“Point to prove” for Jackies recruit

By his own admission, Reuben Te Rangi hasn’t performed at his best over the past couple of seasons. 

The 29-year-old, who has two championships, a Most Improved Player, and a Best Sixth Man award to his name, averaged just 5.8 points last season, following 4.8 the campaign prior.  

The numbers paint a picture of a minimised on-court impact at the South East Melbourne Phoenix, but Te Rangi is hoping a move to the Tasmania JackJumpers will help him get back to his best. 

It is a wise move, as the JackJumpers have become known as a place where players fulfil their potential, with Jack McVeigh, Majok Deng, Will Magnay, Sean Macdonald, and others flourishing in Scott Roth’s system.  

“I don’t think I’ve played my best basketball the last couple of years. Scott and I definitely talked about that. I have a point to prove and I’m trying to help this team as much as I can,” Te Rangi said via Newscorp.

While some are viewing him as a replacement for the NBA bound McVeigh, even Te Rangi admits “I don’t think anyone can play as well as he did in those shoes". 

Roth thinks replacing McVeigh will be a group effort.

“We have plenty of guys like Majok Deng and Fab (Fabijan Krslovic) who played Jack’s spot, we’ll be ready to go,” Roth said. 

The JackJumpers’ title defence begins on September 19 in a Championship Series re-match against Melbourne United at HoopsFest. 

Click here for the full story >> Why new recruit Te Rangi has ‘point to prove’ at Jackies