JackJumpers Searching for “Tasmanian Flavour” on Playing Roster

Tasmania JackJumpers CEO Simon Brookhouse hopes the club will have a “Tasmanian flavour” when they hit the court.

The JackJumpers were unveiled as the league’s 10^th team today and despite not entering the NBL until the 2021/22 season, they will soon begin formulating their playing roster.

While the club will search across the world for players, Brookhouse wants to make sure Tasmanian fans have some local heroes to cheer for.

“We will start looking at what players may or may not be available,” Brookhouse said.

“There are embargos on players who are contracted in the NBL that we can’t talk to but there are players in Europe and in Asia and in the US college (system) or professionally, so we will have to look at who is about and who is available.

“One of the keys for us is to try and get as much Tasmanian flavour to our team as we possibly can. That won’t be easy in year one because the clubs are very smart at re-contracting their Tasmanian players but we will certainly make every endeavour to get as many Tasmanian people involved as we can.”

Brookhouse also added the JackJumpers are already in the process of finding a head coach for the team.

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Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein expressed his excitement about the JackJumpers joining the NBL, adding he hopes it creates stronger pathways for the state’s basketball players.

“I can’t say just how pleased I am that we have arrived at this point,” Gutwein said.

“As a Government we have long held the view that we need to be on the national stage. We need to be playing our part as a state playing in national competitions and the NBL is the competition we are going to take our first step into.

“It will be a good outcome for children and young sports people in Tasmania. Basketball in Tasmania is a sport that has around 14,000 registered participants and around 10,000 of those are kids.

“What we need to see as a result of the NBL being launched here is that we grow the base and we have more kids getting involved, that we have increased participation but importantly we put Tasmania on the national map with the JackJumpers.”