Two-time NBL champion Clint Steindl to captain the JackJumpers
The JackJumpers have named an experienced hand and two-time NBL champion to take on the role as the side’s inaugural captain.
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ACTIONS will speak louder than words for the JackJumpers’ newly minted inaugural captain Clint Steindl, whose main goal is to “earn the respect” of his teammates and opposition players in the team’s maiden season in the NBL.
Steindl, 32, was unveiled as the green machine’s leader at training on Friday, and point guard Jarrad Weeks will be his vice-captain.
The 200cm forward and two-time NBL championship player with Perth Wildcats, Steindl will lead the JJs for the first time in their NBL Blitz match against Adelaide 36ers at Ulverstone on Sunday.
Steindl said he was not an extrovert leader.
“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a bit of pressure that comes with it but not a lot will change with how we’ve been going so far,” he said.
“The biggest thing I take away from it is you gain the respect of your teammates and peers – the guys who voted you into that spot.
“It’s going to be a lot of work and we are ready to take it on, especially being the new franchise – us two guys have been elected to carry this thing forward.
“It’s an absolute honour, especially being the first season and to be the first captain of this team.
“Maybe that means there are going to be some more eyes on us at times throughout the year and it’s going to be the way we hold ourselves and the way we get our things done on the floor and off it.”
Steindl would not describe himself as a natural chief.
“In terms of being an inspirational leader or anything like that, you may find that in a few of the other guys, but doing things that need to be done and work ethic, that’s going to be my direction going forward,” he said.
The JackJumpers had players who would “lead in different ways”.
“Jack [McVeigh] can run the floor, he’s the coach out there so he’s essentially got the reins out there doing that part of it,” Steindl said.
“You’ve got to find different guys leading in different ways, especially on a new team.”
Steindl will take lessons learned from other captains from his time at Cairns Taipans, Townsville Crocodiles, Perth Wildcats and playing in Greece and Belgium.
“This is a new role for me. I’ve spent 10 years playing professionally now and seeing other guys lead teams and looking back on those guys and asking what would those guys do, having learned from them – they are outstanding leaders in very different ways,” Steindl said.
“Don’t expect anything crazy from me, each guy is going to do their part and continue to build this club.”
Coach Scott Roth said Steindl had “always been a natural leader”.
“To have the entire group vote him as captain says a lot about his credentials and the respect the group has for him,” he said.
“He sets the standards both on and off the court. He holds himself to high account and he holds others to the same. He knows what it takes to build a championship-winning culture and expect success.”
Antsy JackJumpers ready to Blitz
THE JackJumpers are ready to share the pain.
Months of in-house scrimmages have left the NBL’s newest franchise ready to explode with anticipation as the JackJumpers take the court for the first time against an opposition side when they host the Brisbane Bullets at MyState Bank Arena in the NBL Blitz on Sunday.
JackJumpers import Josh Adams said the side was like a spring coiled to tightly after the continual push back of the season start due to Covid delays and border restrictions.
“I speak to all of us to say we are stoked,” Adams said.
“Just like any team, you play against the same guys for two months, it is going to get a little chippy, a little antsy.
“We can’t wait to get going and test out where we are at compared to the other teams.”
While the pre-season competition is crucial for all teams, it is doubly so for the JackJumpers as they search for the right combination and chemistry ahead of the regular season starting on December 3 in the same venue against the same opposition.
JackJumpers coach Scott Roth will run his full squad for roughly equal minutes during the first two games before zeroing in on a starting five and the major bench players in the final three games of the Blitz.
But Adams said the Blitz was also important from a mental side of the game.
“The most important thing is we face some adversity – get down or a team goes on a couple of runs to see how we respond, all those little things we need to work out before a season,” the guard said.
“That’s we’d like to have worked out before a season, and this is the perfect atmosphere to do so, especially since it is on our home court.”
As well as the first game as a group, it will also be the debut for the $66 million refurbished MyState Bank Arena.
Adams and his teammates hit the new court for the first time on Thursday and were instantly impressed.
But he said what would turn the “Ant Hill” from a shiny, new stadium into a fortress is what happens in the stands and on the court in the playing group.
“I think it comes with the crowd and the vibe and the whole atmosphere,” Adams said.
“But also it is us 15-16 guys who have been together for 2½ months now – that is all that matters at the end of the day because those are the guys who are going to be at war with you out on the court.
“That is what’s going to work or not work depending on how those 15-16 guys come together.
“The fans, the crowd and the stadium are a big part of it, but the most important pieces is this group of guys, which is something we’ve had all along.”
JACKJUMPERS SQUAD:
#35 Clint Steindl (forward)
#20 Fabijan Krslovic (forward)
#9 Jack McVeigh (guard)
#97 Jarrad Weeks (guard)
#21 Jarred Bairstow (forward)
#15 Jock Perry (centre)
#2 Josh Magette (guard)*
#14 Josh Adams (guard)*
#1 Matt Kenyon (guard)
#0 MiKyle McIntosh (forward)*
#10 Nikita Mikhailovskii (forward)^
#30 Sam McDaniel (guard)
#13 Sean Macdonald (guard)
#7 Sejr Deans (guard)
#22 Will Magnay (centre)
* Imports; ^ Next Stars program
Big JackJumper ready to Blitz in the NBL
THE NBL Blitz is a “massive opportunity” for towering centre Jock Perry to prove he’s the real deal, says star Will Magnay ahead of the JackJumpers’ opening match of the preseason tournament against the Brisbane Bullets at MyState Bank Arena on Sunday.
Magnay believes the 216cm - that’s 7ft1 in the old measurement - development player can grab his chance to cement a place in the side going up against Brisbane’s three peaks.
“More than anything it’s an opportunity for Jock to prove he belongs on an NBL court,” Magnay said.
“He’s a legit player, he’s tough to guard and a great player for me to go up against [at practice] every day.
“He’s going to surprise a lot of people with how skilled he is and how handy he is.
“It’s a massive opportunity, especially against Brisbane. They’ve got three seven-footers so we are going to need his size and his strength for sure.”
Magnay’s recovery from foot surgery in mid-June is on track, and although he will not be on court to bite the Bullets, he hopes to build his on-court minutes as the Blitz progresses.
“I’m back to full training and doing all the competitive work. I’ve just got to get my fitness back up, get through a couple of weeks without my body breaking down and then I should get the all clear to play,” he said.
“I’m happy with where I’m at and so are the medical staff, so I will stick to what they say.
“If I can play 10 minutes I’ll be happy, if I play two I’ll be stoked, so if I’m back on the court I’ll be loving my life.”
The Blitz will put most players under the microscope.
“It will let us get a feel of where we are at, who works well with each other, and give the development players a run to see how everyone goes at that next level,” Magnay said.
“We will start to tighten things up at the back end of the Blitz when we see how players look after proper game minutes.”
Himself a former Brisbane player, Magnay is well acquainted with Tasmanian Bullet, Tanner Krebs.
“I’m really good mates with Tanner - I lived with him in Brisbane,” he said.
“I really like his game. He’s got a lot more than he showed last year. I’m really excited to see where he goes this year.
“I watched him on the NBL1 North and he absolutely dominated, he looked really comfortable, looked really fit and his shot looks really good
“I’m a massive fan of Tanner, he’s a great guy. I really hope to see his career take off.”
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