JackJumpers "Concerned" With Magnay Progress

By Dan Woods - NBL Media

Isaac White wasn’t the only player on the radar of the Tasmania JackJumpers as an injury replacement player, according to coach Scott Roth, with centre Will Magnay still in serious doubt for the season-opener in eight weeks.

Magnay, who experienced a breakout season with the Brisbane Bullets in 2020 before signing a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, returned to the NBL for the JackJumpers’ inaugural campaign last year.

While he started strongly, Magnay struggled to get on the court as he wrestled with injury, including bone bruising in his knee. 

Now it's an uphill battle to be ready for NBL23. 

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Roth says while Magnay is progressing towards a return to play, it’s slow going for the 6-foot-10 star.

“We’re concerned. He is progressing on some level but it has been quite slow in the last few weeks,” Roth said on the Ball and the Real World podcast.

“There is concern and we’ll just have to see how it goes here in the next few weeks. 

“It’s a nasty injury that doesn’t seem to affect too much as far as structurally, but that rubbing across the top of the knee cap, where that’s at isn’t great. I don’t know if he’ll be ready to go on October 1^st, we’ll just have to see how things play out.

“We’re in the market and we’re looking constantly at the market to make sure we might have to find another replacement player of some sort short term, or we find a development player.

“We’re definitely monitoring him and trying to support him as best as possible and surrounding him with what he needs to give him every opportunity to get back.”

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Magnay was one of three major injuries the JackJumpers looked to be carrying into pre-season, as guards Jack McVeigh and Clint Steindl picked up knocks while representing the Boomers at the FIBA Asia Games.

While McVeigh has been declared fully fit, White is set to fill the void for Steindl. 

“Isaac is not Clint Steindl in general, just in size and so forth, but he is very competitive and he shoots the ball well,” Roth said.

“He’s been well coached being in (Brian) Goorjian’s system. I think he’s got a little grit and toughness to him and I think he’ll be a very good asset to us.

“I think he’s just a good, fresh body that has experience I was looking for that can blend in with our guys and I think he has instant buy-in with us.

“Jack McVeigh is back and healthy and ready to go which is a blessing, and actually I thought it was a blessing-in-disguise that he got a little dinged up, because I’d been begging him just to rest for a few weeks and this forced him to do that.”

>> JackJumpers Find White Fit

After the JackJumpers smashed all pre-season predictions with their brilliant run to the finals last year, Roth is attempting to temper expectations ahead of the club’s second ever season competing in the NBL.

The general consensus was the side might win a few games and be a feel good story of the league, but few expected them to roar into the playoff spots at the expense of the Perth Wildcats to end one of world sports' longest active playoff streaks.

Roth says the organisation is trying to build a long-term and sustainable project as opposed to generating flash in the pan success.

“For me it was the perfect storm and maybe once in 20 or 30 years that might happen where an expansion team can go all the way and rally the entire state,” he added.

“For us its about turning the page, we’ve only played 34 games in the history of this franchise. Lets not get carried away. 

“We’re going to take some lumps, we haven’t been punched in the mouth yet. We’re going to get knocked down and go through some hard times. For me the biggest thing is building some stability across the line, building some culture that’s going to be there whether we’re winning or losing.

“There’s a lot of teams in this league that, in my opinion, don’t have any culture or anything they’re standing for except reloading or going to find new players again. For me this is an entire state we’re representing and I want it to be right for everyone, that everyone is proud of this team."