THE player who was a whisker away from giving professional basketball up for "a real job" will return to Cairns this season as an integral part of the Taipans team.
The Taipans last night officially announced the re-signing of centre Ian Crosswhite, who heads back to Cairns keen to cement himself as one of the best five-men in the league in his second life as a Snake.
Less than a year ago, Crosswhite seemed destined to quit professional sport after going through the collapse of two NBL clubs in six months.
A former Sydney King, Crosswhite joined the Taipans last season, after the demise of the New South Wales franchise but faced a similar scenario only months later when the Snakes were placed in voluntary administration.
A significant pay cut followed and the father-to-be was facing the loss of several thousand dollars and the realisation that his time as a professional athlete may be over.
Despite his woes, Crosswhite was never bitter about his plight and his play blossomed with the extra responsibility he took on when the club axed imports Larry Abney and Dave Thomas.
By season's end, Crosswhite declared his desire to return to Cairns with partner Anna and new daughter Helena if the Taipans won entry to the new competition.
"Basically it was the people," Crosswhite said last night of his decision to return. "Mark Beecroft and Denis Donaghy and the guys on the team I really had a good time with.
"I'd started to really enjoy my basketball again and I really thought it'd be a good place to come back to."
Now Taipans general manager, Beecroft welcomed Crosswhite's return and said it would help boost the team's
frontcourt.
"Ian is definitely one of the most talented big men in the league," Beecroft said.
"Even through the difficult period (at the end of last season) he had some games where he changed the game and just dominated."
Crosswhite said while he had considered his career options, the opportunity to keep playing was not something he could pass up.
"It's a great career, especially with a young family, and in a place like Cairns, I couldn't pass that up," he said.
"Hopefully we’ll be there for a couple of years and settle down for a little while."
Taipans season ticket renewals close on July 10. Visit www.taipans.com for more information. Changes to season tickets can be made from July 13-26. Tickets go on sale to the public July 27.
