TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS MAKE HISTORY AT NEW HOME, MYSTATE BANK ARENA

A sold-out, passionate crowd was thrilled and delighted as NBL action returned to the Tasmania for the first time in almost 26 years on Sunday.

Tasmania JackJumpers put on a show in their inaugural Hungry Jack’s NBL Blitz Preseason game to give fans a taste of what is to come in NBL22 and christen their new home court at the state of the art, MyState Bank Arena.

Thousands of fans battled wind and rain as they lined up at the gates, eager to be among the first to see the stunning redevelopment at MyState Bank Arena (formerly the Derwent Entertainment Centre). The venue was officially reopened by Premier of Tasmania, the hon. Peter Gutwein, and MyState Bank Arena CEO Simon Brookhouse.

“This is an amazing venue that will not only serve as the home of the JackJumpers for a long time, but also host national and international artists, local events and everything in between. Brookhouse said.

“We’re incredibly proud to have brought Larry Kestelman’s dream to life and deliver a remarkable venue for Tasmanians to come and enjoy” Brookhouse said. 

Crowds were captivated by the giant, 2 Tonne, $1.5 Million Jumbotron, which is the first of its kind in Tasmania, showing partner activations, key safety messaging and the game on giant, high quality LED screens, giving every seat in the house a great view of the action.

The Tasmania JackJumpers were welcomed by a passionate home crowd in the first of 12 NBL Blitz games in Tasmania over the next two weeks. Sam McDaniel made history as the first ever scorer for the Tasmania JackJumpers as he popped up an impressive 2-pointer early in the first quarter.

High flying import Josh Adams led from the front against the Brisbane Bullets, feeding off the crowd’s energy in the new venue. Adams put up 18 points including some incredible fade away 3 pointers and a spinetingling dunk that will go down in JackJumpers folklore.

After a fast start, the JackJumpers surrendered a 0-11 start to the third quarter which gave the Bullets an unassailable lead. The visitors running out 89-79 victors.

“It was good to get our feet wet and test some different combinations. If you ask me what we need to work on before Tuesday, the answer is ‘everything’.” Head Coach scott Roth said.

“There’s always room for improvement but I was pleased to get a few guys out on the court together and test out a new group against real opposition”.