Rebel Wheelers Conor Coughlan should he head to Europe and turn professional leaves an incredible legacy behind him

Rebel Wheelers 81 

Ballybrack Bulls 46 

If this final was Rebel Wheelers Conor Coughlan’s last IWA National Cup final, then he leaves this competition with an incredible legacy.

Playing with the team for the last nine years, he has now won six national cup titles in a row, played a starring role in their win over Ballybrack Bulls on Friday night, scoring 14 points and the 22-year-old Ballincollig man is set to become a professional wheelchair basketball player and this could happen as early as September this year.

Coughlan has offers from clubs in Spain, Italy, France and Germany and with his classification in the sport 1.5, this makes him super valuable to teams all over Europe.

Currently, he is a fourth year student in UL studying Sport Science, but his ambition to become a professional player will be delayed if he gets accepted in UL to do a two-year Masters degree in Occupational Therapy.

Life as a professional in Europe is a good life. Coughlan is regularly in contact with Limerick’s Joe Hargrow who plays professionally in Europe, and he follows him closely on and off the court and it’s a life he is so looking forward to enjoying.

Professional clubs in Europe pay their players 2,000 euro a month, supply them with an apartment and a car and Coughlan, who has been one of the best players in the country for a number of years is keen to make it happen as soon as possible or as soon as he is finished with UL.

“My ambition is to be a professional player and that will happen, when I’m not sure, but it will happen once I am finished with my education and course in UL,” Conor Coughlan said.

“I want to sample life as a pro in a different country and I am young enough to make it happen. I am so thankful and grateful to Noreen O’Connell in UL for making this opportunity happen for me.

“I will decide when to put my name in the draft once I know about my Masters degree in Occupational Therapy.

The win over Ballybrack Bulls was was also an historic night for Derek Hegarty, Dylan McCarthy, Conor Coughlan, Jack Quinn, Alan Dineen and Alex Hennebry, who have all played and starred for their team in the five previous victories.

For the record, they beat Ballybrack Bulls in 2019, Killester in 2020, 2021 was lost due to Covid, Killester again in 2022 and last year they beat Limerick Celtics and South East Swifts last year to achieve the five in a row.

It was also a very special night for Cathal Lynch and TJ Lotty, who both played and won their first national cup medal.

It was a hard earned win, especially in the opening quarter where Ballybrack looked as if they could upset the champions when trailing by five after 10 minutes (18-13). 

Wheelers needed to be at their best as Ballybrack were an excellent side that caused them lots of problems, and thankfully for Rebels their best players were excellent on the night.

Adam Drummond was sensational, leading all scorers at half time with 17 points as the Cork side led 43-27.

Coughlan added 10 while Dylan McCarthy chipped in with six points off the bench.

Drummond continued to impress in the third and aided by Derek Hegarty and Conor Coughlan they pushed their lead out to 21 points (59-38) and this final was over as a contest.

The final ten minutes gave coach Alan Dineen an opportunity to give cup final minutes to all his squad and they all contributed to another famous win (81-46) and night for the Cork club that continues to do great work bringing children together playing sport.

First established in 2008 to facilitate children who were eager to participate in all types of physical activities with an emphasis on sports. 

This club has grown from 5 to 50 members, ages range from 5+ both girls and boys.

The club now has basketball teams, two, a rugby team and an athletics team and it continues to grow bigger and better each year.

While success like tonight, being the best in Ireland for six years is nice and important at times, it doesn’t deflect from the club’s main aim which is inclusion for all.

And they certainly achieve this on and off the court. 

They talk about a person’s ability, not disability, they focus on inclusion, participation, they empower young people with a physical disability and emphasise to their members disability doesn’t mean you can’t achieve in life.

This team of basketball stars prove this point all the time.