Caretaker coach Glover tells students it’s time to stand up and be counted
Ex-coach Mark Keenan was dismissed after taking the rap for the team’s loss of form. Glover, who took time out from competitive basketball for a year after being appointed to the Development Officer’s job at UCD, agreed to stand in until a new coach is appointed.
And, at his first practice session, he left the players in no doubt where they stood, pointing out that the blame did not entirely rest with their coach.
“The players are under no illusion about where things stand at the moment,” he said yesterday. “We have lost Mark (Keenan) but I pointed out that it was not entirely his fault. This can be the big turnaround weekend for us. We’ve some of the best Irish players in the country. The secret is to get them to gel together, to play as a team and if they do I think we can get a result.
“It has to be one of the most important games in the history of the club. If we beat Limerick on Saturday night and qualify for the semi-finals of the Cup it will be the first time since 1982-83 that we will have reached that stage of the competition,” he said.
Limerick coach Tommy Hehir knows only too well that underdogs can bite and he won’t be taking any chances.
His team has experienced their own turmoil in the past week. One of their key players, Adrian Walsh, suffered a badly broken ankle in practice and as many of players saw it happen, it had a huge psychological affect on them.
“I think the trauma was evident against Gleneagle Lakers last weekend. We just were not there. We played badly. But the positive is that we played badly and only lost by 13 points. We could have lost by 30.”
Jonathan Steven is a worry ahead of the cup game. He has been suffering from flu and faces a race against time.
There is another intriguing quarter final at the Sports centre in Tralee tomorrow night when UCC Demons make the trip for the second time in a week to Abrakebabra Tigers.
This will be the sides fourth meeting this season, the first two were straight forward enough - a win for Demons in Tralee and then a repeat at the Mardyke Arena. Then things were turned upside down when Tigers bit back with a big win in last weekend’s NIVEA for Men’s SuperLeague clash.
“We sat in the locker room and listened to the cheering and celebrating next door and I asked the players if they wanted to hear all that again this weekend,” disappointed Demons coach, Pat Price, recalled. “I don’t think they will want that. But Tralee will be confident from that victory and we can’t afford to play like that again. Defensively we just were not at the races and when you meet a team like Tralee they will punish you.”
Tigers are the defending champions and they will introduce their new signing, Tommie Eddie, a 6’ 7” 20 stone forward from the University of Mississippi, who was in the Sports Centre last Saturday night to watch Tigers maul Demons.
“He liked what he saw and he just can’t wait to get involved,” said Coach Joe Quirke who went into last weekend’s game after releasing the two Americans they signed this season.
They had a saviour in the form of Kieran Donaghy who shot the lights out and then lit up the court with sheer brilliance.
Gleneagle Lakers produced another big shock last weekend when they beat Limerick Lions in the SuperLeague but, according to Coach, Cormac O’Donoghue, it was only a shock outside of the club.
O’Donoghue will be asking them for another big result when they host Merry Monk Ballina.
Former Men’s Superleague coach, Mark Scannell, will take Vienna Woods Glanmire to Greendale tomorrow as favourites to beat DART Killester in the women’s Cup quarter final. Glanmire have developed into a potent force and even home venue should be of little advantage.
UL Aughinish will have a new American, Courtney McDaniel, in the line-up when they return to the Oblate Hall hoping for a repeat of last weekend’s result when they beat Drimnagh by 20 points.
Bausch & Lomb Wildcats are at home to Mustang Sally’s St. Paul’s in their quarter-final tie.
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