"Bull by the horns": Stattmann seizes his moment

Jack McVeigh’s performance spoke for itself for the Cairns Taipans. But with Andrew Andrews sidelined, someone else had to step up. In overtime, that man was Kody Stattmann, offering a glimpse of the NBL future he could still carve out.

Even with Andrews added to a growing injury list, the Taipans returned to the winners' list at home on Friday night, grinding out a 96–93 overtime win over the Tasmania JackJumpers.

The result lifts the Snakes two games clear of bottom-placed Brisbane. And while McVeigh’s 40 points against his former team, including a perfect 17-of-17 from the free-throw line, will dominate the headlines, it was about more than one man.

When coach Adam Forde saw his team lean too heavily on McVeigh, Tasmania clawed its way back into the contest. But in overtime, with the JackJumpers denying their championship star the chance to decide it, Stattmann stepped forward and made the moment his own.

In the overtime period alone, he poured in seven points and came up with two steals. It capped a career-best night for Stattmann, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and a perfect 5-of-5 at the free-throw line.

“Especially because he draws so much attention so that is another reason we tightened up a little bit in the third because we expect Jack to bail us out of some bad offence, but the momentum shifted back in our favour a little bit when some other guys were making plays,” Forde said.

“Like the man next to me (Stattmann) and we were getting him involved in a little bit of that rub action in the middle because Jack draws so much attention that it can open up some lanes.

“It was a bit of a juggling act trying to mix it up between Kyle (Adnam), Mo (King), Lachy (Barker) and Statt, but I think Statt just took the bull by the horns tonight and really closed it out for us.”

Stattmann’s first NBL opportunity came in the 2022–23 season with the Brisbane Bullets, fresh off his college career at the University of Virginia. And while he’s now deep into his second season in Cairns, Forde knows the journey hasn’t always been smooth.

What Forde likes most about Stattmann is the work he’s put in and how ready he’s always been. And after what he showed on Friday night, he knows that if it continues, Stattmann will ensure he stays in the NBL.

“Statt's been around the league for seasons and this is credit to him in that he's had to probably unfairly in some situations go through the fire to come out the other side,” Forde said.

“When you have injuries right, there's always the disappointment of guys going down, but it provides opportunities that may or may not have been missed, and I've always been big on I won't hold your hand through the process, but if you're one to step up to the occasion I'll play you.

“Credit to Statt, he's had to take his lumps here and previously, but if he keeps strings performances like this together on a regular basis, we've still got five games left and the mindset should be to keep going with this and head into free agency feeling pretty good about your situation.”