Neptune look to salvage season
Neptune are a proud club with a proud tradition. No club in the country has won more titles and Neptune Stadium is considered by many to be the spiritual home of Irish basketball.
But this season has been a disaster, losing by record scores to neighbours, UCC Demons and more recently to Gleneagle Lakers, who scored 149 points against them. They are bottom of the SuperLeague and out of the cup. The team has been in freefall.
“The first objective is to stem that,” insisted coach Evans, who was drafted in to replace Ozell Wells after the American parted company with the club last week.
“It is a difficult situation, really. It has gone a long way and we have to stabilise matters, win a few games and get up off the bottom of the table.”
Evans could well be the man to steady the ship. He coached Waterford Crystal to a sensational SuperLeague victory a few seasons ago and he knows every Irish player on the current roster.
“Neptune have some of the best players in the country. They have a wealth of experience between them. This is not something I can do on my own so I will be turning to the players for help.”
He met with heartening news on arrival at Neptune Stadium when Stephen McCarthy - out for most of the season with a persistent calf injury - and ‘flu victim Gordon Fitzgerald turned up for practice.
Earlier in the week they lost the services of Jason Pryor who split with the club. But it could prove yet prove a godsend.
“It has allowed us to go looking for a big player. Since Bosman left we have suddenly become very small. Now we were able to go looking for a big guy.”
And they may have found just one with the expected arrival today of a 6’7” inside player due to fly in from Stockholm where he has been playing.
“I am not counting my chickens or anything like that, but I expect him to arrive in and I expect him to be playing at the weekend,” Evans said.
“Our target will be to get teams down to 90 and then score more than 90. I would expect that this guy will arrive ready to play. Having been in Stockholm he does not have a problem with a time difference and he will be acclimatised to the European weather. I would feel that this guy can plug that hole in the middle.
“I know what we can expect from St. Vincent’s. The three Donnellys will be there banging us from one end of the floor to the other. But the presence of our new player should make a difference.”
Limerick Lions, who had mixed fortunes last weekend when they beat Gleneagle Lakers and then lost to UCC Demons, entertain DART Killester in a dress rehearsal for their National Cup semi-finalr. Killester will continue with just one Serbian and no Bosman after the Appeals Committee decided to uphold the two-game ban against Coach Sasa which will take effect from this weekend.
Abrakebabra Tigers will be without Kieran Donaghy and Micheal Quirke when they entertain Merry Monk Ballina at the Tralee Sports Centre. Both are in New York with the Kerry footballers.
Ballina have won their last three games on the road against Gleneagle Lakers, MDS Star and UCD and victory here would be important as they head into the Cup semi-final with UCC Demons on January 15.
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