JackJumpers Make It Three From Three With NBL Finals Fight

Jackies are on the March!

How about those JackJumpers, am I right?

Some of the naysayers might have said the first two seasons were flukes, but the ‘little’ team from Tasmania has proven once again why they’re a formidable force to be reckoned with.

In their third season in the NBL, they’ve once again finished third on the ladder, and will be starting their finals campaign on Wednesday February 28 at the Ant Nest, aka Mystate Bank Arena in Southern Tasmania.

So… We’re Celebrating! 🐜🏀

For every finals game the JackJumpers play, we’ll have a little ode to them on our website. You’ll be able to see the marching ants with their basketballs running across your screen – and no, we’re not responsible if you accidentally think they’re real and hit your computer!

We’re incredibly proud of the Tasmania JackJumpers and their NBL 2023/24 season success, so our Web team will be pressing the trigger for the ants to march every game day – and we hope the JackJumpers will continue their march throughout March – and right down to the very last game!

The Pride of Tasmania

We’ve got a bit of history here in Tasmania of not having state teams in major leagues. We’ve got our Hobart Hurricanes and Tasmanian Tigers in the cricket, we’re still waiting for an announcement regarding the Tasmanian AFL team and we don’t have teams in the Super Netball or A-League – but here at Bulk Nutrients we are proudly working with several athletes and teams across the country.

Having had the “Hobart Tassie Devils” NBL team (which sadly folded after the 1996 season), Tasmania quickly embraced their love of basketball once again. The hype built as the team name was announced and the uniform was revealed, and when memberships went up for sale Tasmania really voted with their feet – there have been waitlists for spots ever since, and games at Mystate Bank Arena see thousands of people cheering on their team.

That roar for Tassie’s team hasn’t changed, and support just keeps growing ahead of their third NBL finals campaigns.

Bulk Nutrients are Fuelling the JackJumpers Fight For Finals Glory

We’ve proudly partnered with the Tasmania JackJumpers since the very beginning.

Our logo is on the back of every jersey, with our products fuelling the players through every part of their playing journey. Here at Bulk Nutrients, we feel the Tasmania JackJumpers also appreciate the importance and power of the community around them, as much as we do.

For any athlete to perform at their best, training and recovery are key, as are the right nutritional tools and we’re proud to supply the JackJumpers with some of the tools to their success!

Predominantly, the NBL powerhouses are fuelled by our Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) and Electrolyte+ products. As professional athletes, the JackJumpers can take our HASTA approved products knowing they have gone through a comprehensive drug screening process to ensure they don’t contain any SIA or WADA banned substances or drugs.

We’ve also provided the JackJumpers with other products that have been batch tested throughout the 2023-24 NBL season, including our Creatine Monohydrate and Earth Protein, so they can take those and be sure they’re safe.

And it’s proven to be a successful formula – with the JackJumpers ending up third overall on the ladder for the 23/24 NBL season.

A Look At The JackJumpers’ 2023-24 NBL Season

Ending up third on the ladder was no mean feat! Coming out 3-0 from the NBL Blitz round, they finished behind the Perth Wildcats and Melbourne United – prefacing how their season would go.

Seeing 16 wins from 28 games, it was a less than fairytale start to the season, with a six-point loss to the Perth Wildcats in the opening round. At the time, captain Clint Steindl said the tightly fought loss was down to self-inflicted errors which the team were working to fix.

Next up was the first home game of the season, and the Ant Army shone through to support an 80-72 win over defending champions, the Sydney Kings. The action-packed game at Mystate Bank Arena was tightly fought, with the Kings up after the first quarter, before Milton Doyle led a Tasmania JackJumpers comeback for a strong win.

A Fighting Chance

The Jackies recorded another win at John Cain Arena, handing Melbourne United their first loss of the season, and showing why they were the ones to watch having now beaten the two teams they finished behind in the NBL Blitz. An 80-75 upset saw Milton Doyle once again help guide the team with a 14-point fourth quarter.

Round three saw the JackJumpers take a dominant win over the struggling (at the time) Illawarra Hawks, a 103-73 belting of the team from Wollongong. The trio of Milton Doyle, Jordon Crawford and Jack McVeigh scoring 51 points combined. There was also a heartbreaking one point loss to South East Melbourne, who won 86-85.

Up against the Sydney Kings again in the fourth round, the Tasmania JackJumpers scored a club record score in a 105-95 win. Jordon Crawford stunned with four consecutive three-pointers in the game at Qudos Bank Arena, scoring all the Jackies’ points in the fourth quarter, giving him a game-high 32 points. At the time, Crawford described the epic win as a team effort.

Rebounding From Setbacks

Round five saw two devastating losses from close games, with Melbourne United first taking a 90-82 win at Mystate Bank Arena, before a three point loss to the Bullets in Brisbane. Back up against the Brisbane Bullets less than a week later in round six the JackJumpers took a two point win (that felt very, very good) before taking on and beating the Adelaide 36ers for the first time in the tournament, with a ten point 82-72 win.

Round eight saw the Tasmania JackJumpers take a road trip up the Midland Highway, for a match at Launceston’s Silverdome against the New Zealand Breakers. The northern crowd cheered on the JackJumpers to a 97-92 win over the Breakers. The Jackies had a quick turn around to Far North Queensland, taking on the Cairns Taipans, where they took home a 90-87 win in overtime at the Snake Pit.

A return to Mystate Bank Arena in round nine saw an epic defeat of the Adelaide 36ers 94-59 by a spirited home crowd. In round ten the team were without Milton Doyle, who was back home in the United States after the passing of his father. With the Doyle family in their hearts, the JackJumpers travelled to New Zealand to take on the Breakers, ending with a convincing 97-80 win.

A Less Than Ideal Holiday Season

Round 11 saw a nailbiting 89-88 loss to the Perth Wildcats for the JackJumpers, who also saw a second loss to the Sydney Kings at home. Things started turning around again in the twelfth round, with a dominant 100-89 win over the Illawarra Hawks. Sadly, Santa didn’t bring the JackJumpers a win in their Christmas Day clash at Mystate Bank Arena, with a lump of coal in their stockings after an 85-77 smashing by South East Melbourne. And New Year’s Day wasn’t much better, the New Zealand Breakers delivering a 98-93 loss in Hobart.

Staying at Mystate Bank Arena for round 14, the JackJumpers once again took on the Cairns Taipans, delivering a crushing 103-86 win in front of a vibrant and energetic home crowd. Round 15 didn’t prove quite as lucky, the Jackies losing to both the Brisbane Bullets and the Illawarra Hawks.

But Everything Worked Out In The End!

Rounds 16-20 provided a fairly steady path to finals for the JackJumpers, with one loss to the New Zealand Breakers on January 26 creating a small bump in the road.

How The Finals Are Shaping Up

To a non-basketball fan (and even to basketball fans), the NBL finals don’t really make a lot of sense! Rather than a more traditional 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4, 5 vs 6 format, the NBL has Qualifiers, Play-ins (Elimination), Playoffs and then the Championship Series.

So here’s a breakdown on how the NBL Finals work!

February 28 marks the Seeding Qualifier, where at 5.30pm the third placed Tasmania JackJumpers take on fourth place Illawarra Hawks. The winner of that game goes straight to the Playoff Series, taking on 2nd place Perth Wildcats for a best of three round – the winner going straight to the Championship Series, an up-to five game battle royale! The losing team goes to the Play-In game… more on that in a minute!

At 7.30pm on February 28th, the 5th placed Sydney Kings and 6th placed New Zealand Breakers take on the Play-In Qualifier. The losing team finishes their finals series early, with the winning team taking on the losing team of the Seeding Qualifier in the Play-In game.

The winner of the Play-In game will go up against 1st place Melbourne United in their best of three playoff series – with the winner moving to the Championship Series.

A Dream Start to the Finals Series!

The sell-out seeding qualifier at MyState Bank Arena was won by the JackJumpers, to the roars of thousands of screaming fans.

It was tightly contested, but the Tassie team proved victorious with an incredible 92-76 win over the Illawarra Hawks on February 28.

That win took us straight into the first Playoff Series, against the Perth Wildcats, who finished 2nd on the NBL ladder this year.

The Wildcats brought their best to the table in the first of three, and despite a fourth quarter comeback attempt from the JackJumpers, took the first final 89-81 at RAC Arena in Perth on Friday the 8th of March.

The home crowd at MyState Bank Arena were treated to a public holiday thriller on Monday March 11. The JackJumpers learning from their mistakes over the weekend, taking a hotly contested 102-94 win, securing the third of three in Perth.

The teams had a tight two-day turnaround, travelling back to Perth for the clincher on March 13th. For the first part of the first quarter it was anyone's game, before some incredible teamwork and defensive strategy saw their dominance prove too much for the Wildcats, winning the game 100-84, and the Play-Offs 2-1!

We (They) Are The Champions!

In a true showing of their strength, the Tasmania JackJumpers defended the island!

Up against ladders Melbourne United, they proved why you should never doubt the underdog - bringing home the NBL trophy to Tasmania, taking the Championship Series 3-2 in just their third season.

In fact, they have been described as the most successful expansion team in the league's history!

As a major sponsor from day one, we couldn't be more proud!

And On We March!

Just like the ants on our website, Bulk Nutrients and the Tasmania JackJumpers will continue their march!

Shop the JackJumper’s favourite products today - and continue cheering on our team in their third straight finals series!