JackJumpers "The Blueprint" For Potential Expansion

Since their introduction into the NBL the Tasmania JackJumpers have been a roaring success, both on and off the court.

After a Championship Series appearance in their maiden campaign in the competition, the JackJumpers registered a fourth-place finish in NBL23, and suffered elimination at the hands of New Zealand in Game 3 of the Playoffs.

“I’m a huge fan of what the JackJumpers have done,” NBL CEO David Stevenson said on The Waterboys.

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“Before they started if you ever thought they’d sell out every single game for the first two seasons, you’d have this massive increase in participation in basketball in Tasmania and, frankly, captured the heart and soul of the state – that’s a pretty powerful set of results.

“I think the future is more exciting than the past.”

Due to the rapidly increasing growth of the NBL, further expansion of the league has been mooted to be on the horizon.

Stevenson says if expansion is to come to a head in the near future, Tasmania’s model would be a good starting point for any potential franchises.

“The JackJumpers have been an incredible success and, frankly, are the blueprint for any team to come in in the future,” he said.

“We have to make sure there’s always three pillars before we think about expanding with a team.

“One is to make sure they’ve got strong public support, two is we’ve got the government right behind us both in terms of a playing and training venues, and third is the commercial partner support.

“That’s all come to a perfect outcome with the JackJumpers.”