Fatherhood, freedom and 47: McVeigh’s perfect storm

You often hear about parenthood giving athletes a new perspective. For Cairns Taipans star Jack McVeigh, that shift came years earlier when he met his wife Beth.

On Friday night, McVeigh delivered a career-best performance in a moment that carried extra significance. It was his 200th NBL game and his first as a father, coming just days after Beth gave birth to the couple’s first child.

Having begun his career in Adelaide, before becoming a championship hero with the Tasmania JackJumpers, McVeigh marked the milestone in style. Playing with complete freedom, he led the Taipans to a 99–95 win over the New Zealand Breakers at the Cairns Convention Centre.

Fatherhood appeared to suit him just fine. McVeigh set a new 40-minute club scoring record, pouring in 47 points on an ultra-efficient 16-of-21 shooting from the field, including 6-of-8 from deep and a perfect 9-of-9 at the foul line.

The performance, he says, came without any dramatic change to his routine or mindset.

"To be honest, I've been sleeping pretty well, I'm a heavy sleeper and we're bed sharing and I'm just passed out," McVeigh said.

"I ask her (wife Beth) if he even cried last night and she quickly says yes, but to be honest I just feel like I'm continuing to get better at basketball."

While many point to fatherhood as a turning point, McVeigh believes that perspective arrived earlier.

"A lot of people talk about new dad's specifically with it changing your perspective and I know it sounds a little corny, but I think I felt that like five years ago with my wife and that's the escalation of my basketball improvement that's already happened."

That balance, he says, is already firmly in place.

"Obviously I saw him (son) and loved him and stuff, but that taking the pressure away from the game is something I've already found and I'm in a good spot, and my wife's always doing a great job helping me prioritise basketball."

The biggest change McVeigh is experiencing this season is his role. As the Taipans’ go-to option, he believes the responsibility is forcing rapid growth.

"For the majority of my career I've been like a play finisher so I sit at the end and run into on-balls or get plays run for me with like three seconds left on the shot clock kind of thing," McVeigh said.

"But it's like I came here and the amount of reps you get in training and in game just helps you improve at such a rapid rate when you put in those hours of working out."

That constant exposure, he says, has accelerated his development more than ever before.

"Every day I feel like I'm getting better at basketball faster than I ever have, because you just get so many great reps and for me I just love getting better at basketball, and that I get to come out here tonight knowing I had so many reps to get better and I have a lot of fun doing that."

McVeigh also produced a highlight-reel alley-oop, floating a perfect pass to teammate and fellow JackJumpers championship winner Marcus Lee, who reeled it in from well behind his head for a thunderous finish.

But he wasn’t pretending that play topped scoring the ball himself.

"Definitely not (that pass wasn't favourite play of the game) and I'd be lying if I said it was," McVeigh said.

"I love getting buckets and I love making tough shots, I love shooting bad shots on three people and it's always a balance, but what gets me up in the morning is making tough shots."