A favorable playing schedule in the coming weeks couldn’t come at a better time for the Tasmania JackJumpers, as they manage the rehabilitation of several injured players and those why have just recently returned to the court.
Tasmania has just three games scheduled over the coming three weeks, starting with a visit to Melbourne United on Saturday, the light schedule provides a great opportunity for players to recover and not miss too many games.
Embed from Getty ImagesMilton Doyle is hopeful of returning to the court this week against Melbourne United.
Speaking to ABC Grandstand Tasmania earlier this week, Scott Roth said that the team was used to dealing with change and adversity
“We just had a lot of injuries that just racked up very quickly there. You know one thing I love about our group and it’s always been this way is their quite scrappy and feisty, this next man up mentality. I love our competitiveness.”
In their loss to New Zealand on Friday night they were without leading scorer Milton Doyle, who was out with an ankle injury. There had been some discussion he was potentially a late inclusion, but Roth advised he did not want to put him at risk for further injury.
“He probably could of played but I don’t know how effective he really would have been because he hadn’t practiced for five or six days and he’d been in a [moon] boot. So you risk other injuries when they haven’t got repetition on the floor.
Doyle is being evaluated this week at training, in the hope he will be ready to make a return against Melbourne United on Saturday. The same however can’t be said thought Matt Kenyon, the starting guard is looking at a four to six week break on the sidelines with a leg injury sustained at training.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe JackJumpers are hopeful of Matt Kenyon returning in late December, when the team has a heavy playing schedule
“Obviously it’s frustrating with a muscle strain, those are the things that sometimes you can’t control and actually did it just running down the floor, there was nobody around him,” Roth said.
“We’ve got really good strength and physio and they’ll be working with them and he’s up and moving him around. You just can’t rush those things back and you’ve just got to be careful with them and we’ll see how he’s going by the end of December and hopefully he’ll be ready to go.”
There has been no update on Jarrad Weeks return from a leg injury that kept him out of last Fridays game against the Breakers.
Magnay and Steindl return
Embed from Getty ImagesClint Steindl made his season debut against the Breakers in Launceston on Friday night
In some good news for the JackJumpers, on their return from injury centre Will Magnay and captain Clint Steindl both got through the game against New Zealand unscathed. However, Roth says both players are going to need two or three games to feel more comfortable on the floor.
“It’s one thing practicing and going through those things which they’ve been going through the last week or two relatively at full speed, but when you get to the game you start to hyperventilate a little bit, get a little tired quicker.
“We’ll try to keep Magnay 12 minutes or so and Clint Steindl around 15-18 minutes in these first few games, just to get their legs underneath them,” Roth said.
Home game stand to come late December
The game against Melbourne United is the first of three straight road trips for the JackJumpers, who follow up with trips to Brisbane and Sydney. Following that, the JackJumpers schedule ramps up in the lead up to Christmas, with six games across 16 days, including four at home. The home stand tips off on December 17 against the Cairns Taipans.
