It’s McVeigh in, McDaniel out. Ahead of NBL23 coach Scott Roth is looking to fine tune his squad at the preseason Blitz in Darwin this weekend.
The banged up Tasmania JackJumpers will be looking to keep their players on the court and injury free this weekend, as they take part in the annual NBL Blitz Tournament.
Already without Clint Steindl (shin) and Will Magnay (knee), Roth was dealt another blow this week with Sam McDaniel ruled out of the Blitz with a rib injury.
“It’s unfortunate, the timing for him more than anything else, it gives great opportunity for some other guys. But we’ve had multiple guys come back from the Boomers and Hobart Chargers hurt, and it will effect the beginning of our season,” Scott Roth said.
McDaniel sustained the injury playing for the Hobart Chargers in the NBL1 South Grand final against the Mt Gambier Pioneers in early September. He did not play in the recent NBL1 National Finals or preseason games against the Phoenix.
Embed from Getty ImagesJack is back
However in positive news Jack McVeigh will return to the side for the Blitz. He has recovered from a shoulder injury he sustained playing for the Australian Boomers back in June.
“We’ll see how he goes, im hopeful of giving him 15-20 minutes out of him the first game. He’ll have a lot of nervous energy and again its quite different than running around in practice than playing in a game,” Roth said.
“The reality is he hasn’t been playing basketball for three months, so we’ll get him up and running and comfortable next week is important.”
Embed from Getty ImagesIntegrating players and defense the focus for Darwin
The JackJumpers had two wins over the South East Melbourne Phoenix in Northern Tasmania last week, but Roth at the time advised he wasn’t too concerned about the results of the practice matches.
“That’s not really our focus at all to be honest with you. Its more about getting constructive minutes for our guys and reconnecting the group together,” Scott Roth said last week.
However, with two weeks until NBL23 tips off that focus changes, particularly with McVeigh back in the lineup.
“Defense needs to get tidied up [that] is a key focus for me and McVeigh needing to be integrated into different lineups and getting him as comfortable as possible.
“Then just playing our guys, seeing what Tristan Forsyth can do in his role and if he can replace Jock Perry and see how he goes for a few minutes here or there.
“I already know the guys who will play and not play. I already have my starters in my mind and what we are going to do,” Roth said.
Blitz starts Saturday
The annual preseason tournament will be the last games for Tasmania before they open the NBL23 season on 1 October against the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
They will play three games across the week, beginning with a Grand Final rematch against Sydney on Saturday. Followed by matches against Adelaide on Monday and Cairns on Thursday.
