The Tasmania JackJumpers stand on the brink of history ahead of tonight’s Game 4 of the NBL championship series (7.30pm AEDT).
The JackJumpers finished the regular season in third place after a stirring four-win streak left them with a 16-12 win-loss record. But they thrashed the fourth-placed Illawara Hawks before overcoming the second-seeded Perth Wildcats 2-1 in the semi-finals to book their place in the grand final series against Melbourne United.
After losing the first game on the road 104-81, they bounced back to win the next two 82-77 then 93-91 – with game three’s stunning win coming via Jack McVeigh sending a half-court Hail Mary to beat the buzzer and put them one game away from a maiden NBL title.
Watch every game of the NBL Championship Series LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >
MORE: All-time NBL moment as last-second, half-court winner puts Tassie on brink of first title
Already, the JackJumpers are being called the “most successful expansion club” in Australian history – across any code.
They might bring an underdog mentality defined by their ‘Defend the Island’ motto that has united the state, but within three seasons they have established themselves as genuine competition heavyweights.
They reached the Grand Final series in their first season, lost in the semi-finals in their second season, and are back in the grand finals this time around.
Tonight’s game sold out in 10 minutes – their 49th consecutive home game to sell out, a streak dating back to their first-ever home game back in October 2021.
MyState Bank Arena in Glenorchy has a capacity of just 4,340, with the team desperate for a long-awaited upgrade to add another 1,500-plus seats to finally go ahead.
A $56 million redevelopment of the stadium was announced back in 2021 – but even another 3,500 seats won’t come close to meeting the demand for tickets, with the waitlist for JackJumpers memberships nearly 2,000 people long. Tickets almost always sell out to members before the general public get a chance to purchase.
It represents just how well the JackJumpers have captured the hearts of Tasmanians since their founding – with cigar-loving coach Scott Roth a key figurehead and touchpoint for fans across the state.
Tasmania one win away from NBL title | 01:25
A former NBA player then assistant coach at five different NBA franchises, Roth was then a key part of the Perth Wildcats’ NBL win in 2019-20 as an assistant coach.
But since becoming the inaugural coach at the JackJumpers – a role he is set to continue until the end of the 2026-27 season after signing an extension in January – his reputation has exploded.
Part of that came from him coining the mantra “Defend the Island” when he first took over the team, which has become far more than a motto for the club – but a rallying cry for the whole state.
“My job was to connect the state, top to bottom, which they said couldn’t be done,” coach Roth said after the game three win.
“They said if you went north of Launceston you had to drink Boags beer, and if you went south of there you had to drink Cascade.
“’Defend the Island’ has now become a motto not only for basketball, but for just work, things like youth groups, and something to be proud of to represent this state.”
He added: “It has morphed into something bigger (about) getting respect from the mainland (and) not being punched down at, or jabbed at.”
“There are a lot of tremendously hard working people down here.”
“There is no need to be punching down at us, we’re going to be swinging back just as hard.”
So prevalent has the “Defend the Island” motto been that Melbourne coach Dean Vickerman took a dig at Roth earlier in the series, saying: “Scotty’s going to talk about defending his little island as much as he wants to”.
But the mantra – and the community connection – is a large part of why NBL CEO David Stevenson claimed this week that the JackJumpers are the “most successful expansion club, in any sport, in Australia’s history.”
Stevenson told ESPN: “I don’t think there’s any doubt at all that the Tasmania JackJumpers are the most successful expansion club, in any sport, in Australia’s history.
“You think of all of the other sports; no other team has made the finals every year, and obviously two Championship Series. They’ve sold out every single game for three years … [and] captured the heart and soul of the whole state. It goes so much to the connection Scott [Roth] has, as the coach, at setting a great tone for the players, who’ve embraced the community spirit. I think the executive team have done a wonderful job there.
“They’ve just found a way to represent the state in every element, and really get some connection in through the heart … I think everyone around the league is taking notice about what they’ve done.”
Speaking of the special way the team has connected with the community, Stevenson added: “The whole ‘defend the island’, of what Scott came up with, and that the club has embraced, really took so much about the way in which Tasmanians view their state, and that representation of the JackJumpers has really materialised that.”
When it comes to the game itself, Tasmania will be missing star big man Marcus Lee – and for a potential game five, too – after suffering an MCL tear in game three.
“I feel for Marcus because you don’t always get the opportunity to play in these types of games,” Roth said.
“It’s unfortunate but it will be next man up for us.”
#couldnt #Aussie #sports #successful #expansion #club #brink #history
