On 1 October 2020, the NBL was still working out how to start its upcoming 20/21 season, still reeling from the Wildcats v Kings Grand Final series that was cut short due to COVID concerns. However, it was on this day after weeks of shortlisting and teasing of nicknames, the Tasmania JackJumpers were launched.
Yet over 12 months later, we see ourselves in a very familiar position of the league still searching for a start date. What was originally October then became November, and its now increasingly looking to be December.
So at this stage we thought we’d be in position seeing the frantic finishing touches put on the revamped Derwent Entertoyment Centre to be ready for an October start , we are still awaiting a schedule for the season, let alone for any pre-season hit-outs.
Despite the frustration of wanting to see the NBL back in action, the JackJumpers, who have been working against the clock for the last 12 months to be ready in time for the season, suddenly they find themselves with time to spare. This can only be a good thing for a team that is starting from scratch and have assembled a roster who largely haven’t played with one another before.
Coach Scott Roth is in the fortunate position of being the first NBL side to have their roster locked in but also having the full team together to train at their Kingborough base. How much this helps them in season 21/22 we will never really know,
It won’t be until the season starts that we’ll see how the imports Josh Adams, Josh Magette, MiKyle McIntosh and Next Star Nikita Mikhailoviski transition to the NBL style of play and officiating, how will the Scott Roth handle the rotations or who will play the 4 and 5 spots when Magnay is off the floor.
But something we do know, is now key signing Will Magnay has more time to recover from his foot surgery and be in better shape for the season. We know that the Derwent Entertainment Centre will now be ready to go for the season tipoff, where the team had initially f=thought they would be forced to start their NBL campaign on the road. And the team will be able to have more time to train and learn to play together than they ever thought they would have 12 months ago.