Tasmania Tyger ready to earn his stripes

Tasmania’s newest recruit, Tyger Campbell, looks set to become a fan favourite, with the dynamic point guard focused on driving more success to the island.

“Especially… the history of the Tasmania JackJumpers… they won it two years ago now and they were the first team to ever do that coming into a new league,” he said on NBL Now.

“So I’ve got a chip on my shoulder. They know how to win here. I’m excited to figure out how to win here as well.”

Campbell joined the JackJumpers late, stepping in to replace Sean Macdonald after he was ruled out for the season with an ACL injury. With the setback confirmed, Tasmania moved quickly to secure the 5’11” guard, who arrived ready to embrace the opportunity ahead.

“It started when I was coming out of college. You know, we talked, they decided to go a different way with Jordan Crawford,” he said about his first contact with Scott Roth and Tasmania.

“This second time around… it was very unfortunate what happened to Sean Macdonald. You know, he’s a hell of a player and we’re wishing him a speedy recovery here.

“So, it took about four, five days to figure out, have my interview and talk to them. You know they decided to go with me on the weekend and by six, seven days from then, I was on a plane out here.”

Campbell enjoyed an impressive career at UCLA before launching his professional journey in France and Germany.

“I’m thankful and I’m blessed for my opportunity here. But what happened was pretty fluky. You don’t really plan for these things. So, all I can do as a pro is just stay ready, work out every day… and just be ready to work.”

While Campbell says it’s ‘fluky’, perhaps it’s more of a serendipitous opportunity, as he’s already been given perhaps the most fitting nickname around – Tasmania Tyger.

“I went online, looking up, doing my research on Tasmania a little bit. And I guess they’ve just run with it so far,” he laughed about the name.

“I guess we’ll see where it goes. But you know, I don’t mind the nickname. It’s pretty dope. So let’s just see where it goes.”