There’s a super Saturday of basketball in store this weekend as five derbies will open the Basketball Ireland Men’s Super League with a bang.
Cork fans will be in a for a treat as, after a three-year break, one of the biggest rivalries in Irish basketball will be back on display as newly-promoted Neptune host neighbours UCC Demons in the opening game of the season. The fixture is even more interesting with the move of Lehmon Colbert from Demons to Neptune this season, and looking ahead to the game, Neptune head coach, Paul Kelleher stated: "It's an exciting time for the club to be back at Super League level. It's also great for Cork basketball.
"It's taken a while, but we would like to believe we have done our business right and have earned the right to be back here. It is an extremely difficult start to the season for us playing against a team with so much fire power and a winning culture, with experienced players who know how to be successful at this level, so you would have to say Demons are the favourites going into this game. We have to be prepared to match their intelligence, they will have the physical edge but we have to find a way to get our strengths ahead of theirs if we are to have any chance.”
Demons' head coach, Colin O’Reilly added: “The summer has seen a lot of changes to our playing roster for various reasons. With that, brings the unknown as we try to build cohesion amongst a group that have not been together very long. We start the season with a very young group and will look to build performances week in week out.”
The kingdom of Kerry will also play host to the first Super League Kerry derby of the season, with Garvey’s Tralee Warriors hosting newly-promoted Keane’s SuperValu Killorgin at the Complex in Tralee.
“We are very excited for the coming Super League season and are really looking to build on the fantastic season we had last year,” said Killorglin head coach, Ignas Sijianus. “It’s even more exciting that our first ever Super League game for the club is a local derby against Tralee. We are expecting a baptism of fire, especially with the big crowd there. That said, we are ready for it.”
It’s also derby day in Galway, with Moycullen preparing to host Maree in the Kingfisher, NUIG: “We’re obviously looking forward to the game and getting the season underway,” said Moycullen head coach, John Cunningham.
“Maree have two Division One college imports this season which makes them a very different team. We played them at the weekend in the Donie Greene tournament, and while we came out on top, we saw enough to know Saturday will be a whole different challenge.”
In Dublin meanwhile, there will be two big derbies, with reigning League champions, UCD Marian hosting DCU Saints on Saturday afternoon. The game has the earlier tip off time of 4pm, while Griffith College Swords Thunder will go face-to-face with last year’s League runners-up Pyrobel Killester. The final game of the weekend will see Templeogue host Belfast Star at Oblate Hall on Saturday evening.
Over in the Men’s Division One meanwhile, there are a number of big fixtures ahead, including two top of the table clashes, one in each conference. In the northern conference, newcomers Bad Bobs Tolka Rovers will be hoping that they can keep their winning streak intact as they travel across the Liffey to DBS Éanna who are also unbeaten.
“We’re really looking forward to playing Éanna this weekend,” said Tolka’s Emmet Geoghegan. “These are the types of games you want to be involved in. Éanna have been very efficient in their play so far, they are shooting a great percentage, particularly from behind the arc. Heading into their gym, with them playing so well, will be an interesting challenge. We’ve started slowly in our opening games, and have only played to our potential in periods. If we can address this some way this weekend, I hope it will put us in a good position. Either way, I’m expecting an exciting and tough game.”
In the southern conference, Tradehouse Central Ballincollig and Limerick Celtics will go head-to-head in Cork, with both teams sitting 4-0 after the opening few weeks of the season.
“We are looking forward to Saturday’s big game,” said Ballincollig boss, Kieran O’Sullivan. “It’s important that we come out with intensity from the start, we are expecting a big crowd so it should be interesting.”
Another Limerick derby is also in store this weekend, this time with LIT hosting UL Sports Eagles on Saturday evening.
Basketball Ireland Fixtures: September 28-30th
Friday 28th September 2018
Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One:
IT Carlow Basketball v WIT Vikings, Barrow Centre-IT Carlow, 20:00;
Saturday 29th September 2018
Basketball Ireland Men’s Super League:
UCD Marian v DCU Saints, UCD Sports Centre, Belfield, 16:00;
Griffith College Swords Thunder v Pyrobel Killester, ALSAA-Dublin, 18:00;
Neptune v UCC Demons, Neptune Stadium, 19:00;
Moycullen v Maree, Kingfisher NUIG, 19:30;
Garveys Tralee Warriors v Keanes Supervalu Killorglin, Tralee Sports Complex, 19:30;
Templeogue v Belfast Star, Oblate Hall Inchicore, 20:00;
Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One:
Tradehouse Central Ballincollig v Limerick Celtics, Ballincollig CS, 16:00;
LYIT Donegal v Abbey Seals Dublin Lions, LYIT, 16:00;
LIT v UL Sports Eagles, Limerick IT Sportshall, 18:00;
DBS Eanna v Bad Bobs Tolka Rovers, Colaiste Eanna, 19:00;
Portlaoise Panthers v Scotts Lakers St Paul’s Killarney, St Mary’s Sports Hall, 20:00;
KUBS BC v EJ Sligo All-Stars, KUBS Arena, Greendale, 20:00;
Sunday 30th September 2018
Basketball Ireland Men’s Division One:
GameFootage.net Titans v Ulster University Elks, The Jes, 15:30;
