Visibility and Humility Key for Tasmania Devils Coach Ken Hinkley, Says JackJumpers' Scott Roth

Visibility will be key for incoming Tasmania Devils coach Ken Hinkley, according to the man who led the state to National Basketball League glory in 2024.

JackJumpers coach Scott Roth has implored Hinkley to hit the road, listen to the locals and find out what Tasmania means to the people who call it home when he commences the role from November.

"They want to see you in the coffee shops, they want to see you in the gas station, they want to see you going through the supermarket or wherever.

Roth, who hails from Ohio and arrived in Tasmania in 2021 to coach the JackJumpers in their first NBL season, believes his willingness to travel to all corners of the state earned him the trust of the Tasmanian public.

He also believes Tasmanians will be able to easily identify with "Camperdown Ken" who comes from country Victoria.

"It's about checking your ego at the door," Roth advised.

So highly regarded is Roth for what he has achieved in Tasmania in just five years, he says he was contacted by hopeful Devils coaching candidates, looking to tap into the Tasmanian psyche.

"I talked to quite a few people who reached out to me about interviewing for the job and what they were looking for here and just trying to pick my brain," Roth said.

"I'm available, obviously, and my phone number got out, so a few people called and asked what's going on down there?

'Humble' recruits needed, Roth says

Hinkley will officially commence his five-year stint with the Devils in November.

He will help oversee the formation of a playing list, and assist in picking key support staff ahead of the Devils' AFL entry in 2028.

A number of players he coached at Port Adelaide will be out of contract at the end of next year, including defender Miles Bergman and star forward Mitch Georgiades.

Port Adelaide chief executive Matthew Richardson said he had no fears of a Hinkley-led raid on his club, and backed his players to re-sign.

"We congratulated Ken yesterday. Now he's an opposition coach, so we move forward," Mr Richardson said.

Roth says his JackJumpers teams have been built in the image of the Tasmanian people, and the state's new AFL club should also recruit accordingly.

"I find that's what works here … The more humble a player you can get, with a high character, the better off you'll be."

Devils 'nailed it' with Hinkley appointment

The football world has overwhelmingly endorsed Tasmania's decision to appoint Hinkley, over high-profile contenders John Longmire and Nathan Buckley.

Melbourne captain Max Gawn told Triple M he would "definitely" play for Ken Hinkley, and that the Devils had "nailed it".

On Channel 7's The Agenda Setters program, Kane Cornes, who played two seasons under Hinkley, said: "He gets you feeling like you want to run through a brick wall for him".

"If you're a parent of one of these 17 or 18-year-olds who are going to go down to Tassie on this adventure, you should feel like your son is in really safe hands," Cornes said.

Geelong Brownlow medallist Jimmy Bartel echoed those sentiments on Channel 9's Footy Furnace.

Iconic Tasmanian footballer and member of the AFL's Team of the Century, Royce Hart, said the Devils had selected the best candidate for the job.

"He was the best-qualified person who could coach Tasmania. They've done a good job, but the proof will be in the pudding.

"He came from Geelong, more or less a Tasmanian-type town, went to the Gold Coast and then did well at Port [Adelaide]."

Hart, who holds "legend" status in the Australian football hall of fame, said Hinkley would feel at home in Tasmania.

"Well, you've only got to breathe in the air," Hart said.