Eagles content to come in under the radar
The main events will be decided at Neptune Stadium and one could hardly be faulted for thinking there was just the one game in town with so much emphasis on Sunday afternoon’s semi-final between Bord Gáis Neptune and UCC Demons.
But UL Eagles coach Mark Keenan is not perturbed by the fact their clash with his old club 11890 Killester tomorrow evening is zooming in slightly under the radar.
“Look, we are concentrating on our own game and we are not really bothered by that at all,” he said. “Right now we are totally focused on Killester and that’s it. We have worked very hard for the last two weeks and it has all been geared towards this game. I think it is going to be a very good game. We beat them earlier in the season and that was a huge boost for the guys because they had not beaten Killester in three seasons up to that.
“If we perform to our ability we know we can beat them again. Killester have great experience with players like Jermaine Turner and Pete Madsen and containing these two guys will be critical for us. I really think this game will come right down to the wire.”
Darren O’Neill from Belfast replaced Keenan at Killester this season and fears that part of their form might have left them with Keenan were quickly dispelled.
Demons put a damper on Neptune’s seasonal festivities with a 35-point defeat when they met the Thursday after Christmas, and while Demons were superb the Neptune performance was totally out of context.
“This is going to be a great occasion for Cork and Irish basketball and I’m sure whoever comes to see this game will enjoy it,” said Demons coach Paul Kelleher.
“Neptune are on a great run of form the last few weeks and will be very tough to beat so expect this to be a different game.”
The mood in the Neptune camp is upbeat as they put the memories of their last clash behind them.
“As a team we had to take a lot of criticism after the last game but fair play to the players they responded by winning two games on the road,” coach Mark Scannell said.
While UL are standing tall at the top of the women’s superleague, the finality of the cup is something that intrigues their new coach James Weldon.
Not so long ago the mere mention of Team Montenotte Hotel Cork would strike fear into the opposition, but while that has changed, their cup reputation has to be respected.
“Montenotte are a very good side with excellent players like Niamh Dwyer and Valerie O’Driscoll,” coach Weldon said.
“We have had a good year and what we have done has worked so far. But this is probably the most important game so far of the season. There is time to recover if you lose in the league but lose on Saturday and we are out.”
Montenotte coach Cormac O’Donoghue once played alongside Weldon in Killarney and he arrived in Glanmire with superleague coaching experience from his time with Gleneagle Lakers.
“We know we have a huge task ahead of us as UL beat us by 16 points early in the year but during that game we made a lot of errors and now we are playing better basketball,” he said.
“James [Weldon] has done a fantastic job with UL and their defensive structure in particular is impressive and we have to be ready for that.”
U20 Men's National Cup semi-finals: Killester v Tolka Rovers, Neptune Stadium, 8.30pm; Moycullen v Maree, Parochial Hall, 8.30pm.
U18 Men's National Cup semi-final: Maree v Dublin Raiders, Parochial Hall, 10am.
U18 Women's National Cup semi-final: Brunell v Meteors, Parochial Hall, noon.
Senior Women's National Cup semi-finals: Longford Falcons v Tralee Imperials, Parochial Hall, 2pm; Scruffy St Paul’s v Killester, Parochial Hall, 4pm.
U20 Women's National Cup semi-finals: Brunell v Tralee Imperials, Parochial Hall, 6pm; Waterford Wildcats v DCU Mercy, Parochial Hall, 8pm.
Women's SuperLeague National Cup semi-final: Team Montenotte Hotel v UL, Neptune Stadium, 6pm.
Men's SuperLeague National Cup semi-final: 11890 Killester v UL, Neptune Stadium, 8pm.
U18 Women's National Cup Semi-Final: Maree v Tralee Imperials, Parochial Hall, 10.30am.
U18 Men's National Cup semi-final: Swords v Templeogue, Parochial Hall, 12.30pm.
Senior Men's National Cup semi-finals: Thunder v Team Leftbank Kilkenny, Neptune Stadium, 10am; UCD v Maree, Neptune Stadium, noon.
Women's SuperLeague National Cup semi-final: DCU Mercy v 11890 Killester, Neptune Stadium, 2.30pm.
Men's SuperLeague National Cup semi-final: Bord Gáis Neptune v UCC Demons, Neptune Stadium, 4.30pm.
Basketball Ireland Men's Division One: Ballon v MOF Titans, Palmerstown, 3pm.
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