Inaugural JackJumpers head coach Scott Roth has quite the task ahead of him, but it's one he's ready to take with both hands.
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The American-born former player and coach of a number of NBA and national teams has spent recent weeks getting to grips with his new home: Tasmania.
Having spent last year as assistant coach of the Perth Wildcats, Roth said he wanted to establish a similar culture in Tasmania that paid homage to its basketballing heritage.
"I think it's really important that we create that bloodline here from the north to the south," he said.
"[It's important] that we connect the state with former players or coaches who have stayed - I'm going to be very active in the next few weeks in connecting with people around the state.
"I think the history of basketball needs to be told here, I'm learning about it everywhere I go ... I think it's important for the players that come in to respect what's been here before."
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Roth has been a part of the coaching staff for teams including the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons.
It was the continued growth of the NBL and the JackJumpers' place in it that drew him to accept the top job in Tassie.
"A few years ago I started following the league and I knew it was getting better," he said.
"Being in the NBA for the last 20-40 years I was ready to make another jump.
"Building from scratch, you get to build your own imprint, so I followed it very closely at the end of last season. I'm excited to be here ... it's a unique situation to get to build something."
Roth said he planned to spent the next few weeks furthering his basketball connections in the state before ushering in a new generation for the JackJumpers.