Tigers on the prowl again for Superleague title

THE Men’s SuperLeague begins this weekend, after an off-season that buzzed with speculation. Tralee Tigers have a new sponsor in Abrakebabra and will be defending the title they won last season for the first time.

They’ll be coached by new 6’1” point guard, Chris Craig, the youngest coach in the SuperLeague.

He brings another El Paso product, 6’7” Roy Smallwood, assisted by Aussie Luke O’Hea and Liam Brosnan and Declan Wall of St Mary’s Castleisland.

“The squad also includes player of the year, Michael Quirke, who has just won an All-Ireland medal in football as a member of the Kerry panel,” press officer Timmy Sheehan said.

“We have others like Kieran O’Donoghue and John Teahan, so we are just about ready to defend.”

Old faces returning include Jim Nugent as coach to Neptune, a post he held up to 1995. Nugent has won SuperLeague honours as a player and a coach.

“I was approached by Tim O’Brien shortly after the AGM and I told him to give me a few weeks to think about it,” said Nugent. “It was a very difficult decision. The fact that I was still involved in coaching at schools level in Ballincollig and with underage helped me.”

Gordon Fitzgerald and Stephen McCarthy are to continue, and Nugent has retained Americans Charron Watson and Kenny Gamble. He’s also signed an interesting young Italian, Carlo Ferri, a 6’5” forward who played with Bologna and is studying at UCC.

Nugent also welcomed new rules which insist there must be at least two Irish players on court at all times, and the decision to extend the quarters to 11 minutes from 10 minutes.

Tomorrow evening (5pm) Neptune will host Limerick at Neptune Stadium and Tommy Hehir admitted last night he is pretty excited about the trip to Cork.

Hehir had an eventful summer. First he announced his retirement, then Limerick lost their sponsor. They came knocking on his door. Then he was back again.

“We don’t have a sponsor so we will be looking to the gates from our home games to fund the team.”

Lionhearted Matthew Hall is back for a fourth season and the newcomers include Americans Sneed Deadrick of De Paul and Chris Jeffries.

UCD play host to Demons tomorrow night at Belfield where Pat Price will be looking for a marker for his side.

“I don’t know if we are 100% fit right now but we are getting there,” he said.

“People are fitting into roles and the team is coming together. UCD will be interesting. It is never easy to win there and with Mark Keenan coaching them you can be sure they will be disciplined and well prepared.”

They have two new Americans at The Mardyke Arena - Dave Holmes from Manhattan College and Glen Worley from the University of Iowa - and they will be joined by Damian Matacz, an Aussie 6’8”centre and Michael Plichta a 6’10” centre who had been playing with Fr Matthews in Cork.

Tonight: Shamrock Rovers Hoops v Dart Killester, ESB Arena, 8.30pm.