Reinforcements at the ready: Tassie's plan to rise again

For years, the JackJumpers leaned on continuity to build a winning culture.

Now, after their most difficult season since entering the league, Scott Roth’s group is ready to evolve.

With many of the NBL24 Championship stars moving on, it’s now up to a new generation of JackJumpers to carry the torch.

Steindl, Krslovic, Crawford and Doyle helped build the foundation. McVeigh was part of it too. Now, it’s Bannan, Johnson, Hamilton and Ayre tasked with ‘Defending the Island’.

Add in their returning stars, Magnay and Macdonald, and Roth sees a team ready to rise again.

“We kept six guys and two of those are DPs, but we've kept six guys,” he said.

“So we still have a good foundation of players there to understand what it means to be playing for the JackJumpers and our brand and what it means to be inside the state. So that transition with them is great and to add some new faces is exciting.

“We have some young players that are all very hungry and ready to get going and they all have chips on their shoulders and they bring some versatility that we haven't had in the past.”

Among those new additions is former Bullet Josh Bannan, who at just 24 years of age has a bright future in Tasmania.

“Bannan was a huge get for us because unlike Jack McVeigh, he could play the three and the four. Bannan can actually play the four and the five, and he's actually just as big as Magnay,” Roth said.

“So the versatility, being able to move him around, is very exciting for us.

“We were obviously trying to get some bigger size in general, but we wanted to have multiple ball handlers. So we made sure that our wings and our guards were able to really handle the ball, make plays out of those situations in pick and rolls.

“We feel like we have three dynamic players that are in the pick and roll with Magnay, Bannan and (Majok) Deng. And so we wanted to make sure we had multiple ball handlers there and we wanted to improve our overall shooting just in general.

“Obviously scoring was a huge problem for us last year for a number of reasons, so we were looking to fill some of those areas.

“We're excited about Ben Ayres and what he brings to the table. He has a lot of swagger to him and a lot of energy and plays with a lot of passion. I think he'll be a fan favourite.

“Then you add in a Nick Marshall and Kobe Williamson, and these guys are all going to bring some youth and excitement and energy to our group.

“And then we're pleased with the guys, obviously, that are coming back on that group.”

That returning group includes NBL24 Champions Anthony Drmic, Deng, Macdonald and Magnay.

The JackJumpers will be sweating on the availability of their star big, with Magnay reportedly pushing his case for an NBA call-up in the US.

But Roth says they’re prepared for anything.

“Will is with Memphis and going through some training with them, although very light, and being evaluated by them,” he continued.

“All those players are going over there for one purpose. They're trying to make an NBA roster, which is fantastic. And they're looking for Exhibit 10s and two ways and ways to get on a roster.

“It's great exposure for him and great exposure for the club. And if we lose them, that's going to be a wonderful story again for us of what's going on here for the past four years.

“If he comes back, we're going to love him to death and probably have a great season around him.

“I'm well over the fact of trying to have my ego be in the way of something like that.”

The JackJumpers have left their third import spot open, should Magnay not return.

“That was obviously intentional by us. We've thought about that for a few weeks and we kind of knew some things were on the radar,” Roth said.

“So it was quite intentional to put it in that position, but it was also a point where we thought the team was going to be quite good with Magnay on the roster, so we didn't feel like the third import was necessary.

“Either way, we'll be able to pivot and move off of that.

“We hope to have Mags back, but I also really hope that he gets his opportunity to do what he wants to do. He's been on this journey with us, and if he gets a two way, that's going to be a great story for us and for him, obviously.

“If he does go, we've already started to talk to different players and we have places that we can pivot to once we get some better idea once the Summer League gets to a conclusion.”

‍