10.1 points and 4.4 rebounds) missed the final 18 games after suffering a PCL tear. Djeric (8.6 points) made a career-high 66 three-pointers, Jawai (8.3 points and 3.8 rebounds) recorded four 20-point games for the first time since his rookie NBL season, while Ngatai (6.7 points) and King (6.2 points) were also regular contributors.

Cairns closed its season against New Zealand at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua on June 2, where Kenny (6 points and 1 assist) made two three-pointers. Machado (21 points, 4 rebounds, and 11 assists) and Jawai (14 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led Cairns, while Tai Webster (23 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) led New Zealand to an 84-78 win as Cairns finished ninth with an 8-28 record.

2021/22
After finishing ninth with an 8-28 record and missing the playoffs, Cairns replaced Mike Kelly with former Sydney coach Adam Forde and lost leading scorer Cameron Oliver (to Houston), Fabijan Krslovic (to Tasmania) and Mojave King (to Adelaide). Forde retained captain Scott Machado, Majok Deng, Kouat Noi, Nathan Jawai, Mirko Djeric, Jarrod Kenny and Jordan Ngatai, while adding Tahjere McCall (via Orléans), Stephen Zimmerman (via Nymburk), Keanu Pinder (via Adelaide) and rookie Bul Kuol (via Detroit Mercy).

The veteran guard re-signed on a one-year deal for his fourth consecutive season with Cairns after previously playing under Forde with Perth and Hawke’s Bay. Forde viewed him as the experienced back-up to Machado and said, “As a back-up point to Scott Machado, it’s important that position is filled by someone with experience, accepting of the role and isn’t an offensive liability.”

Cairns opened the season at RAC Arena on December 5, where the veteran guard (1 assist and 1 steal) came off the bench as Noi (17 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block) and McCall (16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) led the Taipans, while Cotton (31 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) guided Perth to a 90-67 win.

Kenny (3.1 points across 21 games) remained Cairns’ experienced back-up point guard and made one start during the season. After playing the opening six games, back spasms ruled him out against Brisbane on February 5 before the injury kept him sidelined throughout the following three rounds. He missed seven consecutive games before returning to the rotation against Sydney on March 6 and played every remaining game.

Kenny’s best game came at Gippsland Regional Indoor Stadium on January 25, where he made all three of his three-point attempts and finished with 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. McCall (16 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists) and Deng (13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 blocks) led an undermanned Cairns side, while Creek (26 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 7 steals) guided South East Melbourne to an 87-77 win.

On March 25, Kenny (0 points) played his 200th NBL game as Cairns hosted South East Melbourne at the Cairns Convention Centre. McCall (14 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Pinder (12 points and 9 rebounds) led the Taipans, while Ashley (25 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals) helped the Phoenix win 86-74. Kenny said, “To be honest I didn’t really put too much thought into it having any more importance than any other game. It would have been nice to get a win and that was my only real goal for tonight. Obviously it’s a milestone and it’s an achievement, but for me I’d rather have the win.”

Cairns never fielded its full-strength roster during the season, with McCall (16.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2 steals across 22 games) leading the team in scoring, assists and steals and sharing the club MVP award with Machado (10.2 points and 5.3 assists across 18 games). Deng (14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds across 28 games) finished second in scoring, while Zimmerman (11.4 points and 9.6 rebounds across 16 games) led the team in rebounding before a right-knee injury ended his season. Pinder (10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds across 28 games) was named the NBL’s Most Improved Player, Kuol (10.4 points across 28 games) made an Australian rookie-record 64 three-pointers and was named Rookie of the Year, while Noi (8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds across 16 games), Ayre (6.6 points and 3.8 assists across 8 games) and Jawai (5.9 points across 19 games) were the other main contributors.

Cairns ended its season at the Cairns Convention Centre on April 23, where Kenny (6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal), McCall (42 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block) and Deng (30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) led the Taipans to a 112-98 win over Brisbane, while Franks (30 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 assists) led the Bullets as Cairns completed its first 4-0 Sunshine Stoush sweep and finished ninth with a 9-19 record.

Jarrod Kenny played seven seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the Cairns Taipans. He averaged 3.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 207 NBL games.