MVP’s warning: JackJumpers have something special

Winners of two straight and three of their four games, the Tasmania JackJumpers are one of the Hungry Jack’s NBL’s hottest teams.

That record will be put to the test on Friday night, though, when Scott Roth’s side travels to Wollongong to face the Illawarra Hawks, who are undefeated on their home court this season.

But despite the Hawks’ home court advantage and their own mounting injury toll, 1990 MVP Derek Rucker believes the JackJumpers will continue their winning ways on Friday night.

“The team that’s really pleasing to me [right now] is Tasmania,” Rucker said on NBL Now, presented by CODE Sports.

“As long as they’ve got Will Magnay healthy, and they’ve got Scott Roth as the coach, they’ve got this crux, this foundation, and they’ve been playing injured as well.

“They’ve got guys that have missed basketball games, and they’ve still worked their way to 3-1.”

Other than Roth and Magnay, the piece that has become crucial to everything the Ants do is Tasmanian talent, Taran Armstrong.

“Now, I mentioned those kinds of championship pillars with Roth and Magnay, but now they’ve got something special in Taran Armstrong, and he is different,” he added.

“He brings something to Tasmania. He is a local superstar that plays with a flash and a flair that we really haven’t seen in the JackJumpers.

“He can take over games. He’s got great size at the position, and he’s young.

“He’s not even in his prime yet, so if the JackJumpers can get the best out of him, they’re always, I believe, going to compete at a level that’s higher than expected.”

Friday’s Round 4 clash at the WIN Entertainment Centre tips off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.