19/08/2026
🏀 FROM BURNIE KID TO JACKJUMPER! 💚💛
How good is this?!
Burnie boy Taran Armstrong has returned to his old stomping ground at Stella Maris Burnie, this time wearing a Tasmania JackJumpers jersey and inspiring a whole new generation of young basketballers.
There’s something pretty special about seeing a young man who once walked those same school corridors, with his own big dreams ahead of him, return more than a decade later as a professional basketballer.
Taran spoke about how different it is for young people today to actually see, meet and connect with elite athletes, something he didn’t have growing up.
And perhaps that’s what makes visits like this so powerful.
For the kids at Stella Maris, here was living proof standing right in front of them that a kid from Burnie can dream big, work hard and make it onto the national sporting stage. 🌟
A huge thank you to the Tasmania JackJumpers for bringing their pre season camp to the North West Coast and investing time into our young people.
And Taran, Burnie is incredibly proud to call you one of our own. What a full circle moment to come home and give back to the school where your own journey began. 👏🏀
Keep dreaming big, Burnie kids. You never know where those dreams might take you!
📰 Story: Emily Clooney, Sports Editor The Advocate newspaper
📸 Photography: Phillip Biggs
