Tasmania JackJumpers Coach Scott Roth Stresses The Importance Of Home Wins Ahead Of Illawarra Clash
The Tasmania JackJumpers have gotten off to their best ever start in the NBL, and coach Scott Roth has been emphasizing how important it is for the team to perform well at their own arena. Find out why.
This season, Tasmania JackJumpers head coach Scott Roth believes that the key to achieving any form of success is to bank wins at home ahead of a "dangerous" game against Illawarra on Thursday night at MyState Bank Arena. The game is scheduled to take place on Thursday night.
The JackJumpers come into Thursday's matchup with a record of 2-1 after posting two victories in a row in round 2, claiming victories over both the Sydney Kings and the Melbourne United.
After concluding the previous season with a record of 7-7, Roth emphasized the significance of winning at home even if he was pleased to have won an important win away from home on Sunday.
"This league is super tough, and Thursday's game is going to be quite dangerous," he said. "The game on Thursday is going to be quite dangerous."
"The results will be what they are, and winning on the road is something that gives you a little bit of confidence; however, winning at home is really the key to success for getting to where you need to go," he said. "The results will be what they are."
"Over the past two years, we've been okay at home, not great, and we've been better on the road, so any road win for me is just about running out of the arena and being humble and thankful," said the player.
Following a loss on the road at Perth to open the NBL24 season in which the Jackies allowed 101 points, they have since allowed just 72 and 75 points against two teams that are anticipated to be title contenders in this season's competition.
But Roth didn't think that tendency would continue for the rest of the season, especially considering that Thursday's opponent already had an average that was the highest in the league for the first two rounds.
To what extent the other team scores depends on how well we control the game and the quality of our offensive shot selection, Roth speculated.
You could say those two scores are on the very bottom end of the spectrum. Overall, I find that the scoring in this league is quite high, therefore it's not unreasonable to anticipate large totals each week.
"We've had two in a row, but for us, it's just about playing at our pace and getting teams to play a little more of a grinding game."
Despite the fact that the JackJumpers' start to NBL24 was the finest of any season in their brief three-year history, Roth was well aware that the rest of the season, including the playoffs, would not be without its share of challenges.
He predicted that the league would have "many ebbs and flows" during the following two weeks.
There will be surprises, teams losing at home, and winning streaks, so I believe the team that can be the most consistent in their approach (will be the most successful). It also helps to be resilient and return to your identity after being knocked down.
"For us, the next three to four weeks before we get to the next FIBA break is about locking in on our style of play and if we can get better at what we are doing, we will see what kind of shape we are in."