Woodhill proud his mullet is staying in Tasmania

Archie Woodhill is embracing his NBL opportunities late in his first season at the Tasmania JackJumpers. He's every bit a Scott Roth player and character, and he's proud the mullet is staying in the Apple Isle.

Woodhill is in his first season with the JackJumpers, having previously played in the NBL with the Sydney Kings for two seasons, including their last championship year. However, it was his standout performances in NBL1 that put him on the radar.

He played for the Sutherland Sharks and Sydney Comets in 2023 before making the move to the North West Tasmania Thunder in NBL1 South, where he continued to develop his game and caught the attention of the JackJumpers. Signed as a development player for NBL25, his hard work has already earned him a secured spot for the next two seasons.

In recent weeks, with injuries to fellow big men Will Magnay and Majok Deng, Woodhill has been hitting the floor for the JackJumpers, including logging 13 minutes against South East Melbourne Phoenix last Saturday, where he posted five points and five rebounds.

He also picked up five fouls in those 13 minutes, showing his willingness to get physical. Back at home at MyState Bank Arena on Thursday night, he added another couple of points against the Illawarra Hawks.

Roth is impressed not only with Woodhill’s growth but also with his signature hairstyle.

"He shows up to practice with a good body and is a good athletic size, and he's done really well within our group with our vitamins and his work progress," Roth said.

"It's fortunate or unfortunate that he gets to play right now maybe a little bit earlier than we anticipated playing him, but he's a young guy who will get some good looks the rest of the season, and it should be fun watching him also. That mullet is something else, man, it is something else too."

Woodhill takes the praise in stride, embracing both his development and his signature look.

"It's been called a mane a lot. (Daniel) Grida said to me that it was a nice mullet, and everyone seems to love it. I might need to cut it a bit more regularly, but I think it's here to stay for a long time," Woodhill said.

"I've never had this sort of security and opportunity before, so I love it and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. It also means the mullet is staying in Tassie, which I love."

Since his early days as a development player with the Kings in NBL21, Woodhill has grown his game through the NBL1 competition, playing for the Sutherland Sharks and Sydney Comets before making the move to Tasmania. His strong performances for the Thunder in 2024, where he averaged 11.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, earned him his shot with the JackJumpers.

Now competing against some of the NBL’s top bigs—including Jordan Hunter, Matt Hurt, Lachlan Olbrich, and Sam Froling—he sees every challenge as an opportunity for growth.

"I just love being out there. Obviously, it's an opportunity from injuries, but just being around the team makes you want to play a lot through training. The whole group has really supported me, and it's just great to be out there with everyone," he said.

"It's just all about development and playing against some of the best bigs in the league. It doesn’t matter what team it is—I just go out there, stay with our scout and program, and see what’s going to happen. It’s really good to go out there and challenge yourself against some of these guys."

Beyond game time, Woodhill has relished the chance to learn from one of the league’s best in Will Magnay, who returned to Tasmania this season after a championship-winning campaign and an appearance at the Paris 2024 Olympics with the Boomers.

Having looked up to Magnay since his time at the Centre of Excellence, Woodhill now soaks up every lesson he can from his veteran teammate.

"Looking back to the start of the year, it was a really great opportunity to be able to practice against him after he was coming off winning the title and playing in the Olympics," Woodhill said.

"He was someone I looked up to back when I was in the AIS. I had a video scout of him, and I still have notes on my phone of Will Magnay, so it’s pretty cool.

"I showed him that, and now, especially this week, he’s talked to me and told me to go out there and be confident. He really got in my corner, which is really cool."