25
Jan
NBL26 Run Home
'Culture Club': JackJumpers are 'built for this storm'
Fans celebrate during the round 18 NBL match between Tasmania Jackjumpers and Illawarra Hawks at MyState Bank Arena on January 24, 2026 in Hobart. Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images
Highlights
Scott Roth leans on culture as Tasmania absorb Hawks loss amid season-ending injuries.
- 2025-26 NBL Team Lists and Roster Tracker
- ‘Catch 22’: Analysing our most coveted coaching jobs
- All 92 games of the 2025-26 WNBL season
Where to start – "I’ve got nothing but love for what they did today," Tasmania JackJumpers head coach Scott Roth said after losing their NBL26 clash 101-91 to the Illawarra Hawks in Hobart on Saturday, January 24, 2026.
Within the space of a week, the JackJumpers lost starting centre, Australian Boomer Will Magnay (toe) and import guard Bryce Hamilton (knee) for the season and Majok Deng out indefinitely with a concussion. The 2024 NBL champions have been without Sean Macdonald (knee) for the entirety of the season.
"I’ve got nothing but love for what they did today, Roth said.
"They played as hard as they possibly could. Listen, it’s been an emotional 48 hours for this group. Obviously starting with Will Magnay and a crushing blow to him, and then we move into Majok hitting his head in the first 30 seconds of (the last) game, and that really shook a lot of us until we got to halftime to regroup.
"Then we get the news late last night about Bryce. So it’s been quite an emotional rollercoaster with these guys. But they just keep showing up and doing the right thing.
"I was lucky enough when I started this franchise to build it, hopefully in a way that would weather a time like it is right now for us.
"The culture and the standards are the standards, and that’s what we’ll fall back onto. It might not be pretty, but our guys will show up, do the right thing across the board, compete, and that’s why we have our culture. That’s why we built it – for being in a storm."
And a storm it is. The JackJumpers are in sixth at 12-16 with five to play while the Illawarra Hawks are chasing at 9-16 with three games in hand. The Hawks are healthy, Tasmania isn't.
Roth started 2.06m Archie Woodhill on 2.13m three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee with inside-out power forward Josh Bannan also getting minutes against McGee and Sam Froling off the bench.
"Everyone that got on the floor did something for us," Roth said.
(Bannon)’s been a monster for us all year, and obviously we’re going to need a lot out of him over the next six games – not more, but just his competitive level.
"It’s contagious. Nick Marshall got hit in the ribs, so we’ll see how he goes. David Johnson has now put a couple of games together, which is a good sign.
"We’re going to take these two days off and reset, regroup, and let our guys emotionally detach for a minute. Then we’ll do what we need to do to finish off these six games. The crazy thing is we’re still on sixth."
Marshall was clearly hampered midway through the second quarter and struggled on multiple possessions before the game stopped.
"He got a shot," Roth revealed.
"I don’t know if it was a hip pointer or a rib, to be quite honest."
Roth had to start Woodhill on McGee "because we have no more bodies."
"I want him to play because we have no more bodies," Roth said.
"He has to be impactful for us and help us during this time period – we have no other choice. This is a great learning experience for him to be thrown into this.
"It will be an important six games for him and his growth, and we’ll see if he’s an NBA player. He’s been putting in some really good work, and we’ll just continue to try to build on that.
Tasmania JackJumpers — Run Home (NBL26)
- Friday, 30 January 2026: Cairns Taipans vs Tasmania JackJumpers. Cairns Convention Centre – 6:30pm
- Sunday, 1 February 2026: Tasmania JackJumpers vs New Zealand Breakers. MyState Bank Arena – 2:30pm
- Friday, 6 February 2026: Tasmania JackJumpers vs Brisbane Bullets. MyState Bank Arena – 7:30pm
- Saturday, 14 February 2026: South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Tasmania JackJumpers. John Cain Arena – 8:00pm
- Wednesday, 18 February 2026: Tasmania JackJumpers vs Illawarra Hawks. MyState Bank Arena – 7:30pm
Snapshot
- Total games: 5
- Home: 3 (Breakers, Bullets, Hawks)
- Away: 2 (Cairns, SEM)
- Days:
- Friday: 2
- Sunday: 1
- Saturday: 1
- Wednesday: 1
"It’s not so much about finishing top six," Roth admitted.
"It’s about doing the right thing and living up to our standards. If we do that, hopefully good things will transpire down the road.
"If we miss out, we miss out. That’s life, and basketball can be unkind. It is what it is. We’ll stay with our standards.
"I just believe we’ve got good guys. That’s been my number one thing for the last five years — picking good dudes who will come here, work, and buy into what we’re doing. It says a lot about the group. My coaching staff has been incredible.
"We’ve just got good dudes, and there’s no giving in. We might get smacked around over the next few weeks, but it won’t be from a lack of effort or preparation. We’ll stay with our standards, I’ll hold them accountable, and we’ll do what we need to get done.
"We need these 48 hours to get past us and then the next two days to rest and clear our minds. I believe we were on a hell of a trajectory.
"We’ve been here before. Last year we were left for dead at 11–8, eight or nine games to go, sitting third, and then the bottom fell out with Sean and Mags.
"We’re in a similar situation now, but we’re moving in a good direction. We’ll continue to build momentum and get valuable minutes into some of these guys. Hopefully we’ll get back on the floor with some of the younger guys and see how we go."
Tasmania JackJumpers
Head Coach: Scott Roth
- PG: Tyger Campbell (IRP) | Ben Ayre | Brody Nunn (DP)
- SG: Bryce Hamilton (IP) | Anthony Drmic | Nick Stoddart
- SF: David Johnson (IP) | Nick Marshall
- PF: Josh Bannan | Majok Deng | Ryley Haywood
- C: Will Magnay | Kobe Williamson | Archie Woodhill (DP)
Injuries
- Will Magnay: Toe (Season)
- Sean Macdonald Knee (Season)
- Majok Deng: Concussion
- Bryce Hamilton: Knee (Season)
Incoming Players
- Ryley Haywood (Injury replacement play for Majok Deng)
- Tyger Campbell (from Rasta Vechta - Germany)
- Ben Ayre (from South East Melbourne Phoenix)
- Bryce Hamilton (from Rostock Seawolves – Germany – Import)
- David Johnson (from Memphis Hustle – Import)
- Josh Bannan (from Brisbane Bullets)
- Nick Marshall (from Adelaide 36ers)
- Kobe Williamson (from Seattle University)
Departed Players
- Clint Steindl (retired)
- Craig Sword
- Fabijan Krslovic (to Melbourne United)
- Gorjok Gak (to South East Melbourne Phoenix)
- Ian Hummer
- Jordon Crawford (to Esenler Erokspor – Turkey)
- Milton Doyle (to Melbourne United)
- Reuben Te Rangi (to New Zealand Breakers)
- Walter Brown
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