Tasmania is beginning to flex its muscles as Australian sport’s unlikeliest emerging power after the JackJumpers upset Melbourne United with a dramatic last-gasp shot from longe-range to close to within one win of their first National Basketball League title.
The result follows last week’s launch of the Tasmania Devils AFL side, which has attracted more than 150,000 foundation members.
In Melbourne on Sunday, JackJumpers forward Jack McVeigh hit a deep three-pointer in the dying seconds to secure game three of the best-of-five NBL finals series 93-91. The NBL’s official website labelled it “one of the most incredible finishes ever in a basketball game”.
The result means the Tasmanian upstarts – who have reached the finals in two of the first three years in the competition – can secure a first-ever NBL title with a win at home on Thursday.
JackJumpers coach Scott Roth played down McVeigh’s shot, but talked up its significance, after the game.
“If we happen to somehow or another win a championship, they’ll talk about it [for a long time],” he said. “But right now it’s just another half-court shot that went in.”
The JackJumpers club is still in start-up mode, and has not yet been sold by NBL owner Larry Kestelman.
But the side is set to deliver a windfall for Kestelman. His recent divestment from Melbourne United valued that club at $40m.
The Hobart franchise is unlikely to attract the same investment as one of the league’s marquee clubs, but the JackJumpers have quickly developed a passionate following.
Regular sell-outs suggest they have already outgrown the 4,300-seat MyState Bank Arena in Hobart.
The arrival of the AFL side, which is slated to play its first match in 2028, is seen to enhance rather than threaten the JackJumpers’ success.
The NBL season runs over summer, complementing the winter AFL season. JackJumpers chief executive Christine Finnegan warmly welcomed the Devils last week.
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“We certainly see the Devils as complementary to the JackJumpers and the NBL and are delighted that Tasmanians will have elite sporting content across the state, year-round” she said.
“Sport gives people a place to belong, an outlet for escapism and ultimately a tangible sense of community.”
The stunning response to the Devils’ membership drive has been attributed to the long period of exclusion of a Tasmanian presence in national sporting competition.
Executive director of the Devils, Kath McCann, said while the ultimate count of members – now more than 150,000 – was a surprise, the club suspected it would drive strong support during its consultation period run over the summer.
“We had a very strong sense around the level of support for the club, that we deserve a place on the national stage,” she said.
If Melbourne United can defeat the JackJumpers in Hobart on Thursday, the finals series concludes with the deciding match in Melbourne on Sunday.
