Basketball Rising in Tasmania

I have always said that basketball is a game of joy and misery in equal parts.??The Jack Jumpers in their inaugural season have tipped that scale ridiculously in favour of joy.??Pure joy.??They – the players, the coach, the administrators and the owners – should be whole heartedly congratulated on all they have achieved.

In Coach Roth we have found a story teller who has been able to help us understand what is best in us, as Tasmanians: grit, hard work, teamwork, passion, joy, community and kindness.?

But of course, like every overnight success story, its origins are decades old.??The Jack Jumpers success was borne of the countless hours of grind by thousands of volunteers to build and grow a sport that barely rated a mention next to AFL in most media and sports fans circles.??The club administrators, volunteer coaches, sandwich makers, kit washers, score-bench duty mums and reluctant shot clock operators in every run-down gym across the state.??The story truly belongs to them.

When the Hobart Chargers announced, in 2017, we wanted to make the state NBL ready within three years the other two NBL1 clubs jumped on board.??With thanks to a $250,000 grant from Premier Will Hodgman the Chargers, the Launceston Tornadoes and the North West Thunder have since collectively introduced over 60,000 primary school aged players to the sport through school-based clinics.??Add to that the efforts of all of the local clubs across to Tasmania, together we built a bonfire of tinder ready to explode.??The Jack Jumpers lit that pile.

Success brings new challenges.??Basketball must not make the same mistakes that the AFL have over the last two decades.??Just because the top end is thriving it doesn’t mean the grass roots will automatically follow.??

Five years ago, the Tasmanian basketball community said: we are going to make this state NBL Ready.??Our local sports journalists (Adam, Brent, Chris particularly!) got on board to help tell that story.??We now need to rally behind a new mission.??I believe that mission should be to make basketball the most played and watched sport in Tasmania within five years.

To achieve this there is much work to be done and it must be done with all stakeholders pulling in the same direction.??The breath of fresh air and new approach coming from the peak body of the sport, Basketball Tasmania, is a cause for great optimism.??We must ‘let a thousand flowers bloom’ rather than be locked into a rules-based command and control regime.

To make basketball the most played and watched sport in Tasmania by 2027 we must focus on three key areas:

First and fore-most we must fix the chronic underinvestment in courts by successive governments over decades. And yes, I put my hand up for a fair share of the blame.??The leaking, asbestos ridden, broken down and busted courts that could barely keep up with demand ten years ago need a massive overhaul to provide for the exponential growth in participation happening right now.??It was great to run into Premier Rockliff at a game recently.??I know his passion for wellness and the mental health of our youth.??A ball, a team and court to play on is a very, very good start for many of them.??And, how about this for an idea – if (or when) the AFL dud us again Premier, take the $150 million committed to the AF: bid and spend it on a sport that cares in the form of much needed community accessible courts.

Secondly, the sport itself needs to do its bit by investing heavily in officials, referees and coaches.??Basketball is a technical sport and while parents may feel comfortable blowing a whistle once or twice a half at primary school soccer games, they don’t when it comes to basketball.??We need to give them the tools, skills, opportunities to do so with confidence.??The late great basketball administrator Tim Leedham said “There’s more to basketball than just playing.”??We need to build an army off the court to cope with the growing legion of players who want to be on court.??Again, the peak body are finally leading the way in this area with a recent Ref-Con attracting 180 participants over two nights.

Lastly, basketball has been an expensive sport to participate in and we need to find ways to make it more affordable so that more young people from less advantaged backgrounds can play.??State MP David O’Byrne recently sent me a photo of the kids at a breakfast club in one of the most disadvantaged schools in Tasmania – each of them decked out in Jack Jumper green. We must make sure they have an opportunity to play, not just cheer.??

Sport in general and basketball in particular can be a great pathway to further learning and work.??Programs like Rise Above the Rim at Glenorchy and Swisherr’s partnership with ten local high schools and the University of Tasmania have already demonstrated a connection between sport, further learning and success in life.??Basketball isn’t just about a ticket to the game, or the top 1% of players – it can genuinely inspire a generation of Tasmanians to participate more, learn more and achieve more.