Cork basketball clubs struggling at U18 and U20 level as well as Super League

In recent weeks, there has been a major debate in Cork basketball regarding the dip in form of their Super League teams UCC Demons and Neptune in the Men’s Super League.

The reality there is a serious decline also at underage level right up to U20 level in terms of both men’s and women’s teams competing and winning at the national level.

The Cork County Basketball Board, under chairman Willie McCarthy and his committee, put savage work into organising local leagues and championships.

Another plus for the board is the number of tournaments, with the Billy Kelly U17 championship in April the biggest draw with four venues hosting fixtures on Good Friday and Easter Saturday.

The last Cork club to win the Billy Kelly was Neptune in 2019, but are Cork teams able to compete as they did before with the surge in new clubs that have emerged across the country?

“I suppose looking back to 20 years ago, Cork and Dublin clubs dominated Irish basketball, but society has changed and now we have basketball clubs in every corner of this country.

“In some towns, basketball is the only show in town and hence they are going to attract the elite athletes to take up the sport,” Willie McCarthy said.

SHORTAGE

The shortage of coaches in the sport is a worry as some clubs have men and women coaching three or four teams across various ages.

In other sports, more parents get involved, which at times is not the ideal answer to the shortage, but without them, teams couldn’t function.

The aspiration of players wanting to play at the top tier of Irish basketball should be a priority but for some, when they reach the age of 17 to 19, they choose different paths.

A rule this season at Super League level was brought in that teams should have two Irish players on the court at all times but a loophole means players with Irish passports fit that criteria.

There will always be a debate of who is right in this scenario but for some clubs in small towns, it’s all about entertaining the locals.

My view is that having Irish players on court adds to the fun of the game with many Irish people interested and proud in witnessing their sons and daughters playing at the highest level of basketball.

For the first time in Cork, a Men’s Super League game had three female officials at last week’s clash between UCC Demons and Ballincollig. All three acquitted themselves well but it also shows that male referees are down in numbers as the majority of games on Leeside this season have had two females.

The coming weeks will be interesting for many clubs in the Men’s and Women’s National cups with the quarter-finals down for decision on the weekend of December 5-7.

Ballincollig are the sole survivors in the Pat Duffy Men’s National Cup and let’s hope the Cork basketball fraternity come to support them at the MTU Arena on December 6 when they play championship favourites Belfast Star.