It was a whirlwind week that led to Jonah Antonio playing a key role in a crucial NBL1 West win for East Perth Eagles in Geraldton as he looks to showcase how far his game has grown in NBL at Cairns Taipans.
Since the end of his third NBL season with the Taipans, Antonio has remained based out of Cairns and has kept busy playing 3x3 basketball representing Australia which included winning the Asia Cup in Singapore where Adam Forde was also his coach.
It was that connection with Forde to the Eagles that has led to Antonio quickly returning home to Perth and joining East Perth for the rest of the 2025 NBL1 West season.
Forde was the East Perth 2014 championship winning coach so he was quick to put current Eagles coach Carl Filpo in touch with Antonio when he was on the look out for a replacement for injured captain Taylor Young.
Things then progressed rapidly and Antonio flew from Cairns to Perth mid-week, then jumped on the bus to Geraldton on Saturday and played a key role in a spirited win for the Eagles against the Buccaneers.
A whirlwind week
Antonio had no idea how hectic of a week he was about to be in for on the Sunday when East Perth coach Filpo first touched base with him about a potential coming on board at the Eagles.
Antonio was no stranger to East Perth given he is a Warwick Senators junior so Morley Sport and Recreation Centre is virtually just down the road.
He has also spent precious little time at home in almost a decade having been in the United States for college, then in the Czech Republic and now the last here years in Cairns.
However, for so many reasons Antonio liked the sound of the opportunity for the Eagles both in terms of the basketball chance he saw to help East Perth win and then to also spend some time back home.
So after Antonio and Filpo locked him on the Tuesday, he flew from Cairns to Perth on Wednesday, had his first practice run late on Thursday night, his signing was confirmed on Friday and then he joined his team for the bus trip to Geraldton on Saturday.
It was something that left Antonio's head spinning by the time he got to catch his breath by Sunday afternoon after having been instrumental in the Eagles' second win of the season the previous night in Geraldton.
"Yeah it was pretty hectic, like you said agreed Tuesday flew out Wednesday got in late midnight," Antonio said.
"Trained Thursday on a bus Saturday and played. It wasn’t something I'm used to, I have not bused for a game since my rookie year in Czech.
"But it was a fun experience and was great to get the win. Also was good to play some 5 on 5 since I’ve only played 3x3 with Fordey and Australia since the NBL season ended."
Big win in Geraldton
East Perth arrived in Geraldton having won just one of five games to open the season and heading to what might well be the most hostile away environment in all of the NBL1.
The Eagles had won in Geraldton the previous year at virtually the exact same time of the season, but that had been a first win on the road to the Buccs since the championship year of 2014.
However, it was an East Perth team on a mission and Antonio played a key role showcasing why he has become such a more well-rounded player than just the shooting gun he was renowned for when he first arrived in Cairns to start his NBL career.
He played the point guard role for a lot of the night for the Eagles and had five assists while he also played a crucial role defensively taking on the task on 2023 Grand Final MVP Johny Narkle from the Buccaneers.
In the end, the Eagles prevailed 92-89 to improve to 2-4 on the season with Max Rice drilling 31 points with captain Lee Roberts adding 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Antonio enjoyed everything about the experience in the end and especially to come back on the bus home following the win.
"I think the team/club is determined to win and Coach Filpo," Antonio said.
"From my prior conversations before I came out west, I could really feel Carl's desire to win and have a successful season. He is very invested in the club and the players."
Why joining East Perth
Since the end of the NBL season at the Taipans, Antonio has enjoyed the chance to play for Australia in some 3x3 basketball and he wasn’t sure exactly where his next stop was going to be.
He had previously played in the NBL1 North in between NBL seasons with the Cairns Marlins, but currently with his future as a professional up in the air as a free agent, he was taking his time to make his next decision.
However, it didn’t take long for Antonio to quickly fully buy into what coach Filpo was attempting to do with the Eagles in 2025. He knew it was something he wanted to be part of for a whole host of reasons with the club Forde took to a championship back in 2014.
"Yeah so the connection was Fordey he is the one who brought this opportunity to me," Antonio said.
"But other than it was my conversation with Coach Filpo he has a vision for me and I could see his passion to win, after having a quick glance at the roster I felt like there was enough pieces and talent for me to slot in and win and be successful.
"Also I get to come home and be around my family which I haven’t had the chance to do much in the last 10 years."
Becoming much more than a shooter
All through his junior basketball and then even his time in college which included stints at Mount Saint Mary's, South Plains, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, and Wake Forest, and Antonio was renowned as a deadly three-point shooter who can light it up.
Then when he first came to the NBL after starting his professional career with a season in the Czech Republic, he was known as a lethal three-point threat and has shown that over the past three NBL seasons with the Snakes.
The best display of that was five first half threes in Game 1 of Cairns' semi-final series with the Sydney Kings back in NBL23 when he put up 20 points in the first half.
He is still capable of those hot shooting performances, but he has also improved every other area of his game now where there were times throughout NBL25 that coach Forde could use him for Cairns as a defensive stopper.
He can also be a ball handler and playmaker, he can also get to the rim and finish strongly at the basket too. It's all those areas of his game he's thankful for the Taipans coaching staff for helping him develop.
"Every offseason I work very hard to improve my body and game. Fordey is a great defensive coach and he has helped me improve a lot in that area," Antonio said.
"Our assistants over the years (Sam) Gruggen, (Will) Lopez and (Kerry) Williams have helped me get better and have spent countless hours in the gym rebounding for me and taking me through drills so credit to them.
"We have been a good defensive team my time in Cairns. I think last season I took a jump on the defensive end and got assigned tough matches like PJC (Parker Jackson-Cartwright), (Bryce) Cotton, (Tyler) Harvey. It’s something I want to continue to build on moving forward."
Looking back on time with Taipans
Antonio is now an NBL free agent having spent the past three seasons with the Taipans and he's not sure what his immediate future will be as a professional after this stint with the Eagles, but will always look back fondly on his time at Cairns.
"Yeah it’s definitely been up and down in terms of my performance, but off the court it’s been great," Antonio said.
"I've had amazing teammates, coaches and front office members that have made my time there special. I’ve also had support from community and especially the Olholms.
"I know I’m a better player than what I’ve been able to produce offensively and haven’t been happy with my production. Right now I’m not too sure what's going to be next for me it will either be NBL or back overseas."