NBL: Clint Steindl vindicates Tasmania JackJumpers choice

Roth with his trusted lieutenant in Steindl, wanted to impart on the sharpshooter just how much he meant to the fledgling franchise as he suited up for a milestone game, his 250^th in the league.

Setting up his young family in the Apple Isle had taken some courage from the former Perth Wildcat and Cairns Taipan but Roth wanted him to know how much it meant that Steindl followed him from Perth.

After a series of landmark achievements, the JackJumpers' peat for five wins in a row was crushed by the South East Melbourne Phoenix 83-71.

Import duo Josh Adams (23 points) and Josh Magette (10 points, five assists, four rebounds) were solid while Steindl pitched in with seven points from a series of two-pointers from the bench.

It was not the dream fairytale that Steindl maybe dreamed of but the 250 game veteran of the NBL is having a wider impact than besides the wins and losses column for Tasmania.

Roth was unequivocal post-match that the team was greater than injured big man Will Magnay, who they missed in the paint, and demanded greater respect for his brigade of role-players.

Steindl is a key part of that bench unit, his three-point shooting a highly valued commodity off the pine in a team which can struggle to hit from the three-point range.

During the winning streak over Adelaide 36ers, New Zealand Breakers, Sydney Kings and Melbourne United, the load had been shared between the JackJumpers but in the early rounds, it was Steindl fighting against the tide of opposition.

Steindl's reputation as a tireless worker on and off the court has been well-regarded since he debuted in the NBL in 2012 as a part of the Cairns' roster.

In Townsville with the Crocodiles line-up in 2015-16, Steindl improved his attacking output to average 12.7 points a game and earn the NBL's most improved player award. Then he was part of the roster at Perth which claimed consecutive titles in 2019 and 2020.

It's a consistent theme about the 32-year-old. He always gets better and makes the teams around him better too.

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It's why, when Roth was tasked with picking the JackJumpers' first-ever squad, Steindl was one of the first names he wanted.

"I thanked him before the game about the journey to come here with me, he's one of my main targets to bring him here, to help build this culture," Roth said.

"He shows up every day, he's a great role model on and off the floor, with his wife and his son and just how he interacts with the community and his family.

"I can't say enough about him and I thanked him before the game that this journey would have been a little bit different without him and I really appreciate him."

The hardwoods of Hobart and Melbourne are a long way from the courts of St Mary's in the United States of America and Belgium's Leuven Bears and Greek team Panionios but it says something about the JackJumpers' captain that teams are ready to pick up the phone when he's available.

It is in the way Steindl paid tribute to his former Wildcats teammate Jesse Wagstaff, who played his 400^th game over the weekend, where he recognises the person rather than just simply Wagstaff's ability on the court.

"He's a heck of a role model and I definitely appreciate the friendship with him ... he's a special guy."

After suiting up 250 times in the league, Steindl still remembers the first time like it was yesterday.

"I still remember my first game up in Cairns Convention Centre and I guess the thing that makes the journey so special is I guess all the down times you have and you find your way out of them," he said.

"You have those moments where you win championships and build relationships and I mean it's just the process of going through a professional sporting career, it's not going to be everything you want it to be.

"It's those moments where things aren't going great that you definitely appreciate down the track, where you learn your lessons from and the adversity you face, I'd take it any day of the week. Having those downs and finding a way out of it to feel the success that I've had a long the way."

Tasked with leading a unique part of Tasmania's basketball history, there is a sense that the challenge of chartering the unavigated waters that the JackJumpers present, excites Steindl.

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The JackJumpers are, after all, a team that many people expected to be towards the bottom of the ladder and scrapping for results.

They cited the lack of star power on the roster and questioned the attacking threat, predicting a number of long days ahead before Steindl and Co. eventually saw the fruits of their labor.

The 32-year-old knows there will be some down days ahead, like the Phoenix game, but they will make the highs all the more sweeter in the Apple Isle.

"The journey continues, there is going to be down days and there is going to be some great ones so nothing changes you just keep working your way at it and just appreciate the fact you get to play this game," he said.

"Hopefully I get to play a few more."

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