Kieran Shannon: It'll be tough for Neptune watching the Big Dance in their own hall
STRAIGHT TALK: Neptune coach Colin O'Reilly issues the instructions tho his Energywise Ireland Neptune squad againt DBS Eanna at Neptune Stadium, Cork. O'Reilly is a shrewd coach and must refocus his side for the league campaign. Pic: Jim Coughlan.
Although we’ve all often heard of the Last Dance when it comes to basketball the past couple of years, a more popular term and coveted experience within the sport itself is the Big Dance.
In the States that’s the NCAA tournament, aka March Madness. For the preceding four months 358 different Division One colleges vie and fly all around the country only for them to be whittled down to 68 for a do-or-die, advance-or-go-home blitz of games. Although you want to make it to the sweet 16, elite eight, final Four, the championship match, win the championship itself, just making it to the Big Dance at all is an achievement and subject of celebration all in itself.
In Irish basketball, the cup semi-final weekend in Cork on the second weekend of the year is its Big Dance ahead of the cup finals weekend a fortnight later in Dublin; here January is our March Madness. But before January there is December and the cup quarter-finals (and before it again various first-round games in November).
As tough as it is to lose in a semi-final in the Stadium, the Hall or the Mardyke, or a final in the Arena, there is the consolation that at least you were there. You were part of the festival, you got to enjoy and be part of the hype, you got to run onto the court when the lineups were being called out and the houselights went down and then when the lights came back and shone most brightly. You might not ultimately have got to bring it or him or her home but at least you were at the Big Dance.
Last weekend all across the country there was a blitz of quarter-finals across the grades with teams jockeying to get their hands on the golden ticket to the Big Dance in Cork on the second weekend of the new year. The game that carried the most fascination of the lot though was on Saturday night in Neptune Stadium, the same venue that will form the centrepiece and be the centre court of the Big Dance in January. The home club, now sponsored by Energywise Ireland, were against Éanna operating out of Stillorgan, and if Neptune were out to ensure that they’d be jiving at the big dance and party they’d be throwing or at least housing in early January, then Éanna were happy to embrace the role of party-poopers, the ultimate gatecrashers from hell.
They’d form in that capacity. While Kieran Donaghy last week on the inaugural episode of All Net, the new Irish Examiner basketball podcast, felt that home advantage would sway a tight game for Neptune, he’d have also been aware that in early 2020 Darren McGovern’s squad also came down to Neptune for a Cup semi-final with the venue’s stands taken over by Tralee Warriors’ army of fans, only for Éanna to quieten them by taking over matters on the court; Tralee would have to wait until last season to finally make it to a Cup final in their Warriors incarnation by edging Éanna in another humdinger.
This autumn Éanna foiled Tralee’s plans again. While all the talk upon the Cup draw being made live on national radio was of a probable quarter-final matchup featuring Tralee (the reigning league and Cup holders) and Neptune (the league and Cup runners-up), Éanna put a red line through such a date by grinding out a narrow win in their own gym.
Last Saturday’s game was another nailbiter, even if that didn’t seem likely the way Neptune came out of the traps. They jumped out to an early 19-6 lead, with their prodigal and prodigious son Jordan Blount especially prominent early on. But then it was Éanna who did the jumping, first in the form of one of their bench players.
Scott Kinnevane is a veteran of the league at this stage, closer to 40 than he is 30; back in 2003 he was winning the first of junior national cups with Notre Dame before progressing to compete in Superleague finals with Ballina, and win Superleague finals with Limerick and Marian. At this stage in his career he is no longer a star or even starter, but he’s had the good grace to recognise that and to embrace being a bench player, both when he’s on it or coming off it.
Last Saturday when McGovern called timeout to stop the bleeding, Kinnevane helped start the revival by bounding off the bench and clapping his hands, encouraging teammates. The cue was subliminal: hey, early days, lads, we’ll still be okay. And he exuded that attitude when he was brought on himself, combing brilliantly with another latethirtiessomething in Mark Reynolds, their big man, and Josh Wilson, their crafty American.
In the second half it was another guard coming off the bench that dictated the tone. Sean Jenkins came through the Neptune ranks underage before playing college ball in the States, and just like a league game last month, relished playing against his old club on his old stomping ground. In the second half he seemed to get to the basket at will, as did his colleagues repeatedly, and it took a series of outrageous three-pointers from Roy Downey for Neptune to stay level or just ahead.
In the end though Neptune couldn’t keep trading blow-for-blow; Blount, while showing some admirable initiative on his way to a game-high 24 points, possibly went for one knockout punch too many, and in the end not even a drawn-up play for Downey in the closing seconds could level the game. Éanna prevailed, 97-93, meaning Neptune join a growing list of scalps they’ve taken in the cup.
At this stage they’ll want to convert such a record into actual silverware; they came up well short in 2020 to Templeogue in the final. But there isn’t a more hard-nosed team left in the competition. Last Saturday night was the definition of a hard-nosed performance.
For Neptune it is a serious blow, yet not fatal. The league is still there for them, and the league, while possibly not as sexy as the cup, is as big if not bigger and more important, especially for a club like Neptune. It’s 20 years since they won it last; in the 20 years preceding that the club amassed 11, meaning it still has the distinction of leading the sport’s roll of honour. They’ve a bit to work out. How to best hone Blount’s outrageous talent and energy; get more out of American Jordan Evans; be more controlled in the decisive closing minutes, but in Colin O’Reilly they have a coach with the nous and previous track record to make such tweaks and improvements.
They can still have something to aim for and celebrate this season.
But they’ll be sadly standing by the wall helplessly come January and the Big Dance in their own hall.
