Compared to Euro 2016, or the World U20 rugby final, or the decisive third test in South Africa, Ireland’s return to the international basketball arena seems like small potatoes. Perhaps it is. But it’s an important small step for the sport in this country, and for the women’s team preparing for the FIBA tournament in Gibraltar. Coach Mark Scannell put it in context.

Team Montenotte, Glanmire won their third Women’s Premier League and Cup double in scintillating style yesterday when defeating DCU Mercy 72-69 in an epic final at the Watershed in Kilkenny.

C&S Blue Demons will face the might of Killester this afternoon in the first semi final of the Senior Men’s National Cup at Neptune Stadium.

WOMEN'S NATIONAL CUP FINAL:

Tonight

UL Huskies 93 Team Montenotte Hotel Cork 78

Everything else tends to suffer by comparison in Cork when SuperLeague pride is at stake between UCC Demons and Neptune.

He’s still only 36, but basketball’s Women’s Superleague coach of the year James Weldon has already been coaching for half his life. The trick? Continually pushing himself outside his comfort zone in the search for new methods and insights, even if that’s an obscure tournament in eastern Europe. The UL Huskies coach doesn’t do down time.

Women’s Superleague National Cup final

UCC Demons continue to set the pace in the Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague, notching their sixth consecutive win of the season with victory over Killester yesterday.

UL Eagles completed the double in Women’s SuperLeague when they had a hard-earned win over Team Montenotte in the league decider at the National Basketball Arena last night.

UL would win by 37 points, a record-winning margin. They held DCU to just 27 points, another cup final record.

UL were crowned women’s cup champions following their comfortable win over DCU Mercy at the National Basketball Arena last night.

THE expected pairing for the Women’s SuperLeague National Cup final came together at the weekend when the raging hot favourites, UL, defeated former champions Montenotte Hotel Cork 71-59, and defending champions DCU Mercy, coasted to a 68-30 win over 11890 Killester in the other semi-final.

CORMAC O’DONOGHUE and James Weldon played basketball together with Gleneagle Lakers in Killarney but will put that friendship aside this evening.

THE curtain came down on another basketball extravaganza in Castleisland last night, their 42nd consecutive blitz, at a packed Castleisland Community Centre.

NEW signing Robert Taylor would appear to have solved the outstanding problem for UL Eagles’ coach Mark Keenan, who watched him contribute 21 points as they beat Bord Gáis Neptune 76-71 to return to the top of the Nivea for Men SuperLeague Southern Conference.

TOMORROW night’s Dublin derby at Clontarf has all the ingredients for a thrilling encounter as joint leaders, 11890 Killester, take on Northside rivals, DCU Saints, for control of the Nivea for Men SuperLeague.

UCD Marian got back to winning ways with a tremendous 72-64 win over Belfast Star in the Nivea for Men SuperLeague at Anderstown on Saturday.

DEFENDING champions, 11890 Killester, will be red hot favourites going into Sunday’s NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague final at the National Basketball Arena but coach, Mark Keenan, has been around long enough to realise there are no foregone conclusions in this type of situation and Bord Gáis Neptune, he reckons, are not ones to be taken lightly.

EXPECT more fireworks when Bord Gais Neptune and UCC Demons meet in the Cork SuperLeague local derby at Neptune Stadium tomorrow night.

THE weather may have wrought havoc with the weekend SuperLeague programme, but it didn’t prevent 11890 Killester and UL Eagles consolidating their positions at the top of their respective conferences.

THERE is a familiar look about the NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague table as the halfway point of the season approaches.

11890 Killester are the only unbeaten side in the NIVEA For MEN SuperLeague after a 93-81 win over UL Eagles at Clontarf on Saturday night.

TEAM Montenotte Hotel Cork will bid for their fourth national cup title when they take on DCU Mercy in tomorrow’s women’s Superleague final and if they succeed, it will be sensational after losing five of their superstars from last year.

WHEN Montenotte Hotel Cork and DCU Mercy clash in the final of the Women’s Superleague National Cup on Sunday week, fans will be hoping for another classic. Last year’s semi-final went to double overtime before the champions came out on top, winning a third successive cup title.

DECLAN KIDNEY is unlikely to make any major adjustments to Ireland’s approach as they set out on a 2010 mission to retain their Six Nations Grand Slam title.

NEW coach Pat Price will be hoping for an improved performance before the home fans when Neptune take on UL Eagles tomorrow night (8pm).

THE first leg of the semi-finals in the NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague provided a mild shock for UCC Demons who had to settle for a draw (78-78) at the end of a storming come-back by UCD Marian at Belfield but there was no such problem for the other favourites, DART Killester, who overwhelmed Neptune (85-63) at Neptune Stadium.

TEAM Montenotte Hotel Cork will go down in the history books as one of the great teams in Irish basketball if they succeed in winning their third women’s National Cup in-a-row on Sunday.

Ireland 67 Slovenia 59

His girls may have come up short in last night’s U18 National Cup final but double-seeking Glanmire basketball coach Mark Scannell is helping revive the glory days on Leeside with his dynamic leadership. Michael Moynihan reports.

THE COUNTIES produced a Croke Park football classic last season, and hoops fans hope the Dublin-Kerry rivalry will also provide a fitting climax to basketball’s blue riband weekend.

Abrakebabra Tigers have claimed victory in the battle of the unbeaten sides with an impressive win away to Dublin giants DCU Saints on Saturday night.

CHAMPIONS DART Killester got their defence of the title off to a winning start against UCD/Marian on Thursday night and were able to watch from the wings as the NIVEA for MEN’S SuperLeague got back into full swing over the weekend with significant victories for Abrakebabra Tigers, Limerick Lions, and Neptune.

Ireland continued their preparations for their European opener against Norway on Saturday with a 41 - 56 defeat to a powerful Portugal outfit at the National Basketball Arena tonight.

Ireland 73 Luxembourg 29

BOTH Kieran Donaghy and Micheál Quirke have told Tralee Tigers’ coach Dave Falvey that they will be concentrating on football with the Kerry team and will not be available for the remainder of the hoops season.

Montenotte Hotel, Cork 89 UL Aughinish 75

Team Montenotte Hotel Cork have defeated UL Aughinish 89-75 in a pulsating final in the National Basketball Arena to claim the Women's Superleague National Cup.

BEFORE the semi-finals two weeks ago, few would have predicted Team Montenotte Hotel from Glanmire would challenge UL Aughinish for the national cup title.

REIGNING champions UCC Demons and challengers Abrakebabra Tigers sharpened the competitive edge in advance of next Sunday’s National Cup final with solid NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague victories over the weekend.

TONY HEHIR will find himself in an unusual situation in tomorrow’s National Cup semi-final between UL Aughinish and Bausch & Lomb Wildcats at the National basketball arena.