Seanie Murphy is a great coach, a great teacher of the game, but he is a much better person and role model to all who cross his path

THERE have been many articles written about Seanie Murphy’s basketball career over the years.

However, if you know Seanie the man, you quickly find out that there’s a lot more about him than just a basketball coach. 

Off the court, he is a complete gentleman and has been a mentor to so many young coaches and players, including myself.

I can definitely speak about him and what influence he had on me in my teens.

He first introduced me to coaching, where he would take me down to the Boggy Road every night in the summer, teaching me different techniques and introducing me to the importance of the fundamentals of the game. 

He was always only a phone call away for advice or to call down to one of my training sessions to help me try different strategies, however, everything he did on the court with my players at that time, he always pointed out to them that they were my ideas.  He did not want the players thinking he was the only coach with different ideas.

I always appreciated that gesture.  It was very important at that time in my early coaching career.

Seanie is always so generous with his time and still to this day helps out the Cork County Basketball Board when his is needed.

Seanie started playing basketball when he was in Blarney Street National School where he and his friends would watch the big boys playing because they had only one basketball.

“I started playing basketball when I was about five years old as we would watch the big boys playing in the school yard and when they finished we would scatter for the ball so we might get a few minutes playing before we went back to class,” Seanie said.

“As I got older, my friends and myself would play after school and the noise of the basketball bouncing on the yard would draw all the young boys from the lanes around the school to watch us. 

"They would eventually ask to join in so I began my coaching career at the age of 13.

“John Hayes was my first coach, and I had total respect for the man, as he instilled the beliefs I have today on how the game should be played.

“One of my teams I coached with Iona I brought them down to Crosshaven for a day’s outing, and I recently meet one of those lads and he told me that was his very first trip to the seaside, which put a huge smile on face."

Seanie moved from Iona BC to Blue Demons some years later, and his coaching moto was still the same, and although at that time he was playing National League Basketball, he would always help out with the coaching in the club. 

Seanie has won every honour in the game as a player and as a coach and was he capped 36 times for Ireland as a player and also coached the National team in the Pre-Olympic tournament.

“I moved to Demons from Iona when I was about 17 years old, and had some great days playing and made some great friends within the club. 

"We had so much success and when I retired from playing I coached the senior team for a number of years.

“I also had the pleasure of playing and coaching our Irish Senior National team and I must say the trip to Russia for the Pre-Olympics was the highlight for me. 

"I got to know their coach because I asked the two KGB men could I watch their training sessions. 

"They asked the coach and he allowed me in, however, they sat by my side watching everything I wrote down. 

"We kept in touch for years after by writing letters and trading ideas about the game."

As well as being their coach, Seanie also looked out for his players, and always recognised their circumstances and family background as this story shows.

“One story from when I was coaching the Demons boys, one of the player's runners were old and torn and he needed a new pair, but I knew he could not afford them, so I bought him a new pair. 

"When he walked into the Hall the following week he was mad showing off his new boots, and when asked where he got them, his reply was my coach gave me them because I was the best trainer."

A touch of class from Seanie.

“Another funny story was when I was asked by Basketball Ireland to coach around Dublin with some American coaches. 

"It was just after Christmas and we were going to our last location when the Americans said they were too tired so I carried on myself. 

"I went into the Hall and they must have been over 50 kids there, so I coached away for a couple of hours. 

"However when I returned to my car it was stolen, so I went to the local Garda station. 

"They gave me very little hope of getting my car back, however, the girl who was in charge and the kids went looking for my car. 

"After a few hours the garda came back in and said your car is outside Mr Murphy and you must have made some impression on those young kids for them to get your car back in one piece,” Seanie added.