Tasmania JackJumpers Basketball Operations Consultant Mika Vukona is thrilled to be offering guidance in-person since he arrived from Brisbane a fortnight ago.
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Vukona, wo juggles numerous jobs, gets to Tassie as much as he can.
Coronavirus border restrictions have impacted his ability to travel so he's making the most of his stay.
He said the new NBL team was building a strong reputation fast.
"Everybody's talking about the defence but also the culture," he said.
"The guys are pretty close-knit, and it's showing in terms of the way they're executing out there. It could be a totally different score line right now. We had close games at the start this season. But the guys have been able to hang tight. I know it's cliché, but it's a testament to what everybody in the organisation is doing right now."
Vukona, a four-time New Zealand Breakers NBL champion, provides support for JackJumpers coaches, players and front office.
"It's really just to be able to be a different sort of link to the players and administration through the coaches," he said.
"So wherever I can help or try and impart from the experiences that I've had over the 20 seasons I've played. Anything in terms of a new franchise hopefully is helpful.
"I'll be able to go down and just talk really, that is one of my strengths. And hopefully I can bring that to the table.
"They make it really easy down here everybody is really open to advice and experience. You see that across the board."
The NBL stalwart has had a few players ask for advice through the season.
"It's a lot easier when I'm down here. I do reach out via WhatsApp. But you do get the guys coming up, just asking some questions here and there and that's what I'm here for," he said.
One player he has been working with is 21-year-old Nikita Mikhailovskii from Russia.
"Everybody's trying to connect with Nikita. It's always a barrier when you have the language and culture, but you've got to give it to the kid, he has stuck in and he comes in and trains really hard," he said.
"He's really become one of the team members here and he's really picked it up. Part of my role is to be able to try and connect with him. But when you get a Fijian and a Russian in a room, you never know what's going to happen. So it's all pretty enjoyable. And he's a great kid."
Otherwise, Vukona has been sharing knowledge with both the JackJumpers' talls and guards.
The operations consultant lauded head coach Scott Roth for his ability to lead by listening.
"That's a great thing about Scott, he listens to everybody that he's brought on board," he said.
"So everybody's got equal opportunity to have their say and from that he makes an educated decision. And what you see is an accumulation of everybody's opinions and things like that."
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