When Jack McVeigh signed with the Tasmania JackJumpers, he had never been to Hobart before. He had barely spent time in Tasmania at all, his experience in the Apple Isle amounting to two trips to Launceston for a total of four days. It was, of course, for basketball.
So as McVeigh gears up for his debut season with the JJ’s, he is having one of the ‘newest’ seasons of all time. A new team, both for himself and for the NBL, with a new coach, new teammates, in a new city. One would be forgiven for thinking that the pressure of all these firsts might be weighing on McVeigh. But you couldn’t be more wrong, because Jack is jumping to get started.
“[Tasmania] has been really good, about to enter week two and getting settled, putting my house together and starting from scratch, but it’s been good getting to know everyone, and it’s freaking beautiful, that’s for sure,” McVeigh said.
McVeigh joined the JackJumpers as their third player ever, closely following Sam McDaniel and Clint Steindl. He spent the previous three seasons with the Adelaide 36ers but said that he couldn’t resist the opportunity that the JJs presented, giving special credit to head coach Scott Roth.
“Obviously me and coach [Scott] Roth have built a relationship; I was really excited by what he was saying. A new program is also exciting, just a once in a lifetime opportunity to get down here and try and build something, start from scratch,” McVeigh said.
“He's going to do the right things, he wants to build a culture from the ground up, nothing given everything earned, and that’s something I want to be a part of.
“He reached out to me, and we started texting, started calling, we were just chatting, and it was good, he earned my trust pretty quickly.
“With his experience of winning and being around the world, I want to build a relationship with him and see where it can take us,” McVeigh said.
While he is new in town, McVeigh is quickly becoming accustomed to the lifestyle, and according to him, the locals are becoming just as accustomed to him and his team.
“I’ve been walking around; a lot of people recognise the brand already. I’m about to get out and do a lot of promos, continue building that brand, but I definitely feel how excited everyone in the program is,” McVeigh said.
He is possibly keener than anyone for the start of the season, especially to play with his new teammates, in what he considers to be a dynamite frontcourt.
“I'm going to be stepping more into the four spot this year, and I think me and [Will] Magnay are going to be able to work really well together,” McVeigh said.
“You see his athleticism, how hard he plays, with how hard I play we’re going to be able to do some really cool things together.”
He also offered some shorter, but no less glowing praise of fellow teammate, Clint Steindl, admiring his ability to “shoot the absolute piss out of it.”
Combined with a multitude of other talent, the JJs promise to be a threatening team from day one, and McVeigh believes that he can play a solid part in this, no matter what his on-court role winds up being.
“I’m just trying to get in everyday, get better, but I think coach believes in me, so having that confidence of coach having my back, knowing what I bring is the most important part, so I can step out on that court and be myself, and whatever comes with that I know it’s going to be good things,” McVeigh said.
On the court, the main thing McVeigh believes he can bring is energy, fueling the team past opponents, whilst still doing some major damage on the offensive end.
“I can make tough shots and I can make open shots, whether that’s attacking in transition, hitting some tough post moves, or open threes, they’re the kind of things that I can do,” McVeigh said.
As evidence of this, his shot creation skills have been on display during the off-season, as he competed in the NBL1 for the North Adelaide Rockets. McVeigh recently put on a masterclass against the Southern Tigers, dropping 26 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists, doing it all on the way to an elimination win that showed why he considers him a ‘Big Guard’. He also posted a monstrous 42-point 10 rebound performance earlier in the season, against Forestville.
“North Adelaide, a club that took me in, that made me really feel part of it and invested, now we’re working towards trying to put a championship there for the first time since 2007,” McVeigh said.
But North Adelaide will not be the only team that McVeigh will be willing towards a championship. He is determined to ensure that the JJs are not there to simply make up the numbers, and though it is incredibly early, believes that they have what it takes to go all the way.
“When we’re locking teams down and spreading the floor for people to get to the rim and kick out for threes, it’s going to be hard for teams to beat us,” McVeigh said.
“Everyone has that feeling of excitement, it’s something fresh, something new… you can definitely feel the energy in the program.
“That’s what every hooper wants, no one goes into a season just trying to do their best, although that’s part of it, everyone wants to win, that's what everyone wants to experience, so from day one that’s what we’re going to be working towards,” McVeigh said.
No matter where he’s playing, or how the season pans out, you can bet on McVeigh to approach his play, and his life, with a positive attitude. He has long been a champion of mental health, and his cheery demeanor is present wherever he goes, prompting journalist and NBL1 broadcaster Megan Hustwaite to describe him as ‘a bundle of joy, Mr. Positivity, a mood and a vibe’.
For McVeigh, he said that his focus on mental health began following a tough stretch in America, and that his goal is to further break down the stigma surrounding mental health, particularly in athletes.
“The more people talk about it and the more people make it acceptable to reach out for help, to work on themselves, and to really understand how amazing they are and can be, is really important,” McVeigh said.
“It's something that we can all do a small step, if you can positively impact one person's life, if you can help them be a little happier, be a little kinder, then you’ve done a great job.
“It's definitely something that I’m really passionate about, and want to do work in the bigger field, continuing in my basketball career and non-basketball career,” McVeigh said.
While he may be the nicest man in the league off the court, once he laces them up, make no mistake that Jack McVeigh is gunning for you. Any slip-ups, any mistakes, and he will make you pay.
“I'm excited to go out there and get some buckets and play harder than the person next to me.”
Author:
Jed Wells