The Tasmania JackJumpers have completed their quota of four development player spots with the addition of 208cm forward Josh Tomasi, who is returning to the team for 2023-24 season.
Tomasi signing on for a one year deal, which will see him join fellow development players join Sean Macdonald, Tre Armstrong, and Walter Brown.
“Josh is a great competitor and is always challenging himself and the guys around him. We’re really pleased to secure him as a DP for another season and see him grow even further in our program” Co-CEO Jorrick Chivers said.
Tomasi was initially picked to join from a series of trials the JackJumpers ran prior to the 2022/23 season, with head coach Scott Roth describing Tomasi as a “diamond in the rough”, as a raw player with plenty of upside.
“He’s a tremendous kid and a big, tough athlete … he’s a big, rolling, athletic, strong, powerful kid that’s just scratching the surface … I think he’s someone we’ll invest in and see how he goes in the next year or two.” Roth said in August 2023.
However, it was an interrupted first season in the NBL for Tomasi, who only appeared in one game due to ongoing concussion symptoms the affected his season.
“[The recovery from concussion] was tough especially towards the back end of the season, where I felt I had really settled in and wanted to get back out there but that’s life and all part of it”, Tomasi said.
However, he’ back on court in the NBL1 South with the Nunawading Spectres in the NBL1 South where he’s averaged 10.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 23 minutes on court. He’ recently found form for the Spectres, including 17 points and 7 rebounds against the Hobart Chargers, and a double-double (12 points and 13 rebounds) against the Waverley Falcons.
The addition of Tomasi was a little unexpected, with Scott Roth last month advising that the three available Development Player spots were being offered to Brown, Armstrong and promising local Kye Savage.
However, with Savage recently accepting a scholarship with Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence, it freed up a spot for Tomasi to return.
Regardless of how he got there, having a young big man on the bench is a plus for a team that currently is guard-heavy. With only Will Magnay and Fabian Krslovic the only bigs currently signed who could occupy the centre role, Tomasi could see action early in the season. But it is expected an Import Power Forward/Center will be added to the squad in the coming months.
But as we saw from Roth he isn’t afraid to roll the dice with his young big men, with seven footer Jock Perry regularly getting thrown into games when Magnay was recovering from a knee injury. We are hoping Magnay will be set for an injury free 23/24, but the JJ’s will be cautious, especially with Magnay missing games in Spain recently through a foot injury.
But before he head back to Tassie, Tomasi is using his dual-citizenship to take a break from NBL1 to compete for Malta at the Games of the Small States of Europe. The six nation tournament kicks off in late May, being held in Valetta, Malta.
