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“There’s a lot more to come from us” says Templeogue’s Lorcan Murphy

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Black Amber Templeogue have reached the National Cup semi-finals after missing out last season following a defeat to the eventual winner Griffith College Swords Thunder. Top scorer on the night was point guard Lorcan Murphy, with 18 points in a closely fought contest. A nail-biting end to the game saw brilliant scoring from Lawrence (Puff) Summers, Mike Bonaparte and Neil Randolph to see Templeogue come out victorious 81-76. We caught up with Lorcan after the game. He said, “Delighted with the win. Éanna are a tough enough team this year and they match up reasonably well with us, but we have been improving week to week and aim to continue doing so.” Templeogue got off to a poor start to the Super League this season but the form has been excellent of late and Murphy feels there’s still more to come, “We had a rough start to the campaign and seem to be finally finding our flow, however reaching the Cup semi-final is a great acheivment and I feel we have a lot more to offer and you ...
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‘Defence the key to Cup win’ says UCD Marian Head Coach Ioannis Liapakis

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UCD Marian remain on course for an historic Super League and Cup double after reaching the National Cup semi-finals following an 87-53 victory over fellow Dublin side DCU Saints. Sitting three points clear at the top of the Super League standings, at the half-way stage, Marian produced a superb defensive display to keep the leagues hottest scorer Dee Proby under wraps. Head Coach Ioannis Liapakis was a happy man after the game. He told us, “We are really happy with the result, but even happier with our defensive performance. We managed to keep the best scorer in the country Dee Proby to 15 points and the whole team to 53 points.” When asked if he was surprised with his side’s form this season he said, “To be honest with you it’s not a surprise for us to be top of the table and into the Cup semi-finals. The recipe for success needs a lot of ingredients such as: good players / depth and quality in the bench / a friendly and competitive environment / chemistry / health / luck / consis...
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Interview with Pyrobel Killester’s Royce Williams

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Pyrobel Killester don’t have Jermaine Turner anymore, however they do have a new American star in their ranks. He’s a   6’ 5” guard who’s bounced back from adversity in college to begin his professional career in Ireland.   Unfortunately for ‘Rolls’ Royce, as he’s been nicknamed by his Killester team-mates, adversity had struck again as he picked up what looked like an achilles injury in the defeat to SSE Airtricity Moycullen a few weeks ago. However, Williams made a welcome return to the Killester line-up in their 90-78 defeat to Garvey’s Tralee Warriors at the end of October. Royce Williams grew up in Los Angeles, California in a tough neighbourhood, but Williams credits both his parents, and the game of basketball for putting his life on the right path. He said, “I started playing sports to stay out of trouble. My neighbourhood wasn't as bad as the media makes LA out to be but it had it's problems. When I was 12 I was fortunate enough to be accepted to a private school, w...
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History makers Maree enjoy their first Super League win

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Basketball history was made on Saturday night in Calasanctius College in Oranmore as Maree won their first ever Men’s Super League game after a 102-100 shoot-out win over DCU Saints.  Irish Youth International point-guard Eoin Rockall was instrumental in the win scoring 36 points, which included 7-10 from 3-point range. Kenneth Hansberry had 17 points while American Jamelle Tolliver had 16.  For DCU Saints, their American star Dee Proby continued his hot scoring streak with 37 points, which also included a whopping 18 rebounds, and Graham Brannelly chipping in with 28. Maree Head Coach John Finn was delighted to finally get the monkey off his back, “We played very well and matched up well against DCU. We have basically set ourselves up for the past few games so that when we got a game that was close we would actually win it. I think tactically, we got it right.” On the history-making victory Finn said, “Yes, it’s the first win in the Super League for Maree Basketball C...
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Interview with Courtyard Liffey Celtics Star Erin Bracken

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Point-Guard Erin Bracken won the Women’s Super League last season with Courtyard Liffey Celtics to crown a love affair with basketball since she was 9 years-old.   The 22 year-old from Leixlip explains, “I first started playing basketball when I was 9 years old, my mam brought me up to Liffey Celtics one day to give it a go and that was that, I've been in love with the game ever since.” Winning the league was the ultimate accolade but she says the losing the Cup Final was a huge turning point in their season, “We have been working extremely hard for years as a club to grow and improve, so to win the League last season was a great achievement for us. We were disappointed with our performance in the National Cup Final, that was a turning point for us as we managed to go the rest of the season unbeaten which really showed great character.” Erin took part in former Irish International Paul Cummins’ Sport Dream Academy (SDA) as both a player and a coach, and she feels that it playe...
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Arcilla makes his debut for Templeogue in Super League win at just 16 years of age

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Black Amber Templeogue introduced 16 year-old Kris Arcilla to Super League over the weekend, as first he made his debut in Saturday’s 101-78 win over KUBS, then scored his first points in their huge 104-52 win over Maree on the Bank Holiday. The youngster was buzzing after making his debut, as he explains, “I didn't play much but that was expected. I really enjoy being on the sideline supporting the team and soaking in all the experience from the older players a 16 year old. When I got called by Mark (Keenan) against KUBS in the 4th quarter, I just got really excited. I told myself whenever I get the chance to play, I'll play it like a regular underage game and just be me.” We asked him how he found the pace of the game at this level, “The pace of the Super League game didn't really phase me, because after two months of training with the team at game speed all the time, I got used to it.” And how did he think he played? “I personally think I did alright in the game wit...
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Interview with SSE Airtricity Moycullen Star Brandon McGuire

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SSE Airtricity Moycullen Head Coach John Cunningham went looking to bring in an American player ahead of the new Super League season, and that search led him to Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.   The Head Coach of the basketball program there, Justin Potts, has a good idea of the type of player who can succeed in the Irish Super League as he explains, “I was in discussions with John (Cunningham) during the process. I have had two former players play in Ireland prior to Brandon so I was familiar with the league and what the teams look for. John and I exchanged some emails and we sent some film over on Brandon. I told John that Brandon would be a great addition to the team and the community. I really appreciate John giving Brandon the opportunity.” Potts continued to tell us a little bit about the college, “Moravian is a small Liberal Arts College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It’s the 6th oldest college in America that has a very strong academic reputation. The men's ba...
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