Magnay, Bannan leading way for JackJumpers

The quality of big men across the NBL has shot through the roof this season but Tasmania JackJumpers pair Will Magnay and Josh Bannan have been as good as any front court with coach Scott Roth delighted with their ferocity.

A lot of teams across the league for NBL26 have loaded up with dominant big men but Tasmania's Boomers pairing of Magnay and Bannan have been outstanding so far to put themselves right up there as the league's best starting front court.

They are combining for 25.4 points, 15.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks a game. Again in Sunday's come from behind win in Sydney they were terrific with 33 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in the win over the Kings.

The JackJumpers made it a real focus to use both Magnay and Bannan inside offensively against the Sydney front court of Tim Soares and Xavier Cooks too. It ended up working a treat much to the delight of Roth.

"We were obviously trying to stop the bleeding of having poor possessions offensively and at least putting some pressure on them some how or the other by getting the ball to the interior and even getting to the foul line," Roth said.

"They both did a wonderful job out there and now you add Majok Deng back in there who can open the floor up once he gets his rhythm going to shoot the ball.

"Those three guys together are wonderful guys and they are obviously tough-minded guys, and Magnay and Bannan are as tough as they come.

"I thought they were just ferocious especially in the second half with the work rate on both ends of the floor. I can't talk enough about Magnay's leadership in this game either and juts in the huddles and at half-time.

"I didn’t have to say too much and he was just on point, and that's a growth thing on him with his leadership for his first time."

Looking back to Sunday's game in Sydney, Tasmania found themselves 16 points down early in the fourth quarter and then also lost leading scorer Bryce Hamilton who fouled out with four minutes to play.

Despite that, the JackJumpers outscored the Kings 20 points to four over the last six minutes including hitting the last 12 points. Then came the spectacular finish when Magnay stole the inbounds pass, and Nick Marshall made himself the hero.

In the end for Roth, it perfectly encapsulated the JackJumpers culture.

"I think we just found a way to win by grinding it down in the second half there and solved a few problems, but ultimately we got them back to a more halfcourt game where we like to play," he said.

"Then we were just lucky in the last three or four minutes to make some really good plays and finally get a couple of consecutive stops in-a-row.

"It's just a gritty win and we say grit and grind with the JackJumpers, and that probably emphasised it as much as anything we've done."

Following that win, the JackJumpers improved to a 5-3 record on the season with six of those first eight matches being outside Tasmania ahead of now having five in-a-row at home.

Roth is always respectful and relieved for any road win and knows that four wins way from home they have so far this season has been a good result in a challenging opening to NBL26.

"It just allows you to have a breath first of all and enjoy this for a minute," Roth said.

"We have been on the road quite a bit and any time you sneak one out, you just stay humble and get out of town as quick as you can. For us to post a few wins already on the road in some difficult circumstances is just a tribute to these guys.

"I think the week off helped us in some ways even though we might have been too sluggish defensively in the first half, but I just thought it was a very gritty effort across the board for us."

The five-game home stand for the JackJumpers includes two matches in Launceston too starting this Saturday against the Cairns Taipans following this Wednesday's Ignite Cup match up at MyState Bank Arena with the Perth Wildcats.

Roth is looking forward to getting to stay in Tasmania now for the next three weeks, but does hope they can turnaround their fortunes in Launceston.

"You're lucky to be where you're at and we're thankful, and even though we have some home games coming up, two of them are in The Silverdome and we can't win in that building to save our life," Roth said.

"Our fans are unbelievable up there and deserve better from us in general, but we haven't been able to win many games in The Silverdome.

"You're just trying to build a little bit of momentum and confidence within the group but it was great to get Majok Deng back and hopefully on the horizon we get DJ back and Woodhill, and then Drmic is probably a week further away once his back settles.

"We still have some guys who are on the mend and to keep our head above water over this stretch is what we were hoping to do to get to the FIBA break in a somewhat halfway decent position."