SINGAPORE (Singapore) - The rise of the National Basketball League has been impressive over the past decade. In Singapore, we'll get to see that league's champions take on the rest of the world for the first time, at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
The Tasmania JackJumpers won the NBL last season, booking a trip to Singapore. A few months after collecting what was the club's first ever silverware, they have a chance to double the count in their trophy room.
Who are they?
A team from Hobart, Tasmania formed in 2021 as an expansion team in the NBL. The JackJumpers are named after the jack jumper ant which lives in Tasmania and they hit the ground running, reaching the NBL Finals in their very first season as a professional club.
They carried on the same path the next year, and finally, in 2024, the orchestra conducted by coach Scott Roth went on to lift the trophy in just their third season, ever.
Even though the Tasmania club has only been around for three years, their players have picked up a host of individual accolades, Jack McVeigh was named as the Finals MVP before moving to the NBA this summer, Milton Doyle achieved All-NBL First Team recognition, while Sean Macdonald is the reigning Most Improved Player in the NBL.
Coach Roth has also been among the award winners, getting the NBL Coach of the Year award in 2022.
How did they get here?
Last season, the JackJumpers finished third in the Regular Season, just a win short of automatic qualification to the Semi-Finals. They had to go through the Play-Ins, where they defeated the Illawarra Hawks easily, by 16 points, booking a date with the second-seeded Perth Wildcats in the Semis.
Perth won Game 1 of the best-of-three series, and once they scored 94 points in Game 2, they probably thought it was enough to reach the Finals.
It wasn't, because the JackJumpers went on a tear in the last two games, scoring 102 and 100 points to win the matchup 2-1 and reach the Finals once again.
The task was the toughest possible, facing the top seeded Melbourne United. It was one of the most dramatic Finals in NBL history, as the JackJumpers stole Game 3 on the road to take a 2-1 lead, only to lose their final home game of the season 88-86.
That meant the Finals were going back to Melbourne for the deciding Game 5, in front of 10,000 fans at the John Cain Arena.
Jordon Crawford however stepped up and took over, scoring an incredible 27 points in the first half and finishing with 32 for the game to power the JackJumpers to an 83-81 win on the road.
They became the first Tasmania-based NBL champs since Launceston Casino City in 1981. What made this sweeter was the fact it was the first time in 28 years that more than a million fans attended the NBL games in a single season, and the JackJumpers' triumph allowed them to showcase their talents internationally in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
Why should we watch them?
They quickly became the team to watch in Australia, and they score in triple digits with ease. They did lose Jack McVeigh as their leader, and he was a revelation for the Boomers at the Olympics, too, but most of the team is back for another run.
Will Magnay is the center who also played the Olympics, Jordon Crawford's ability to score in bunches has already been described here, as has Sean Macdonald's rapid improvement in 2023-24.
Milton Doyle is the scorer on the wing, coming back for his third season with the team, after averaging 17 and 16 points per game in the first two, respectively.
Craig Sword is an important newcomer this summer, with an ability to spread the floor offensively after knocking down 43 percent of his threes across 46 NBA G League games last season, and an incredible feel for blocks at 1.90m (6'3'').
Majok Deng, Anthony Drmic and team captain Clint Steindl are all important role players for the JackJumpers, and we're looking forward to seeing Reuben Te Rangi with this team.
Te Rangi has been one of the best players for New Zealand internationally, his size, strength and shooting make him a nightmare matchup outside the arc, while Gorjok Gak brings more size inside of it.
Overall, this is a team with a lot of size, a lot of physical power, and a team which loves to shoot the ball. Perfect for neutral fans at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2024.
Who will they play in Singapore?
They have a day off when the competition starts, before they take the court on September 13 and face the BCL Americas winners Quimsa from Argentina. A day later, the JackJumpers face the NBA G League United team.
If they win the group, they will play the Final on September 15. If they finish second, they move to the Third-Place Game. If they end the group stage behind both Quimsa and the NBA G League United, they will be in the battle for fifth place on the final day of action.