Super League Basketball

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...

UCD Marian are the only unbeaten team left in this season’s Men’s Super League and face winless Maree in Colaiste losagain, but Head Coach Ioannis Liapakis says his side won’t be taking Maree lightly.  Liapakis said, “It’s a really tricky game for us, the game will be played at a natural venue, plus the fact that we had a huge win last week and many times you see players in their the next game and they feel empty.” Newcomers to the Super League this season after dominating Division One for the past two seasons, Maree have found life in the top league very tough and Marian would be expected to win the game and Liapakis says all the pressure is in them, “As you said everybody is expecting that we’re going to win because we are 3-0 and they are 0-4, so the pressure is on us. Don’t forget Maree is the same team who won the D1 league for 2-3 straight years, so they know how to win a game. Plus they have a very good American. So if you put all this together and if we allowed them to ...

Maree suffered their 4th straight defeat since moving up to the Super League, following their dominance in Division One, after a 70-93 loss to the UCC Demons. The Galway-based side have found life at the highest level very difficult, whilst also being without new America signing Watkins Williams early on due to Work Permit issues, and forward Colm O’Hagan told us, “It’s been a huge adjustment this year. Superleague is a massive step up from National League. From fitness to skill, the standard is just way higher. There are three of us living in Dublin so we don’t get to train with the team during the week which makes it tougher.” He said UCC Demons experience told as the game wore on, “Yeah it was a tough match. We were right in it at half time but they came out in the second half and were a different team from the first half.” “They’re obviously a hugely experience team and they were very clinical with their chances. Padriag getting ejected yet again didn’t help. Demons seem to b...