Jarred Bairstow arrives in Tasmania ready to put building pieces in place for new NBL team
Back up JackJumpers big man Jarred Bairstow won’t be asked to light up the box scores — and he wouldn’t have it any other way as he strives to instil a hard working culture into new squad.
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JACKJUMPERS big man Jarred Bairstow won’t be asked to stuff the stats sheet with his new NBL side, and he has no problems providing the grunt work for his teammates.
Another Perth Wildcat who has relocated to Tasmania — joining lead assistant coach Jacob Chance, sharp shooter Clint Steindl and NBA hopeful Will Magnay — Bairstow has arrived in the state ready to get stuck into the pre-season.
The brother of former Chicago Bull and 2016 Olympian Cameron, Bairstow is likely to provide back-up minutes to Magnay and is determined to set the tone with his action.
“Perth’s culture was unreal and being part of that professionalism and that culture is something I valued a lot,” Bairstow said.
“That’s what we want to build here … it is not going to be exactly what Perth was, it has got to be our own brand and be Tasmanian.
“Obviously [head coach] Scott [Roth] and Jacob and the rest of the coaching staff know what I bring, hopefully I can continue to bring that and whatever they need my role to be, I will do that the best I can.
“I’m definitely defensively minded, tough nosed, I’m not going to back down from anyone, I’m definitely going to do the nitty gritty, dirty work.”
Bairstow joined Perth last season as an injury replacement player for Majok Majok, featuring in 38 games (starting in 17) and averaging 1.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists.
He landed a three-year deal with the JackJumpers — which raised some eyebrows on social media — but Roth declared the 28-year-old the perfect fit with the remainder of the assembled roster.
“I intentionally picked certain guys, the guys from Perth obviously drive culture, he’s a guy that is going to do that for me,” Roth said.
“Clint Steindl and Will and himself have been in that environment and they know what it’s about.
“He is a tough minded kid that is going to bring a lot of energy, a lot of intangibles. He will be a scrapper out there doing all the little things.
“He is not going to be scoring 20 points a game or getting 15 rebounds a game, but he will impact the game with his energy and his hustle and getting the 50-50 balls and being a great teammate.”
Roth is hopeful of having all his Australian players in Tasmania by the end of this weekend, and out of quarantine requirements by mid September.
“I have tried to get as many shooters as I could, with a few guys that are going to be defensively minded and we will see how it rolls itself out.”
Tasmania’s NBL re-entry delayed
THE possibility of the JackJumpers playing their first NBL match on home soil is back on the table with the league pushing the start of the 2021-22 season back into November.
Tasmania’s re-entry to basketball’s top flight was expected to kick off in October but the ongoing problems interstate caused by Covid-19 have forced the league to postpone the first tip-off until November 18.
With a tight time frame to complete the renovations of the Derwent Entertainment Centre – coupled with the JackJumpers assembling an entire squad from scratch – chief executive Simon Brookhouse requested that the side start on the road to fast-track team chemistry.
But with at least another month to nail down rotations, the JackJumpers could be unveiled in front of home fans.
“I think it’s actually a positive for us, obviously we’re the only team that hasn’t played or trained together so to get that extra four weeks makes it really good for us to get our team together and bond,” Brookhouse said.
“We’re struggling with Covid to get players into Tasmania at the moment, so it just gives us a bit of extra time to make sure that our whole team is here and we get a good eight weeks training going into the season.
“The fixture is not finalised yet, there’s obviously venue availability issues coming at the back end of the season so that’s all being worked out and we’re hopeful the fixture will be out within the next four weeks.
“I think that you know with a new team, getting on the road to play a couple of games early is not a bad thing so that they can bond together on the road.
“They’re going to do that all year but if it happens to be our first game down here I think it’d be great for MyState Bank Arena as well to have the first JackJumper game at home.
“I’m a little bit ambivalent on it, I think most importantly we win our first few games and that’s what we want to do.”
Brookhouse said the JackJumpers have requested to play as many Friday night home games as possible – a timeslot that has proved popular and successful for the Hobart Chargers in the NBL1.
The DEC refurbishment is also on track, with the delay only enhancing the prospect of most of the stadium works being completed.
“We’re still on target for the end of September because there are other events booked in – it wasn’t just about basketball so there are events that would have been in there before the basketball starts,” Brookhouse said.
Jacob grabs his chance with JackJumpers
JACKJUMPERS coach Scott Roth was nearly left scrambling for a new lead assistant before his even touched down in Tasmania with Jacob Chance going deep into contention for Perth’s top job.
Roth, who worked alongside Chance during his stint with the Wildcats, prized Chance out of Western Australia to join him in building the NBL’s newest franchise from the ground up.
However the shock resignation of longtime Perth coach Trevor Gleeson saw Chance throw his hat into the ring to take the reins, where it understood he was one of the last candidates remaining.
Perth’s loss is Tasmania’s gain, with the multiple NBL championship winning assistant bringing all the tools to the table to make the JackJumpers an instant hit.
“It was obviously a bit of a shock with what happened in Perth, but I enjoyed going through the process and enjoyed a lot of guys like Scott and other guys around the world that really helped me through it,” Chance said.
“I think it’s a testament in the pathway to the people I’m around and people I connect with and hopefully in the future, something like that lines itself up.
“To come here and start something from the ground up is really exciting, I had a lot of success in Perth obviously in the last six years and to try and translate that and take it outside of that Perth environment is really important to me and my growth.
“I’m really excited. It’s a great group that fits. That’s another big thing in the NBL, you can put all the talent on the floor you want but if it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t work.
“We learned that in Perth … we’re trying to be elite, we’re not here to make up numbers, we’re here to try and win a championship in the first year.
“The NBL doesn’t have time for rebuilding.
“I didn’t come here to not win and I know these guys are the same. I don’t know anything else really, that’s my expectations, that’s what I think drives me every day and I think I have an idea of what it takes.”
Joining Chance in landing on the ground in Tasmania is forward Jack McVeigh.
McVeigh has spent the past three years in Adelaide — last season he averaged 9.4 points and 3.2 rebounds a game while shooting 42.5 per cent from behind the arc — with the move south expected to see him further enhance his game.
“Last year was a cool experience for me because it was the first time I felt true confidence when I stepped on the court,” McVeigh said.
“You can fake it until you make it, but then last year when I walked on the court, I knew I was one of the best guys out there.
“That’s a confidence that you can’t fake so it’ll be something I’ll be building on.
“I know I’ve got so much to learn and improve but with that confidence stepping onto the court, and ready to learn, it’ll be an exciting year.”
JackJumpers finalise inaugural NBL roster
JACKJUMPERS coach Scott Roth has delivered a message to aspiring NBL players from the state — being Tasmanian doesn’t entitle you to a free pass to the national side.
The JackJumpers confirmed their final roster for the 2021-22 season on Tuesday, with former Brisbane Bullet Matt Kenyon landing the last main roster spot with a one year deal.
Victorians Jock Perry and Sean Macdonald have also been signed as development players.
It leaves inaugural player, Launceston based fellow development player Sejr Deans, and Melbourne United championship winning guard Sam McDaniel as the only two players on the roster with Tasmanian connections.
However Roth made no apologies.
“I watched everyone in the state, and I think there’s some good players on the horizon and there’s some good players here,” Roth said.
“The thing is, you’re going to have to earn your way to be a JackJumper. Just because you live in the state doesn’t mean you get to play for the JackJumpers.
“It is a process, it’s a path, it is professional basketball, it’s competitive. We want to make sure that we’re open arms and watching everyone and I feel very confident in the future, that there will be other Tasmanians that will be joining in this roster.
“You have to earn it. Everything I’ve ever done in my life’s been earned.”
Roth said three of four emerging players will be invited to train with the squad once pre-season begins, and he had discussions with Tasmanian free agent Adam Gibson.
“I had multiple conversations with [Gibson] and I think that he wanted to play a few more years when it really comes down to it.
“We kind of went back and forth, back and forth, and we were only going to offer a one year deal.
“At this point I feel comfortable as the roster is unfolding with a couple of the older players and the imports that we got that the leadership can be covered.
“It would obviously be a great story for Gibbo to come back, maybe that’s next year at some capacity, we’ve talked about coaching, we’ve talked about development, player development.”
Kenyon, 23, was part of the Brisbane team when it re-entered the league, playing 21 matches across two seasons.
The shooting guard trained with the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls in 2019, before being taken by Capital City Go-Go in the G-League Draft.
“Super happy to be back in the NBL, obviously one of the best leagues in the world,” Kenyon said.
“I believe in myself and I know that I can compete at this level.
“When I was 18 I actually played for the Brisbane Bullets who were new organisation too …
that experience was really vital for my growth, just as a person, on and off the court, I think I learned a lot about the league, what it takes to play in this league.
“I was really just a kid back then learning on the fly, now I’m a grown man and I’m ready to play.”
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