JackJumpers aiming to bring another silent night to Wollongong

The Tasmania JackJumpers head into the Christmas round of NBL24 looking for an early Christmas gift on the road, as they head to Wollongong to play the in-form Illawarra Hawks.

The Jackies will take some confidence heading to the WIN Entertainmet Centre, a venue they are yet to lose at in their short history.

Despite placed at opposite ends of the league table, the Hawks (5-8) have been impressive since caretaker coach Justin Tatum has taken over the coaching reigns, winning 3 of their last 4 games.

“Obviously they are a revitalised team, they’re playing with a lot of confidence right now. Sometimes that can just come from a new coach and a fresh look,” JackJumpers Assistant Coach Jarrad Weeks said earlier this week at training.

“You know they’re playing a little bit more disciplined now and and you know they’re very intense on the defensive end and they’re looking to run out of their stops so we’re going to have our hands full this weekend,”

Meanwhile the JackJumpers (9-7) dropped both games last weekend. They lost to Perth on the road in a tight game first up, but then went down at home two days later to Sydney in a game that was marred by turnovers.

“Anytime you have 19 turnovers, its not very characteristic for us, I think it was the most in club history,” Weeks said.

“Anytime you give teams extra possessions it makes it hard, every team in this league is so good.”

Not surprisingly, taking care of the ball has been a focal point of training throughout the week according to guard Jordon Crawford.

“Every time you step out on the court you want to have low turnovers, it gives you the best chance of winning. “

“Came here this week to refocus, get back in the swing of things, getting back to Jackie basketball and just grinding out”.

Illawarra Hawks (5-8) vs Tasmania JackJumpers (9-7)
Saturday 23 December, 7.30PM AEDT
WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong

History

The JackJumpers have a strong record against the Illawarra, somewhat due to the Hawks drop in form since their semi final appearance in NBL22, the JackJumpers debut season.

Tasmania have an overall 6-1 record over the Hawks and have a particularly strong record in Wollongong. Having won all three matches at the WIN Entertainment Centre with an average winning margin of 12 points.

Their only match in NBL24 was a forgettable night for the Hawks as they lost 73-103 MyState Bank Arena in Hobart in Round 3.

Players to watch

Jordon Crawford

Having spent half a season with the JackJumpers now, Jordon Crawford has asserted himself as one of the key offensive guards in the league.

Across last three games he’s averaged 27 points per game, and got the team’s offence up and running early in games His scoring had added an extra element to the JackJumpers, who had been somewhat one-dimensional at times last season when everything ran through #1 option Milton Doyle. Aside from their scoring ability, both guards are willing passers, with either player able to put up big numbers, it makes life difficult for opposition defences.

The Hawks have dramatically improved their defence in recent games, but stopping Crawford and Doyle will truly test where the team is at defensively.

Sam Froling

The import trio Gary Clark, Juston Robertson and Tyler Harvey have led the Illawarra resurgence under Justin Tatum. However, big man Sam Froling has also been a crucial part of their success inside the paint. Froling currently leads the team in rebounding with 8 rebounds per game and is second in scoring with 14.5 points per game.

His presence inside at both ends of the floor have made them a difficult team to contend with. The Hawks have a lot of weapons from outside, but they also currently rank second in the league for points per game in the paint. Froling is a big part of that, as he leads the league with points in the paint per game at 11.1.

His recent good form will be tested against the JackJumpers, who have two defensive minded bigs in Will Magnay and Marcus Lee, both making sure Froling will have no easy baskets in the paint.

Roster availability

Illawarra
Daniel Grida – ankle (TBC)

Tasmania
Nil