WATCH TAB Courtside 1v1 on SBS – Episode 12 – with Megan Hustwaite and Scott Roth – from 7pm (AEDT) on Thursday March 25 via , or catch up via SBS On Demand
The former NBA player and coach has seen plenty of things throughout his career and is determined to make the most of his experience to give the newly formed JackJumpers a successful start to life as an NBL team.
The JackJumpers were announced as the NBL's 10th franchise in 2020 and will play their first season in the league during the 2021-22 campaign which will tip-off later this year.
They will be the second NBL franchise to call Tasmania home after the Hobart Devils, who played in the league between 1983 and 1996.
A member of the Perth Wildcats coaching staff last season as they fought their way to another title, Roth is confident he has what it takes to build a competitive squad.
The veteran coach said the opportunity to coach the burgeoning club interested him immediately, but admitted he didn’t think the NBL would consider him to be the JackJumpers maiden coach.
In the interview set to air on Thursday night’s episode of Tab Courtside 1v1 on SBS at 7pm (AEDT) via SBS Sport’s Facebook page, Roth revealed why the chance to coach the JackJumpers was an opportunity he just couldn’t miss out on.
“Starting a professional team from scratch was definitely an attractive prospect for me as I’ve been intrigued with the idea of building a club from the ground up for a long time,” Roth said.
“We have a lot of work to do in Tasmania and with the delays to the current season schedule, it means we only have about six months to get this new team ready to go for our first official game.
“I know some people may get a bit scared away from this situation and prefer something which is more established.
“My view is that this team is going to have my fingerprint and my blueprint. There has been great momentum in Tasmania for this team and I’m confident in what we are building here.”
The NBL’s newest head coach shared an insight into the type of players he will be targeting when he begins his recruitment spree in the coming months.
“Something which has become very clear to me during my time in the NBL is the importance of having a player like (Perth Wildcats star guard) Bryce Cotton,” Roth said.
“I think any coach in the world has discovered the importance of that free-scoring point guard or shooting guard who can take over a game.
“Players like Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan were the type of guys who were able to bail there team out from tough situations so that is a very important position we need to fill.
“They can make you look really smart as a coach when things aren’t going so well.
“Other than that, I just want to bring in quality players across the board and we have already have our eye on a few players.
“Most of all I want winners, guys who are championship pedigree and most importantly here for the right reasons.”
In the full interview with host Megan Hustwaite, Roth talks about the lessons learnt from coaching in the NBA, what makes the Perth Wildcats such a powerhouse team and why nobody in the NBL can stop Bryce Cotton.
The interview is part of an SBS series - TAB Courtside 1v1, which gives fans a chance to get to know more about the unique personalities from the NBA, WNBA, NBL and WNBL, which help shape basketball in Australia.
Hustwaite, who has been covering all levels of Australian basketball for the past 13 years as a reporter, commentator and journalist, will helm the weekly show – every Thursday at 7pm (AEDT) via - where she interviews stars of the past, present and future.
SBS will again broadcast multiple regular-season NBA games per week in HD on SBS VICELAND and streamed live via SBS On Demand. Plus, every game of the upcoming 2020-21 NBL season will be LIVE, FREE and in HD via SBS On Demand, with select games also live on SBS VICELAND.
