When they first came together, the Tasmania JackJumpers went apple picking. The orchard of Willie Smith’s Cider played host, and the newly assembled NBL team learned what it means to graft, to experience the hardworking values necessary to thrive in the picturesque but unforgiving environment.
Since the club’s inception, players have spent day one of each pre-season working with one of their commercial partners. They gain insight into the lives of factory workers and truck drivers, forming a renewed appreciation for their lives as professional sportspeople while fuelling a desire to represent the island of Tasmania and its people.
On Sunday, in just their third season, the JackJumpers defeated Melbourne United to claim their first NBL championship. Two extraordinary women, chair Keryn Nylander and CEO Christine Finnegan, lead the club, and even days later, they are still trying to quantify the achievement.
“The club literally started in my lounge room during Covid in Victoria, and seeing what’s happened has just been such an amazing journey,” Finnegan says. “It’s been such hard work, but it’s been so well rewarded. You don’t often get fairytales in sport, but I do believe that since day one, this club has been a fairytale.”
You only get one chance to make a first impression, and establishing an expansion club is high-stakes stuff. Getting the right people involved is paramount, and hiring Scott Roth as head coach was a masterstroke. Immediately, he identified the team as one for Tasmania, a state with a rich sporting pedigree but constantly overlooked.
Before a player was signed, Roth travelled the state for three months, riding shotgun with Jack the JackJumper as coach and mascot. They visited schools, local clubs and communities to build awareness. The first game sold out, and the team’s only Tasmanian-born player, Sam McDaniel, scored their first ever points in a double-overtime win. Every single game since has sold out.
It’s easy to see why. When you step inside MyState Bank Arena, you’re greeted with an explosion of Tassie pride. An immersive sound and light show creates an energy that whips the capacity crowd into a frenzy, and the home team feeds off that symphony of celebration.
The players feel it. They’re clearly adored, from championship series MVP Jack McVeigh to the talented young development players. After the championship win, star American import Milton Doyle told SEN: “We have the whole of Tasmania behind us also, and you see what you’re playing for. It’s not just basketball; it’s more than that, so it’s easy to be passionate about.”
It’s all part of a clearly defined strategic plan. “Everyone who came here knew what they were here for,” Finnegan says. “Two key pillars from which we measure our success are growing the game of basketball and engaging the community. We needed a coach who would embrace that, and the players are contracted to spend a certain amount of time within the community, which they do with humility and authenticity.”
Their fans feel a genuine connection and the club’s mantra – “defend the island” – manifests in the team’s refusal to concede, no matter the circumstance. Finnegan says they’re not just three words on the wall but an ethos at the core of everything the club does. Essentially, they want to make Tasmanians proud.
Throughout their three seasons of NBL competition, they have. In 2021-22, the JackJumpers qualified for the championship series in their debut season. A year later they finished third. Their record places them firmly in the discussion around Australian sport’s most successful expansion club.
Roth once said it took him 58 years to find Tasmania, but now he’s home. He views himself as more of a leader and mentor than a coach, creating an unshakable self-belief within his team. To win the title, the JackJumpers won series-deciding matches in Perth and Melbourne – two of the most challenging assignments in Australian basketball.
Modern-day Tasmania is emerging with a boldness and confidence that suggests its people have grown tired of playing the underdog and undervalued. Driving this is a cultural richness and an innovative spirit that NBL owner Larry Kestleman believed in when others thought the market was too small.
Seven thousand fans packed into their stadium on Monday to greet their championship-winning heroes. Street art murals commemorating the victory are popping up across the state, and families decked out in JackJumper green are everywhere.
Over the coming weeks, Roth will hit the road again, taking the trophy across Tasmania. Inclusion is non-negotiable at the JackJumpers – as Finnegan realised on Sunday when she broke her self-imposed rule of not entering the change rooms after a game after a phone call telling her to come and join the party. “That was very special to me,” she says.
With plans for a state-of-the-art high-performance centre and to increase the capacity of their home court, the ants are marching towards an inspiring future.
