Bul Kuol embracing Cairns culture on and off court as rookie

After proving he can shoot the basketball, Bul Kuol knows that's just a bonus to his game and what he has to bring to the CQUniversity Cairns Taipans is defensive intensity and energy all over the floor which is why he's thriving in his rookie NBL season.

That wasn’t going to necessarily be the case after the NBL Blitz though. Coach Adam Forde sat down with Kuol ahead of his rookie season on the back of his college career at the University at Detroit Mercy and an NBL1 season at the Knox Raiders, and told him some hard truths.

Kuol was going to be battling in the back court at the Snakes with Scott Machado, Mirko Djeric, Kouat Noi, Jarrod Kenny, Jordan Ngatai and even Tahjere McCall, and Forde couldn’t guarantee him any minutes for #NBL22.

In fact it was worse than that. Forde actually didn’t know if he wanted to find minutes for Kuol but how things change. Now with opportunity, the 25-year-old has grabbed it with both hands to become one of the Snakes' most important players.

He has put himself in the Rookie of the Year discussion and while the NBL world stood up to take notice when he went 8/10 from downtown in last Saturday's win over the Brisbane Bullets for 26 points, it's not the shooting or offence he's focusing on.

What Kuol knew he had to do to make himself invaluable for the Snakes is to be a strong defensive presence and he has been thrown straight to the wolves. Just seven games into his NBL career and Kuol has already had roles guarding Tyler Harvey, Xavier Munford and Bryce Cotton.

It's that defence that Kuol takes most pride in and he lifts for the challenge each and every night.

"I love playing defence, that's how I got into basketball. When I went to college that was the main reason I was on the floor and then my shooting got better so that gave me more minutes," Kuol said.

"I know how much Fordey wants me to be in that role and it fits me well because it's something that I do enjoy doing. I love to play the other team's best player and it's a good challenge. 

"We have Tahjere on the team who is an exceptional and could be the best defender in the league so I'm learning from him every day at practice. I'm a sponge when it comes to him so I'm enjoying it. 

"It's fun and I find it really fun to compete against the other team's best players, and best scorers. It's not really intimidating, it's more like I do enjoy the competition aspect of it."

The added bonus of Kuol focusing on bringing the defensive intensity and being partly responsible for the energy the Taipans play with is that it takes the pressure off at the offensive end.

The fact that he knows he has the backing of his coach to shoot the ball when the chance presents has him confident to let it fly. The results are paying off with him shooting at an impressive 42.2 per cent from beyond the arc.

"I know why I'm out there and coach has me out there to play defence, and I know I have the coaches and teammates' trust when it comes to shot selection," Kuol said.

"Coach has really simplified that and made it easy for me so I can understand that if I'm open I shoot the ball. I don’t have pressure when it comes to shooting as well because I know and he knows they are the type of shots I should be taking. 

"I don’t really feel pressure and if they go in, they go in and if they miss, they miss but I know the kinda shots coach wants me to take. We have a lot of shot creators and we have Scott coming back so there's no pressure, I don’t have to do much but play defence and take open shots."

The Taipans might have faced plenty of challenges so far this season. As we come into Round 11, they have only played seven games and have spent significant time without Scott Machado, Jordan Ngatai, Mirko Djeric and now even Nate Jawai is sidelined.

However, to watch the Snakes play and you have to admire the energy and passion they are playing with. Keanu Pinder brings that, Majok Deng is in career-best form and the arrival of Tahjere McCall has been huge for that.

So is Kuol though. He is a standout defender, he hustles for every loose ball and is happy to throw his body around. Bringing that energy is something he feels is crucial to any success the Taipans are to have.

"That's our brand of basketball, we're a high energy team and you can tell when we are playing with energy and hustle, and we cross the boxes on all the details," he said.

"That's just our brand of basketball when we're energetic, we're pushing the ball up and down, our defence is creating our offence and that's when we are at our best. 

"Coach is very specific when it comes to me and he wants me to bring that energy, and it's a challenge that he's put on my role. Then you have a guy like Keanu who is one of the best athletes in the league and you guys saw that last game. 

"That's when we're at our best by playing hard and smart. We just have to lock in better sometimes and remember who we are but it is something that is a big part of we are. Keanu brings that energy, I bring, you've got Majok who brings, Tahj is bringing it and it's part of our DNA."

After Kuol's breakout offensive performance with the eight threes and 26 points on Saturday in Brisbane, his coach revealed that he wasn’t sure what role he saw for him, if any, after the pre-season.

However, Kuol actually appreciated that honesty from his coach so he knew exactly where he stood. Now as circumstances changed and he was thrown right in the deep end, he was ready for whatever was asked of him. 

"These are things that you can't really control and I really appreciate coach being honest with me because that takes away that guessing aspect of it of wondering if or when it's happening. He was just brutally honest and told me he didn’t know the opportunities that I'll have," Kuol said.

"He said I might get a minute and that I might get DNP's if we're at full health. I understood that this is a team with players who have proven themselves and with a lot of talent, and guys who have shown the league that they can play at a high level and I'm a rookie.

"So I knew what I was getting myself into but at the same time it's like I knew it was a challenge. I knew it was a long season and it's something that I've been preaching the whole time is you just have to stay ready. 

"You never know when an opportunity is going to come in front of you and a lot of it comes back to my faith. I know what God has for me and as long as I just focus on that everything else will take care of itself. 

"I have a lot of appreciation for just the family feel when it comes to the Cairns Taipans as well. It's not just basketball in itself, it's the culture and when you've got a leader like Fordey who is very honest and he's a genuine dude, you respond to that and I respect that. He's been very clear with me and as a basketball player, that's a tough thing to hear but you just have to stay ready and you just never know."

Looking back on last Saturday night's 102-94 win in Brisbane which was the first win for the Taipans since December 18's hammering of the Adelaide 36ers, Kuol was just happy the team answered the challenge of coach Forde.

"It was good. After coach threw out a challenge to the whole group we wanted to honour what he said and step up rather than make excuses. It was nice to get a win and we competed well on both ends, and showed that we wanted the win more. It's just a matter of now building momentum from that," Kuol said.

"The previous games were tough because we felt like we self-sabotaged ourselves as a team so we knew exactly what we needed to do. We were having those same conversations over and over so that's where the frustration was especially on the defensive end. 

"It was more that than it was anything about what guys we didn’t have or this and that. It was more about our play especially towards the end of games on the defensive end."

With the constant disruptions the Snakes have had to their season so far thrown in with not having their full squad available at any point has meant it's been a challenging rookie campaign so far for Kuol. 

However, he is just thankful to be part of the NBL and is hoping for something closer to smooth sailing from here on out.

"It's tough because all you have is practice and when that's all you have and you can't go up against another opponent, it becomes a plateau," Kuol said.

"It's just the same thing every day but one thing that coach said in the beginning is that COVID is very disruptive and you never know what's going to happen so you just have to stay ready and prepared for anything. 

"You could have a game the next day or it could be completely cancelled so it's unpredictable but it's part of something that has been happening for more than two years now when you don’t know what's going to happen.

"It's tough but we like being around each other as a group, it's a good group to be a part of so that makes it easier when you actually enjoy being around each other and spending time together. It has been tough but it's nice to be back and hopefully we have no more disruptions."

Watching the energy and enthusiasm that Kuol is playing with in his first NBL season and it's obvious he's enjoying his basketball, but he's also loving life in Cairns and even is adjusting to the humidity.

"It's fun and it doesn’t really even feel like you are in Australia. It feels like a whole different country and I mean that in a good way. Since I arrived it's been consistent and it's amazing how consistent the weather is when it comes to the heat and humidity," he said.

"I'm from Canberra and all we got back there was cold, cold and cold so it's nice to be in a place where it's warm. You get used to the humidity and I keep my air con pumping all day so I ain't got no complaints. It's a beautiful place and I love it here."

Kuol and the Taipans are now next in action this Saturday in Wollongong against the struggling yet talented Illawarra Hawks, but he is just worried about ensuring the Snakes come out and do what they are expected to.

"They got us at home earlier in the season so we want to show that we've improved. It's not really about them, we are focusing on us and we want to show that we're a good team and that we are progressing as a group," Kuol said.

"It's a good challenge for us to show that and to start building some momentum. We have a double-header too so we want to take both of these wins and the focus is on us. 

"We don’t really know what's going on in Illawarra and that doesn’t matter to us. We're just coming in there and trying to get better as a group to show that we are growing and improving."