Roth’s Past Reflecting the Tassie Underdogs

Heritage round has reminded JackJumpers’ coach Scott Roth of his underdog past and the reflection it has with his Tasmanian side, after a 98-82 win over Adelaide on Thursday night.

Ever since entering the league last season, Tasmania has been seen as an underdog, with many underestimating their ability and talent. They overcame that last season to make the Grand Final and seem poised for another postseason run this season.

The JackJumpers wore their Hobart Devils retro jerseys on Thursday night, which made Roth compare the mentality his team takes to that of his playing days.

“My underdog story is still being written,” Roth said.

“I was lucky to play in the NBA at that time and play with some great players.

“I worked my entire life to become an NBA player which was quite hard to do in my era when there weren’t that many teams available.”

The JackJumpers tightened their grip on fourth place on the ladder after last night’s win, with a 13-10 record.

“I thought it was our best game all year in my eyes, just the consistency of playing through four quarters,” Roth said.

“Today was a very solid effort across the board.”

It is no secret the JackJumpers have a great relationship and Roth reiterated the positivity and next man up mindset they have adopted.

“It’s a dream for me as a coach, I never have to worry about these guys pouting or being disruptive, it’s all about the group,” Roth said.

Roth added he and the team focus on the present instead of worrying what other teams’ results are.

“I don’t follow the ladder, because the game is in front of you and if you’re taking your opportunities you don’t worry about these other teams,” he said.

“It’s right in front of us, and we just have to go game by game.

“That’s what we did last year, we won the games that we had to at the end.

“You can’t hope for other teams to do something for you.”

The JackJumpers host the South East Melbourne Phoenix next Wednesday at 7:30pm AEDT.