Killester ready to have final say
11890 Killester coach Darren O’Neill is quick to point out today’s semi-final between his side and UL Eagles has all the right ingredients to cook up a thriller. He will be courtside with Mark Keenan, who led Killester to cup and SuperLeague titles in the past before a surprise pre-season move to Eagles.
O’Neill has been going through a rebuilding process since then. Having worked with Armagh footballers when they won the 2001 All-Ireland, he is using his GAA background.
“Gaelic football would have been my first love, growing up,” he said.
“Later in life I kind of stumbled into basketball but I had Gaelic football and hurling in my blood.”
He had no problem transferring his coaching skills into basketball and feels he has a strong Killester side at his disposal.
“They were very good against Demons in last Sunday’s overtime win,” he said. “I gave them Monday night off and they have a clean bill of health. This is a very good squad, maybe not as good as last year because we have lost a few players but we are developing and bringing new talent in constantly.
“We are evolving. We lost a few games we should have won. I could not be happier with them but I know we face a tough game against Eagles — they have beaten us and we have beaten them this season.
“I know there is a bit of history between the sides but, not having been involved, it doesn’t enter my thoughts. Mark [Keenan] will know all about that. He has done good work with Limerick and, unfortunately, they have cleared a few hurdles that Killester have put up. Killester have beaten them in big games over the last few years but it’s important that we don’t underestimate them.
“It’s true, the Neptune-Demons game takes some of the pressure off us. Look at the ticket prices — €10 to watch our game and €15 to see their semi-final. Maybe some people think there is only one show in town but I can guarantee you that there will be no more than a score between the sides in any of the games.”
He won’t arrive in Cork until this afternoon as he has school business to attend to this morning.
Mark Keenan is one of the most astute and respected coaches in Irish basketball, indeed in Irish sport, and if he can do for Eagles what he has done for Killester in the past, then fans can watch out for big things on Shannonside.
Known for his straight talking, he cuts out all the waffle about not looking beyond the next game.
“We won’t be worried about what happens in the other game because we are concentrating on our own game,” he said. “We have been gearing up for this game for the past two weeks.
“Okay, we have not been performing at our greatest, we haven’t been scoring well but we know what we are capable of doing and we just want it to come right on the day. The mood is good, spirits are high, training has gone well and we are in a cup semi-final. What more could we want?”
While he won’t dwell on it, he admits there is history between the sides. In fact when Eagles beat Killester early in the season, it was the first time the Limerick side had beaten the SuperLeague champions in three seasons.
“We beat them at home and that’s given us confidence,” he said. “We have experienced guys — a nice blend of experience and younger guys — and we have not performed to our potential yet. But everybody is putting in the graft, from Neil Campbell to big Jason Killeen, and we need them to come up with a big game, along with Robert Taylor and others.”
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