JackJumpers Guards "Staying Ready" in Magette Absence

For the second time in their two seasons of existence the Tasmania JackJumpers have reached the final four of the NBL.

Their Seeding Qualifier victory over Cairns on Thursday night locked in a Playoff Series against New Zealand – with the Breakers taking the home-court advantage in the best of three-game series due to finishing second on the ladder in the regular season.

The JackJumpers entered their clash with the Taipans without a pair of key leaders – as point guard Josh Magette and captain Clint Steindl missed the game due to an eye and a hip injury respectively.

Tasmania’s young guard rotation was forced to step up in the absence of the pair – and Isaac White, Sean Macdonald and Sam McDaniel all played starring roles in the win.

Macdonald played 29 minutes off the bench, while McDaniel was crucial in gaining a number of defensive stops as the Taipans looked to mount a comeback. However, it was Isaac White who stole the show with his 18 points and four rebounds.

White, who has experienced huge variations in his minutes across the season, says he’s never switched off this season.

“We are a really deep team, so my mindset is just to stay ready,” he said post-game. “I work out with guys who player lesser minutes after every game to make sure I stay conditioned and stay ready.

“Scott calls my name randomly so I have to be ready to make sure I can make the most of those opportunities.

“I’m just super proud. I had a really fun time out on the floor tonight … I’m really pleased but there’s a lot more work to do.”

“He’s a classic example of a guy waiting and doing the right things, and when his time came he stepped through the door,” head coach Scott Roth added.

“I think our entire group was producing in some way. I thought Sam McDaniel was fantastic in his short minutes defensively.”

White – who initially joined the JackJumpers as an injury replacement player – is out of contract with the side at the end of this season.

Corey Williams was a huge supporter of the third-year guard during last night’s game and said he believes a team should offer White a two-year contract given his remarkable performances when afforded the opportunity.

White says there will be time to discuss off-field decisions when the season is over.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Next. Man. ? mindset. <br>Watch live on ESPN via Foxtel &amp; Kayo Freebies <a href="https://t.co/qjSONuqlx7">pic.twitter.com/qjSONuqlx7</a></p>&mdash; Tasmania JackJumpers ? (@JackJumpers) <a href="https://twitter.com/JackJumpers/status/1623641605268983808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“I guarantee I’ve loved my time here and I’d love to be here again, but it’s not really my conversation to have right now,” he said.

“I need to enjoy this win with my team, go to New Zealand and handle business.

“When it comes to it we’ll talk about it.”

The JackJumpers’ entrance into the final four has, once again, silenced the doubters the team had at the beginning of the season.

Their emergence as a genuine Playoff threat has totally negated any debate about whether last season was a fluke, and Scott Roth says a simple mentality has enabled the group to get the best out of itself.

“We’re just trying to make Tasmanians proud whenever we walk on the floor,” he said.

“Tonight was the perfect example of a team that could have felt sorry for itself losing ‘Jet’, but fought through it.

“I’m incredibly proud and very humbled by this because there are a lot of teams trying to do what we’ve done in the last two years.

“For our group to be able to do it back-to-back is just a great credit to the organisation, my coaching staff and these players.”

Tasmania travel to New Zealand for the first game of their best of three Playoff series on Sunday, February 12 at 2pm AEDT – live & free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies, 10 Peach & 10 play.