McVeigh the “Wagstaff” of JackJumpers

Since the inaugural season of the Tasmania JackJumpers, Australian favourite Jack McVeigh has become the marquee guy for the Tasmanian club.

His high energy and high level play has seen him develop into one of the NBL's best players, and coach Scott Roth has revealed his vision for the 27-year-old is for him to mirror the career of Perth Wildcats legend Jesse Wagstaff.

Wagstaff has been with the Wildcats since 2009, winning six championships and becoming the spiritual leader for the NBL's most successful club.

“When I got him here I said, can you be the Jesse Wagstaff of the JackJumpers?” Roth said after Tasmania's loss to Brisbane on Wednesday night. 

“The younger version of Jesse, but the kind of player that can stretch the floor and do a lot of things.

“The next thing for him is to win some championships like Jesse has.”

McVeigh has contributed to making Tasmania's culture one that is already respected across the competition, as the club has had instant success.

The 6’8 forward is the league leader in plus/minus at +161 – symbolising his on-court energy and reliability that he provides.

Roth further praised McVeigh’s growth on and off the court during his time with the JackJumpers.

“Jack’s been fantastic for us from the first day he got here, he’s grown as a person and as a player. He’s morphed into this high-bred four that’s done a really good job for us,” Roth said.

Tasmania’s loss on Wednesday sees them hold a 11-10 record, sitting third on the ladder.

They next face the Illawarra Hawks on Friday night at 7:30pm AEDT, live on ESPN via Kayo.