Coach talks up Glanmire’s chances of shocking hot favourites UL

FOR three seasons UL Aughinish have ruled Irish women’s basketball with an iron fist. For that reason they remain hot favourites tonight as their defence of the National Cup gets underway against Vienna Woods Glanmire at the ESB Arena.

The Limerick side, which is led by Michelle Aspell, have not lost a game since November 2002 but the Vienna Woods Glanmire coach, Sean O’Regan, feels that his team are ready to put an end to that amazing run.

“It has to end some time and maybe we can do it,” said the former world kick boxing champion who fought the legendary Cuban Olympian Felix Savon back in the early 1990s.

“We almost did it two weeks’ ago when we beat them for three quarters of the game and then lost it in the last seven minutes,” he said.

“I just have to get them over this fear of winning or losing. They must concentrate on their own game. If they do I think Limerick will have an awful lot to do to beat us.

“Two weeks’ ago we went into the final quarter with the game won. Then they scored 22 points and we scored 12 and we still could have won it but for a silly mistake which allowed Michelle Aspell steal the ball and win the game.”

Glanmire have matured this year. They have captured a very good US/Nigerian player Mobolgi Akiode who represented Nigeria at the Athens Olympics last year, Denise Walsh has returned to add experience and control to their game. Marie Breen from Mallow is an Irish international and young Amanda O’Regan from Douglas has developed into a fine superleague player.

“We need a team effort and a balanced score; one or two players hitting 20, two or three hitting somewhere around 10 or 12 and the others bringing in three or four more points and we will win. I know we will win. It is about self belief.

UL coach Tony Hehir has been through it all before and is prepared to dismiss the close call two weeks’ ago when they changed gyms and he said never really got going until the last quarter.

“But Glanmire shot the lights out,” he said. “They scored 57 points in the first half and we scored 51 just to stay in touch. Michelle is always going to be targeted but she will still score 30 points per game,” he said.

“But this is a great team. Jillian Ahern has been there for three years in all the cup games. Neasa is a very talented post player and we have a new American, Syreeta Bromfield, who I expect to play well this weekend,” he said.

Orla Dempsey has added experience and height to the team since joining them from Wildcats. Dearbhla Breen and Neasa O’Keefe and Sinead Leahy are brilliant too.

The other semi-final brings together Mustang Sally’s St Paul’s and DART Killester, the team that beat UL for the cup in 2001.

Last year the Killarney side went into cup final weekend with high expectations but Nicole Connolly was injured and the young team appeared to be a bit overawed by the occasion.

“This year there are no expectations. Killester are second in the league. We are second last,” coach James Weldon said.

“It is a big weekend for St Paul’s with the men’s team involved as well. The club is 20 years old this year and it would be great if both teams got through to the final.

“We need a team performance but we will be looking to our American player who has been outstanding since Christmas with 31, 35 and 29 points in her last three games, 29 against Limerick. Captain, Diane Griffin, is one of the leading Irish scorers in the country. They will be big contributors.”

DART Killester will have Catriona White back and Carmel Kissane, who broke her leg playing soccer for Ireland at the start of the season, also returns.