Roth Praises "Humble and Hungry" JackJumpers

The Tasmania JackJumpers once again impressed NBL neutrals in their second season in the competition – but their season is now over after suffering a Playoff Series loss to the New Zealand Breakers.

The JackJumpers managed to force a third game in their series against the Breakers thanks to an emotionally charged Game 2 victory in Hobart, but eventually fell in the do-or-die contest by 17 points.

Despite finishing one step shorter than their debut campaign in NBL22, head coach Scott Roth says he’s prouder of his group for what they put together this season.

“We didn’t get to the Grand Finals but our guys were just fantastic all season,” Roth said post-game. For me, it’s been maybe a better year than last year.

“To finish fourth again in this type of league is quite tough, to win a Playoff game to get in and be where we’re at – I’m super proud of our group and our organisation.

“We’ve had a lot of good milestones this year. Our brand continues to be built, we continue to defend the island … that’s what we’re trying to build.

To be in our second year and to be in this position is quite humbling but it’s also very exciting … the big thing for me is to make the state proud of how we’re representing ourselves and how we carry ourselves, that our swagger is humble and hungry, and we have high character guys in the locker room.”

Sunday’s clash with the Breakers looked done and dusted mid-way through the second quarter. New Zealand had turned the screws defensively and strolled out to a double-digit lead. In typical JackJumpers fashion though, Tasmania fought back to trim the margin back to just three points.

That effort in pulling the game back proved the be the straw that broke the back of the away side though. Uncharacteristic errors and turnovers allowed their opposition to once again heap the scoreboard pressure on the side and eventually emerge as 15-point winners.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We gave it everything Tasmania, but that brings our NBL23 season to an end.<br><br>Congratulations to the Breakers on reaching the Championship series.<br><br>Thanks to the Ant Army for your endless support ? <a href="https://t.co/wiN7V1diND">pic.twitter.com/wiN7V1diND</a></p>&mdash; Tasmania JackJumpers ? (@JackJumpers) <a href="https://twitter.com/JackJumpers/status/1627203220916568065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“We got down by 17, 18 at one points ad that could have been it, but we got it back to three at three quarter time,” Clint Steindl said.

“They turned up the pressure. We were doing some good things but we were giving them second chance points and they were able to make a run.

“We were trying to gain some momentum after the break [but] they made us pay.

“It was self-inflicted with some turnovers but the one thing that continued was the fight – and that’s what we’re about.”

All eyes – including Scott Roth’s – now turn to the Breakers and the Kings, and although there’s a week-long FIBA break to contest with before the Championship Series gets underway predictions are already flying around all corners of social media.

Roth stopped short of declaring a favourite for the series though, but he acknowledges the Kings and Breakers are the two sides that deserve to be there the most.

“They’ve been the two best teams all year,” he said. “It should be fun to watch – I can’t say one or the other.

“You have to go through the Kings to win a championship, that’s what I said the first day we came back this year in Darwin – and they’ll have to go through them and beat them.

“Congratulations to the Breakers and their organisation. They’ve had quite the two years and for them to come back in the fashion they have this year and finally get to play at home is a wonderful thing, I think, for the league and New Zealand in general.”