Cork basketball: Cup final is always special for fans and players
The Address UCC Glanmire's Casey Grace celebrates on Sunday. Picture: INPHO/Evan Treacy
IT was a good weekend for Cork teams at the National Basketball Arena last weekend with three wins out of the five finals they were involved in.
It certainly was about keeping the best 'til last as The Address UCC Glanmire produced a stunning fourth quarter to win their first Paudie O’Connor Women’s National Cup final since 2017.
Credit to Mark Scannell and his players they got their act together when defeat stared them in the face and for MVP Claire Melia it was a day to cherish with her first medal at this level.
Melia lost her mother last year but credit to all concerned at the Glanmire club they have helped through this sad time and she has repaid them with some incredible performances.
When you win 7 national cups. Captain fantastic @Ainey7 pic.twitter.com/aDq5Gr1IMp
— Mark Scannell (@markscannellc) January 24, 2022
UCC Demons were involved in two with their men’s U20 side getting the show on the road with the opening game on Friday night. The biggest problem for Demons was the height advantage UCD Marian had over them and in the end despite losing by the minimum they put up a bold show.
You could argue Demons' shooting cost them big time but let’s be fair, players like Mathew McCarthy who excel at taking the ball to the hoop were curbed by the height of their opponents.
There was joy for the Rebel Wheelers in the IWA National Cup final when they took the court on Saturday morning to play Killester.
As John McHale explained in Monday's Echo, these finals are hugely entertaining and the exertions of these players over 40 minutes are incredible.
Conor Coughlan ended up MVP and wept openly when his name was announced, pure joy to go with the third consecutive title. Player-coach Alan Dineen was elated too and Rebel Wheelers club do huge work for many sports.
UCC Demons, after experiencing witnessing their U20 team go down by the minimum, were determined to put it right when they met Drogheda Wolves in the President's Cup final.
Despite a slow start once they got to grips in defence they won this final in a canter as they can now set their sights on trying to win the Men’s Division 1 title.
The prize on offer will be promotion to the Super League but on the other side of the coin the question is are they good enough to compete at this level?
Granted they have a good crop of Irish players but they would need to add a top-class American and a couple of Bosmans to be able to cope with the elite sides.
C & S Neptune were expected to win their first Pat Duffy Men’s National Cup title since 2013 but they fell flat against a very organised Tralee Warriors.
I think enough has been said about the game but you must have a tinge of sympathy for the club that invested heavily in this campaign.
I received many complaints about the cost of going into the arena for these finals.
How can Basketball Ireland justify charging €20 for a Men’s U20 game and €25 for the Men’s and Women’s finals?
These costs on top of staying in hotels make the trip to the capital a very expensive one and surely needs addressing by the people who govern the sport.
