Skytrans Cairns Taipans recruit Demetri McCamey will see his first action as a Snake tomorrow (Saturday) after receiving international clearance to play.

McCamey joins fellow import Jamar Wilson on-court as the Snakes welcome both imports into their line-up for the first time this pre-season.

Head coach Aaron Fearne said McCamey had trained well with his new teammates on both ends of the floor during his limited time in Cairns. Fearne will pay particular attention to McCamey’s integration into Fearne’s strict defensive systems, which saw the Snakes rank third in the NBL for points allowed (76 points per game) last season.

“Our programme is very heavily focussed on defence, so Demetri will really have to be sharp with that,” Fearne said.

“He’s going to have to familiarise himself very quickly to the type of play in Australia and the way the game is officiated.

“He has trained very well with us and continues to get better and better with each session. He just needs to keep moving the ball and make the game easy for others.

“We have good shooters and post players, so he’ll just need to deliver the ball and create easy opportunities for them.”

The Taipans enter this weekend’s NBL Blitz atop the pre-season ladder with seven points, courtesy of a comprehensive win over the Wollongong Hawks in Cairns on 7 September.

They take on the Adelaide 36ers on Saturday at 1pm, then face the Sydney Kings at midday on Sunday.

NBL Blitz Schedule, Results and Standings: bit.ly/16FF6dz