Hoops and Demons Open with Wins in Mens National Cup Superleague - Nov 16, 2009 (by Chris Smith)
UCC Demons tipped off their Cup campaign by edging out DCU Saints on Sunday, Hoops snatched a confidence-building Cup victory at the expense of Moycullen and Killester found their defensive stride against Belfast Star.On Sunday, UCC Demons tipped off their SuperLeague National Cup campaign by edging out DCU Saints by a 15 point victory. Spectators got their fill as the game continued neck and neck until Demons took the upper hand halfway through the third quarter [read more]
UCC Demons tipped off their Cup campaign by edging out DCU Saints on Sunday, Hoops snatched a confidence-building Cup victory at the expense of Moycullen and Killester found their defensive stride against Belfast Star.
On Sunday, UCC Demons tipped off their SuperLeague National Cup campaign by edging out DCU Saints by a 15 point victory. Spectators got their fill as the game continued neck and neck until Demons took the upper hand halfway through the third quarter.
Head Coach Luke DAlessio was extremely pleased with his sides effort as he considered it a team contribution.
We played great defense today and were able to substitute a lot of our bench players who worked hard, stated DAlessio, being able to have a nine-man rotation allowed us to take them out of their game a bit.
Meanwhile, opponents DCU Saints Head Coach Vinny OKeefe was displeased with his sides lack of intensity for such an important game.
The things we talked about, we didnt do this game, stated OKeefe, they destroyed us on every aspect of the game. The three most important things rebounding, stopping their drive and intensity we had none of them
It shouldnt matter who we are playing, we need to have more intensity, added OKeefe, Demons were, by far, the better team. We need to go away from this loss and go back to the drawing board
However, Demons Head Coach DAlessio was pleased at the all-around effort made by each player, Our main goal was to take them out of their game and keep them off the boards and we did just that. They are a very deep, very physical team and I am extremely happy with the win today
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Hoops have also booked their place in the quarter finals at the expense of Moycullen with a superb performance from USA powerhouse, Carlton 'Big C' Aaron who netted 48 points.
Despite an even score line at half time Hoops were backed by the confidence of the surprise win from their last clash away to UCC Demons. It was a tough, scrappy game stated Head Coach Ahmad Smith, both teams had to get themselves going and it was messy but we managed to get a win
Hoops were down in the fourth quarter by as much as ten points with six minutes to go but Coach Smith believed both American stand out Carlton 'Big C' Aaron and guard Joey Haastrup played the biggest roles in stepping up.
[Joey] Haastrup played a really great game. When we were down he drained some important shots that brought us back up said Smith,
Obviously Carlton Aaron had an outstanding game. With him in the middle of the post he was hard to guard and Moycullen kept fouling and sending our side to the free throw line. Having him in the post really helped us out on the boards.
Moycullens standout player Cian Nihill was in top form by netting 21 points in the defeat but the sharp shooter was a player that Coach Smith was worried about.
Nihill is a tough player and we wanted to take him out of his game, added Smith, He was still able to find a way to score and we knew that if he kept going, he is very hard to stop.
Moycullen Head Coach, Enda Byrt, agrees that his standout player had a good game but also bears a lot of the pressure for scoring,
There is too much on Cians shoulders and I wish that the responsibility could be distributed more evenly stated Byrt, with it being [USA player] Nates only second game we definitely are looking for a more even contribution from the team
Coach Byrt believed that the final result came down to experience
We had as much as a ten point lead but we didnt know how to build and sustain the lead in order to win, added Byrt, Hoops had us on experience and their older players knew how to hit the big shots in the end.
Its a community-based game and we had great supporters who came out and appreciated the effort and excitement of the game, concluded Byrt, but nobody is ready to throw in the towel and we are all getting hungrier for a win.
From the Dublin team, Hoops Head Coach Ahmad Smith believes that a win is a win and it was a good start to the Cup and for his teams confidence,
It was such a scrappy game and the defence from our end was not great but we made the shots when they counted and it might be an ugly win but it is still a win and we will take it.
We have a bit of momentum now with two wins under our belt as well as some confidence. We need to work on our fitness for the next home game and I will be looking down the bench more. We just got to keep going
In the only Nivea For Mens SuperLeague game of the weekend, Killester sailed past a visiting Belfast Star on a scoreline of 95-75.
With four of Killesters players scoring in double digits, Head Coach Mark Keenan didnt believe the score line reflected the actual game.
It was a sloppy first half and then we turned it around in the second half which I think was more to the style we are supposed to play stated Keenan, but it was important for us to get a win and get back a positive vibe going.
Despite Belfast Stars American, Philip Perres 20 point contribution, Star Head Coach Danny Fulton stressed the importance of finishing the game strong,
We were leading for most of the game but the final score line does not reflect what really happened, followed Fulton, we played well for three quarters but didnt finish the game
Keenan agreed that the score line was not a correct reflection.
The score line really flatters us stated Keenan, it felt more like a ten point game, really, but it was all about us picking up our defence in the second half.
Killester allowed Star a whopping 31 points in the first quarter and 46 points before the half time buzzer. The third quarter witnessed a rejuvenated home team that came out with more intensity on the defensive end and held the Northern club to only 29 points for the entire second half.
Defence was key, stated Keenan, it was our defence that turned the game around and it helped us to dominate the second half of the game.
We have to take one game at a time so tomorrow [Sunday] we will concentrate on UCC Demons.
Carlton Aaron (206-C-79, college: UMKC)
PLAYER OF THE MONTH ANNOUNCED ON TIME OUT - Nov 13, 2009 (by Jolie Niland)
A new episode of TIME OUT is now available to view courtesty of IrishSport.tv.
Exclusive to 'TIME OUT' don't miss the announcement of the October Player of the Month for the Nivea For Men's SuperLeague and the IrishSport.TV Women's SuperLeague.
Click here to view this month's award receipents.
'TIME OUT' traveled to Neptune Stadium for the launch of award-winning author Kieran Shannon book, Hanging From the Rafters, which showcases Irish basketball at it's best in the 1980s [read more]
A new episode of TIME OUT is now available to view courtesty of IrishSport.tv.
Exclusive to 'TIME OUT' don't miss the announcement of the October Player of the Month for the Nivea For Men's SuperLeague and the IrishSport.TV Women's SuperLeague.
Click here to view this month's award receipents.
'TIME OUT' traveled to Neptune Stadium for the launch of award-winning author Kieran Shannon book, Hanging From the Rafters, which showcases Irish basketball at it's best in the 1980s. Don't miss next week's special edition episode as TIME OUT will bringing you all the news from the launch!
Every week TIME OUT features the latest in results from the weekend's action from the Nivea For Men's SuperLeague, IrishSport.tv Women's SuperLeague and Basketball Ireland' Men's and Women's Division One .
Click here to view Episode 27 of TIME OUT For comments or show suggestions please email media@basketballireland.ie
TIME OUT NOW AVAILABLE TO VIEW - Nov 13, 2009 (by Jolie Niland)
A very special edition of TIME OUT is now available to view on www.basketballireland.ie
This week TIME OUT traveled to the Neptune Stadium for the launch of Kieran Shannons much anticipated book, Hanging From the Rafters, The Story of Neptune and the Golden Age of Irish Basketball
TIME OUT caught up with some of the stars of the book including the likes of Terry Strickland, Tom OSullivan and Ken Black [read more]
This week TIME OUT traveled to the Neptune Stadium for the launch of Kieran Shannons much anticipated book, Hanging From the Rafters, The Story of Neptune and the Golden Age of Irish Basketball
TIME OUT caught up with some of the stars of the book including the likes of Terry Strickland, Tom OSullivan and Ken Black.
The show will also feature all the latest results and fixtures from a busy weekend of league action.
On top of this, we interrogate Ger Noonan of Neptune in our 60 second shot clock
In a special production, you can view the full launch of Hanging From the Rafters, The Story of Neptune and the Golden Age of Irish Basketball by clicking on this link: FULL PRESENTATION
Please send all show suggestions and comments to media@basketballireland.ie
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