New coach out to make a Superleague impression

FORMER world kick-boxing champion, Sean O’Regan will coach Vienna Woods-Glanmire basketball team this season in an all-out bid to make a big impression in the ESB Women’s Superleague.

The Corkman, who teaches in Killenaule, is an all-round sportsman who distinguished himself in boxing, kick boxing and Gaelic Games during an illustrious career. He boxed the great Olympic and World champion, Felix Savon, in the world cup and, as European champion, he went on to beat the Detroit Destroyer on his home turf to win the world kick boxing title.

In basketball he has been involved with the national Cadettes squads. He coached Killenaule to an historic Bank of Ireland girls’ schools title a couple of years ago and last year he coached Tipperary Talons.

And now the Donoughmore man may be just the one to re-launch Glanmire’s national league campaign.

Last evening the club unveiled exciting plans for the coming year that will also include some new faces on the bench at a press conference at Guinness House. A brand new sponsorship from the Vienna Woods Hotel was announced and exciting 6’1” forward/centre, Adriana Spears from Boston College, was introduced.

The club hopes to make an impact this year after a tough baptism in the ESB Superleague.

“We took a big gamble when we stepped up into national league basketball,” Chairman Noel O’Leary, admitted. “But we are prepared for it now. The Vienna Woods sponsorship is very generous and it has opened up a whole new area for us.

The club, having used Neptune in the recent past, will return to their spiritual home at Little Island and the bonds between the national league side and the juvenile section will be reinforced.

They have a very exciting juvenile section. Last season they won 23 trophies in Cork and the under-15’s beat Bray in the final of Killester’s national tournament. They have three players on the Irish U-15 squad, Mark Scannell’s sister, Jessica, and the two O’Reilly sisters, Una and Sinead.