JackJumpers latest import open to NBL contract if China deal falls through

Starks arrived in Hobart as a replacement for David Johnson who is currently sidelined with a calf injury and is expected to return within a month.

The 27-year-old said he was still expecting to head to China after his stint in Tassie.

“Right now I am committed to China but if there is a situation where China didn’t work, then I’ll consider that but right now that’s a done deal, I’ve already signed my papers but things can always change,” Starks said.

“Right now I’m locked in on China, but I just want to focus on being here because I do appreciate the JackJumpers for having me here, so I do want to help the team get some more wins while I’m here.

“I think it’s about 10 or 12 games, if it’s a situation where I haven’t left for China yet after those games then I’ll just be here until China says ‘we need you to come out here’.”

The guard finished with 18 points in his first game for the JackJumpers, with an explosive fourth quarter which led to Tassie’s third win in a row.

Starks said he enjoyed his first hit out in Australia.

“It’s a great environment, I didn’t expect the place to be like that at first, it’s like an NBA style play, like just go out and hoop,” Starks said.

“If you got an opportunity to score, go score, it’s just a competitive league and you know the fans when we went to Brisbane, it wasn’t what I was expecting but I know it’s a good league, a lot of fans, they take basketball seriously in this country which I appreciate for sure.

“I’d like to say I had that performance but I’m expected to help my teammates the best way I can.

“I’ve been at home training, doing what I can to stay in shape and just come and be prepared to be ready for the upcoming games.”

The JackJumpers will play Adelaide on Thursday night at 7.30.

JackJumpers reveal David Johnson’s replacement

The Tasmania JackJumpers have signed American guard Tajon Starks as an injury replacement for David Johnson while he recovers from a calf injury.

Starks’ most recently played with the BC Astana in khazakhstan where he averaged 16.2 points in the VTB United League.

Jackjumpers general manager Darren Smith said TJ brings versatility, depth and an established pedigree.

“While it’s never ideal to lose a player to injury for any period, he (TJ) adds to our guard rotation and gives us another reliable option at both ends of the floor,” Smith said.

“As (coach) Scott (Roth) has stated, we usually wouldn’t look to bring in anyone for an injury like DJ’s but when we look at the upcoming schedule, there’s a heavy game load over the coming weeks and we felt it was necessary to bring in an additional guard.”

Johnson is expected to miss the whole of October with the injury.

The signing comes just hours after the club announced Jacob Richards as a replacement for the injured Majok Deng.

A local talent, Richards returns following an injury sustained by big man Majok Deng.

Richards was a development player during the JackJumpers 2024 NBL championship season and is the captain of the Hobart Chargers in the NBL1.

“Richo has spent some time with us as a training player over the past two seasons, and he continues to improve, show his talent and challenge our roster players,” JackJumpers general manager of basketball Darren Smith said.

“We’re thrilled to give him another roster opportunity as we navigate some injuries.

“To have local talent waiting in the wings and be that ‘next man up’ is just a great story and testament to Richo and his relentless grit and grind.”

JackJumpers assistant coach Mark Radford praised Richards for his work ethic.

“The great thing is his resilience, he had a great NBL1 season and has done a lot of work,” Radford said.

“He’s just continually improved and I think the good thing is he put the coaching staff and players under pressure to keep looking at this guy.

“He’s gotten better as he’s gotten older which is difficult to do through that 23, 24-year-ld time frame and I think he showed that in the pre-season, the door has been opened for him and he’s put his foot through it.”

After a strong NBL1 campaign, Radford is confident Richards will get game time.

“He’s definitely going to play, he has to play, we’ve got four bigs, they can’t play 35 minutes each,” Radford said.

“His skillet and the way he’s been practising just fits the way we play, he’s a very good passer of the ball, he’s an undersized four but he’s crafty.

“He’s really improved his shooting so he is going to get an opportunity.”

Richards will travel with the JackJumpers to take on the Brisbane Bullets on Saturday.

How JackJumpers will aim to cover loss of star import

— James Bresnehan

The JackJumpers are on the look-out for a locum import guard to fill in for David Johnson after coach Scott Roth revealed his American hot-shot would miss another 10 games with a calf injury much worse than first expected.

Johnson, a 24-year-old shooting guard from Louisville, Kentucky, missed the road trip to Wollongong at the weekend when the JackJumpers took down reigning NBL champion Illawarra Hawks on Saturday night.

Placed second on the ladder, the JackJumpers are on the road again this weekend to play Brisbane Bullets with another selection dilemma facing Roth.

The team has been ravaged by illness, and Roth has up to five players feeling under the weather in the lead-up to the Brisbane game and not expecting them all to recover in time.

“We have a huge amount of sickness going through the club – [Will] Magnay, [Anthony] Drmic and [Ben] Ayre went through it the past four or five days, and we have a few more guys sick again,” he said.

“It’s just got to run its course and go through the entire team.

“We’ve been doing this for two or three weeks, guys being sick for three or four days and coming back in, and then other guys get it.

“It has gone through our playing staff and it’s probably 75 per cent of the way through [the club].”

Majok Deng [hamstring] joined Johnson on the injury list for about two weeks, but it is “DJ” the JackJumpers are seeking a substitute for while he is sidelined.

“Normally I would say no, unfortunately, the schedule says there are 10 games in October to the beginning of November,” Roth said.

“They are critical games and to have one more player obviously would be helpful.

“That’s something we will continue to talk about.

“We have reached out to numerous players already to see if the timetable [works] and it’s financially worth doing – and all of those things that need weighing up.

“It is critical because we have 10 games that ‘DJ’ will probably for sure miss.”

The JackJumpers are celebrating a major milestone this week, the club’s fifth birthday (October 1), marking five years since the team joined the NBL.

The playing group, coaches and staff came together to celebrate alongside Tasmanian Minister for Sport, Nick Duigan at the club’s current training facility at Kingborough Sports Centre.

james.bresnehan@news.com.au

Originally published as JackJumpers latest import open to NBL contract if China deal falls through