McVeigh named NBL24 Sengstock Trophy winner

Jack McVeigh has been named the NBL24 Larry Sengstock Trophy winner, and perhaps Jordon Crawford said it best in the immediate aftermath of Tasmania’s Championship Series win ... "he’s him". 

While McVeigh wasn’t the player to put his foot on the throat of Melbourne United in yet another see-sawing classic in this series, he was the one to not only keep the JackJumpers in it, following their 23-point Game 1 defeat. He was the one who has written his name into NBL folklore with one of the greatest shots in the competition’s history.

He averaged almost 19 points and nine rebounds per game across the series, as Melbourne attempted a variety of defensive matchups to slow him down, but McVeigh was the first to congratulate his foes following Tasmania’s victory.

“An incredible organisation, Melbourne United,” he said post-game. “They’re the standard of what every club wants to be and what an incredible series that was, a battle to the very last shot, the last second, and it was just an honour to be part of that.

“When I look across the line I see Delly (Matthew Dellavedova) there, someone I’ve been supporting and cheering on for so many years, Chris Goulding, someone I looked up to when he was playing for the Gold Coast Blaze and I was showing up to those games, to go out there and battle with them is such an honour.

“That was one series.”

The Sengstock Trophy win is just the latest in a string of recognitions for McVeigh.

During his journey with the club he’s evolved from a bench player at the 36ers to one of the premier forwards in the competition.

“I’m just so grateful, there’s so many people [to thank],” he said. “Epic. They trusted in me.

“Thank you, Tasmania for embracing a kid from [Cabarita Beach], the skinny kid with slow feet somehow standing up on this stage.”

FINAL LARRY SENGSTOCK TROPHY VOTES
Jack McVeigh: 39 
Matthew Dellavedova: 24 
Jo Lual-Acuil Jr: 18 
Jordon Crawford: 15 
Chris Goulding: 13 
Will Magnay: 10 
Milton Doyle: 8 
Shea Ili: 7 
Ian Clark: 6 
Majok Deng: 4 
Sean Macdonald: 3 
Luke Travers: 3