JackJumpers to ease Olympian Magnay into pre-season

Olympian Will Magnay will be eased into pre-season training for Tasmania Jackjumpers, who are determined to draw a firm line under last season's maiden NBL championship.

The JackJumpers claimed their first title in just their third season in 2023/24 after making the playoffs both years prior.

Magnay and clubmate Jack McVeigh earned a trip to Paris for the Boomers, who were knocked out in the Olympic quarter-finals by Serbia.

Jackjumpers coach Scott Roth said Magnay, who has battled multiple injuries in recent years, would be the final player to rejoin the club for pre-season training on Monday.

"He said he’s ready to go, excited to be back and really pumped about this season," Roth said on Thursday.

"We’ll take it slow with him in this first week or two like we have most of our guys who have come back (later).

"We’ll gradually get him up and running."

Tasmania have a packed pre-season, beginning with one of two practice games in the state's north against the Adelaide 36ers on August 25.

They then play the NBL Blitz and fly to Singapore for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup ahead of their NBL season opener against Melbourne United in Perth on September 19.

Roth indicated the club had made a point to move on from their championship win.

"We stopped talking about last year weeks ago. It’s irrelevant right now. New journey, new players, new front office staff," Roth said.

"As sport goes, it’s always difficult to come back and repeat - to win a championship is very difficult.

"For us it's about restarting our process again and hoping that we stay relatively healthy".

Tasmania have kept the majority of their roster together but will be without championship series MVP McVeigh, who has signed two-way deal with the Houston Rockets in the NBA.

They have picked up point guard Craig Sword as an import - he was recently described by teammate and fellow American Milton Doyle as one of best on-ball defenders he'd seen.

Roth joined several players at a logistics company on Hobart's outskirts for a day "on the tools", a pre-season staple for the club.

"The biggest thing is for our players to have a little bit of humble pie," he said.

"People are working very hard in Tasmania and it’s a privilege to know what they do."

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store