Tasmanian guard Tre Armstrong will be joining the Tasmania JackJumpers for the 2023/24 season after signing a 1 year a development player contract with the club this week.
Scott Roth offered Armstrong a development player contract earlier this month, following the completion of his senior season with California Baptist University (CBU).
JackJumpers assistant coach Mark Radford said they saw plenty of strengths in Armstrong
“I think he’s got a great body for NBL, he’s a good size, he’s 6’5″, he’s very strong and he’s a very good shooter and has very good IQ,” Radford said.
But Armstrong said there is still plenty of room for improvement.
“I know I’m not a finished product as a player, but I think that is what’s good about a development spot is you get a chance to improve but I also want to come into practice each day and knock on the door and show people I’m there to compete,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong brothers return from California to the NBL
Across his four years at CBU Armstrong developed into an active guard who could play both on and off the ball and was a constant three point shooting threat (35.7% career shooting from three). He averaged 8.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 24.9 minutes per game across 121 game college career.
His best season was in 2021-22, when his brother Taran joined the CBU roster. The two brothers chemistry was obvious on court and saw Tre to college career highs of 11.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game
But the two brothers will now face off as rivals in the NBL this season, with Taran officially signing this week with the Cairns Taipans.
Armstrong follows Tasmanian born players Sam McDaniel and Serj Deans in playing for the JackJumpers.
“I think being a Tasmanian is different I think, there is something special about coming from here and when you leave its always exciting to back in whatever capacity that is and to be in a professional environment in your home state is a rarity,” Armstrong said.
Despite being a development player, Armstrong already had significant experience at college and NBL1 level. So it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him provide minutes to Armstrong as a shooter off the bench, as he did with Isaac White last season.
Another Tasmanian to the JackJumpers
Armstrong is the third development player on JackJumpers roster for the 2023/24 NBL season along with Walter Brown and Sean MacDonald. NBL teams can have up to 4 development players on their roster.
Prior to the season tipping off in September, Armstrong will be playing for the North West Thunder in the NBL1 South, where he is currently averaging 13.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
