Cork Basketball: Neptune will lean on underage talent after appointing Adam Drummond as coach

Adam Drummond has been appointed as Neptune head coach for next season.

The dedicated Neptune club man takes over the Super League team after a very disappointing campaign where they were dragged into a relegation battle and went through two head coaches, in Keith Daly and Ciarán Kiveney, before Paul O'Brien took charge on an interim basis.

Last season, Drummond led Neptune to the Men’s U20 National Cup final where they lost to Titans in a thrilling game and his ambition to coach at the top tier of Irish basketball has now been fulfilled. He was also involved with UCD Marian the previous season at Super League level.

The former Irish underage international, who received a scholarship to play with Dickinson College in the USA, was left him paralyzed from the waist down following an accident in 2021.

In recent years, he has been playing Irish Wheelchair basketball with the Rebel Wheelers and in 2025 was MVP in their National Cup triumph.

“I am incredibly proud to become head coach of the club has always been home to me. Neptune means so much to me and I am ready to give everything to this role,” said Drummond.

The new coach believes there is lots of work to be done before the new season tips off in October.

I want to build a culture based on hard work, togetherness and pride of representing this club in a correct manner that we will have on the training court and, of course, in all games."

The move has been welcomed by the Neptune faithful and chairman Ian O’Brien was delighted to reveal they opted for an internal appointment.

“We had various applications for the role but when Adam put his name forward, we were delighted as he is a Neptune diehard that will hopefully revel in the role,” said O’Brien.

Neptune have a good season in the Cork local leagues and O’Brien believes there is a strong crop of talented players coming through the club.

“I think Adam proved last season with hard work that dreams can be achieved as we were unlucky losers of the U20 National Cup, but the feelgood factor is back at our club and hopefully he will help bring back the winning ways at Super League level.”

POTENTIAL

Neptune certainly have a strong production line with the likes of Dylan O'Rourke and Seán Noonan, who led the way at U20 last season, getting Irish caps at underage level.

The northside club reached the National Cup and Super League finals in 2022, losing both to Tralee Warriors, but haven't made a major impact since, while local rivals UCC Demons and Ballincollig both landed the major prizes.

One of Drummond's priorities will be getting his recruitment of professionals spot on, particularly since the change in rules which now permits two Americans. There must be two Irish players on court at all times, an area in which Neptune are strong.