7
Nov
2026
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Great Scott! Roth changes name of hoodoo stadium
Tasmania JackJumpers’ Will Magnay celebrates during their Round 8 NBL27 clash against the New Zealand Breakers at Silverdome in Launceston on November 6, 2026. Photo: Steve Bell/Getty Images.
Highlights
Tasmania played seven men, one with the flu and one on a bad ankle, and still went top of NBL27.
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Scott Roth, right now, is the best coach in the NBL, and his banged-up Tasmania JackJumpers are running through walls for him.
The 63-year-old American head coach's JackJumpers went top with "a grinder" of a win against the New Zealand Breakers, 79-77, at the stadium he renamed "The Goldendome" in Round 8 of NBL27 on Friday, November 6, 2026.
The JackJumpers moved to 8-3 and 3-9 at the Silverdome in Launceston, surviving Breakers' big man Sam Mennenga's game-tying, foot-on-the-line long two to force overtime.
"I thought up until maybe the last three minutes, they were doing a really nice job of staying with what we were doing and getting that margin," Roth said.
"Then we made some bonehead decisions in the last minute or two, which obviously made it quite difficult to get this one across the line. Credit to Gordie (Herbert) and his group for continuing to fight.
"We also just renamed this building the Goldendome because we're not coming in second anymore.
"The Silverdome is a myth.
"Taran Armstrong, we didn't know if he was playing in this game. He has the flu. Then (Nick) Marshall plays the whole game with a severely sprained ankle, or at least a sprained ankle enough for him to say: 'I've got to come out in the last four minutes'.
"We just had a lot of guys step up again, thrown into difficult situations, and they responded in the right way. Kody (Stattmann) was obviously huge for us in those areas of manning the fort and helping us take over the scoreboard.
"It's a grinder. We'll take anything we get, especially in this building. Hopefully we've exorcised some of the demons in here, and we can move forward.
"Again, just seven guys and another gritty effort. The fight and the love in that locker room is real."
Tasmania is getting it done by committee: Dakota Mathias ($145,200) with 18 points; Will Magnay ($269,300) 16; Josh Bannan ($317,500) 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists; Taran Armstrong ($304,700) 10 points; Kody Stattmann ($116,800) nine; and Nick Marshall ($203,400) seven.
"We have some guys who will definitely need quite a bit of rest," Roth added.
"Benny (Ayre) was available tonight, but our plan with him was to try to give him three, four or five minutes. It didn't happen tonight, but he'll get another swing in the next couple of days to get some more practice under him.
"He's going to be hugely important to us moving forward, so we want to gradually make sure he comes back at the right fitness level for him. That's exciting.
"The group in general definitely needs some rest. We're obviously running on fumes here.
"I told these guys during the course of these four games that we're not here to survive by any means. We're here to thrive in this environment.
"In sports, I think you have to appreciate suffering. That's not always a great thing to go through, but I think suffering is part of sports.
"If you're able to suffer and get to the other side of that, the rewards down the road are significant.
"Different teams go through it, and suffering is kind of what we've been doing here a little bit.
"Hopefully, as we gradually increase our guys coming back over the next few weeks, they'll see what's down the road for them as we move forward."
Stattmann, 26, signed with the JackJumpers as an injury replacement for the now-retired Anthony Drmic.
"It's unreal," Stattmann said.
"Even coming in a little late, all the boys welcomed me with open arms and really pushed me hard at training. Same with the coaches, pushing me really hard.
"Being out there with them, we're such a tight group and all love each other. It's been really good being able to be involved in this group.
"Playing them the last couple of years, they've always been a really tough group to play against and really well coached.
"When I didn't have anything, and I saw a couple of injuries down here, I was honestly hoping they might have a look at me.
"I've got no bad words to say at all. It's been unreal so far."
Roth said it was fortunate Stattmann was unsigned when Tasmania needed "a body".
"There are the obvious things that go with him. Playing in the US at a very high-level school, he's obviously been well coached," he said.
"He'll admittedly tell you he struggled a little to find his footing in the NBL. I think he came in with a lot of accolades but probably hadn't found his footing quite yet.
"The thing with him is he's got size, he can handle the ball, and he can shoot. Like anything else, guys get labels on them, and then he kind of drifts away.
"We were fortunate to have him still sitting out there when we needed a body about a month ago.
"We'll push him to the limits and test him as best we can, on and off the floor, in the weight room and all the things we're asking him to do. I think our environment allows someone like him to thrive with the guys we have around.
"The other thing is he's got a very calm demeanour. Just as he is now, he's on the floor the same way. He's never too high or too low.
"I think that's a trait that's really hard in professional sports because it can get quite emotional. He's very steady, and he's obviously a great addition for us."
What you need to know
- The Tasmania JackJumpers beat the NZ Breakers 79-77 at the Silverdome in Launceston in Round 8 of NBL27 on Friday, November 6, 2026, moving to 8-3 and handing New Zealand a fifth straight loss at 4-8.
- Tasmania never trailed: they won the first quarter 27-19 and led 43-32 with 2:19 left in the half, New Zealand scored the last 11 points to level 43-43 at half-time, then Tasmania won the third 21-12 and survived a 22-15 fourth.
- Sam Mennenga ($303,100) top-scored with 29 points and 17 rebounds on 13-from-19, while Dakota Mathias ($145,200) led Tasmania with 18 on 6-from-15, including 4-from-10 from three.
- Tasmania made 21-from-31 at the line and New Zealand 11-from-14, a 10-point edge in a two-point game, with the Breakers called for 27 fouls.
- New Zealand took 72 shots to Tasmania's 55 on the back of 17 offensive rebounds to seven, but made 4-from-23 from three, their fewest threes in a game this season.
Milestones
- Sam Mennenga is four games short of 100 NBL games, counting last season's Ignite Cup Final, and Kouat Noi is five short of 200.
Tasmania JackJumpers
- Dakota Mathias ($145,200) top-scored with 18 points and five rebounds on 6-from-15, including 4-from-10 from three, in 37 minutes.
- Will Magnay ($269,300) had 16 points, three blocks and three assists on 6-from-9, but missed both free throws with seven seconds left and Tasmania two points up.
- Josh Bannan ($317,500) had 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists on 5-from-8, including 2-from-2 from three.
- Taran Armstrong ($304,700) scored 10 on 3-from-11 and 4-from-6 at the line, with four assists and four turnovers.
- Kody Stattmann ($116,800) scored nine off the bench on 2-from-4 and 5-from-6 at the line, including the two free throws with 17 seconds left that made it 79-75.
- Nick Marshall ($203,400) had seven points and five assists on 2-from-5, with no turnovers in 31 minutes.
- Nicholas Stoddart ($69,000) scored five in eight minutes off the bench, the last of only seven JackJumpers to get on the floor.
- Tasmania shot 25-from-55 from the field, 8-from-20 from three and 21-from-31 at the line, with 32 rebounds, 22 assists and 10 turnovers.
NZ Breakers
- Sam Mennenga ($303,100) had 29 points, 17 rebounds (seven offensive) and two blocks on 13-from-19, scored seven in the 11-0 run that closed the half, and missed a turnaround jumper on the last possession.
- Carlin Davison ($121,600) had a game-high nine assists off the bench, with six points, five rebounds and two steals on 3-from-8.
- Kouat Noi ($185,100) scored nine off the bench on 3-from-7, including 1-from-3 from three.
- Reuben Te Rangi ($97,100) scored seven on 2-from-4 off the bench and fouled out.
- Dejan Vasiljevic ($144,000) scored seven on 2-from-12, including 1-from-5 from three.
- Mojave King ($189,100) scored seven off the bench on 3-from-7, including the dunk with 14 seconds left that cut it to 79-77.
- Parker Jackson-Cartwright ($405,200) had two points, four assists and three turnovers on 1-from-4 in 11 minutes, and did not play after the 3:43 mark of the second quarter.
- New Zealand shot 31-from-72 from the field, 4-from-23 from three and 11-from-14 at the line, with 42 rebounds, 17 assists and 13 turnovers.
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