Adam Drummond confident Neptune U20s ready for tough cup final task against Titans

It will be an interesting weekend for the Neptune Men’s U20 coach Adam Drummond.

He's playing on Friday night with the Rebel Wheelers in the IWA National Cup final and the following day is at the helm for the Neptune U20s' final against Titans.

Drummond, a former Irish international, suffered an injury that left him wheelchair bound since 2021. His attitude to life is all about positivity though and he can't wait for what he hopes will be a memorable weekend.

“The Rebel Wheelers is the club that I am honoured to play with and hopefully I can win my third National Cup medal against South East Swifts."

On Saturday, he's hoping he can guide his beloved club to national glory when they go head-to-head with Galway side Titans in the Men’s U20 final. Looking back on their impressive semi-final win, Drummond believes preparation was the key to getting over a highly talented Portlaoise Panthers side.

“We put lots of work in as I scouted them before we played and without getting too much into them, I did see they played a lot of 2-3 zone. Going into our game, that was our emphasis all week on how to break it."

MAGNIFICENT

Coach Drummond praised his troops for the manner they executed against Portlaoise.

“The lads were magnificent from start to finish. I was annoyed in the first quarter as we had nine turnovers but once we sorted out that department, we looked a far better side.” 

Last season, while studying in Dublin, he was involved with UCD while continuing his love for coaching. Back on Leeside this year, Drummond was appointed coach of his own club and the pleasure he gets in the job is clear to see.

“They are a great bunch of lads always showing commitment to the task and I am very proud to be associated with this squad with my assistant Kelvin O’Donoghue also a huge help.” 

Looking ahead to Sunday’s final, Drummond believes the underdogs tag will suit his team.

“We are going up to Dublin with few giving us a chance of winning, but that’s okay. Titans deserve to be favourites as they have three guys that are 6' 7" starting and they are all very athletic.

Finding a way to win is my job and in book, we are going to be controlled in making it a basketball game and who knows where that will take us."

Titans are known for developing good players but haven’t shown the winning touch to gain promotion to the Super League. Neptune have three players involved with the Super League team this campaign. Dylan O’Rourke, Pharrell Osage and Sean Noonan are all part of the squad.

“I think the lads being part of the Super League team is definitely a help as you can see it when they play at their own level, as they have a great understanding of the game.” 

LEADERSHIP

While Osage and Noonan were the top scorers two weeks ago, the performance of Dylan O’Rourke in the semi-final came in for special mention.

“Dylan is a player I give a lot of responsibility to on court as he basically runs the show. If he makes a decision and it doesn’t go his way, he will soon rectify the situation.

“When you look at Dylan, he plays like a veteran and that’s nice to see from a 19-year-old. I have no doubt he is a player for the future.” 

The last few years have been tough for Neptune and Cork basketball in general and believes reaching the final will give all concerned a huge lift.

“I suppose success comes in cycles, but trophies have been sparse in recent years and getting to this final means a lot to our fanbase.

“All I am asking is for members past and present and indeed Cork basketball fans to try and get to Dublin to give our team some support as it would be greatly appreciated.”