RIVALS TANGLE IN TASMANIA

ONE season of involvement with the NBL was all Scott Roth needed to be convinced to pursue another head coaching position.

And the stars aligned with the introduction of Tasmania as the league’s 10th team for the 2021-22 season.

Roth, 57, joined Perth as its lead assistant in November 2019 following more than two decades in the NBA system in a variety of assistant coaching and scouting roles for the likes of Golden State, Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves.

He has also coached GLeague teams Bakersfield Jam (2008) and the Iowa Wolves (2017-19) as well as stints with the Turkish, Dominican Republic and Canadian national teams.

It was this wealth of experience — and more importantly involvement with Australian basketball — which saw him land the JackJumpers job from a field of more than 100 applicants.

“This is something I was looking forward to for the last four years when I was starting to move a little bit away from the NBA … and when I got to the NBL I knew I wanted to coach here,” said Roth, who has signed a two-year deal with an option for a third.

“Once I got here and saw the league and obviously saw how Perth operates, and was fortunate to win a championship with them, but seeing where I could be a head coach here and what the possibilities were, then Tasmania came on board.

“I followed this whole process in the middle of last year and really was kind of all-in on this deal with Tasmania.

“I knew how great it would be to be the first coach there and represent the state, and rally the people there and just start to build something incredible.

“It was just something that attracted me immediately, to build something from the start, to get your fingerprint on it, to start a culture.”

Roth has been given a crash course on Tasmania’s at-times divided nature — and the need for the JackJumpers to unite the state despite being based in Hobart — but believes he is equipped to handle the challenge.