The Glanmire graduate wowing Boston

When times were tough for Clodagh Scannell at Boston University (BU) she could always count on her people back home.

When Scannell was named student athlete of the week on Tuesday, the announcement was sandwiched between Sunday’s incredible personal-best 17-point performance and a ‘double-double’ on Wednesday night with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Cork-born Terriers sophomore might be the big talk on campus but her heart is with Glanmire this weekend.

“I have all my sources to keep me updated,” said the outgoing 20-year-old whose father Mark and older sister Jessica are obviously both well known in their rights for being steeped in the game at all levels.

Before Scannell begins her preparations for tonight’s home game against Bucknell, she’ll know whether Glanmire’s U18s have stopped Brunell’s three-in-a-row bid. It’ll be an early start, the U18 final in Dublin tips-off at 5.30am her time.

“I hope Glanmire win everything but I can’t really predict what will happen because I’m biased. I’d love the girls to get a good win over Brunell. That would be a great achievement for them.

“I coached them under-14 and we played Brunell in the final that year. So it’s all the same players four years later.”

Which brings this morning’s showdown and tomorrow’s U20 follow-up into sharper focus for her.

“Oh definitely. I’m very close with all the Glanmire girls and when I go home in the summer, I do a bit of coaching with them every opportunity I get. I’ve been texting with them back and forth over the last few days. I know how it feels when you’re young and facing a weekend like this. So much is expected of you.”

That sort of pressure placed on young shoulders by knockout basketball in Ireland stood her well when she crossed the Atlantic 18 months ago. She would have known well from the struggles of her big sister Jessica at Iona College that a history of being the big fish in the small pond doesn’t necessarily smooth the path to college basketball in the States. But that expectation didn’t make the reality easier. There were some dark days at BU in her first year; she appeared in just seven games with her debut arriving against Fairleigh Dickinson.

That’s why this week is proving all the more important.

“My coach put a bit of trust in me,” she points out.

Coach Kelly Greenberg rewarded Scannell’s impressive performance off the bench ten days ago with a starting berth at Loyola Maryland last Sunday and that faith was rewarded when Scannell hit those 17 points to steer her side to a ten-point victory. “It’s a big difference from last year when I didn’t play as much,” admits Scannell. “There were a lot more experienced players in front of me. They were building that team for the last four years so I was coming into a very strong programme, not knowing what to expect.

“My coach just told me all along to hold tough and it would work out for me. I doubted myself for a few months but I’m really starting to find my feet in the program. It’s a building block really.

“I was coming from Ireland and playing 40 minutes a game. Then all of a sudden here I wasn’t even getting into games so it was very tough.

“But I didn’t panic. In America, you just have to stay mentally tough and realise that there is a system in place here which you need to fit into. I’m lucky enough to be at a brilliant program like BU. It just kind of worked out that I held tough in my first year and learned what I had to do to play more regularly.”

Mark, her father, has seen this play out more than a few times and even though it was a little more personal, he was still able to impart a coach’s invaluable wisdom to pull his youngest daughter through the tough times.

“Ireland still plays a huge part in my life. My dad is one of my main mentors. Having him on the phone, telling me I’ll be fine and to stick with it, it’s always good.

“But my coaches here too and all my friends, listening to them telling me, ‘there’s a reason why you’re here and there’s a reason why you didn’t stay in Ireland’.

“They would tell me just to stick with it and be true to myself and my game because it’s very easy to get lost in America. It’s so big and there’s so much going on.

“I just know I have to always stay focused and remind myself why I worked so hard to get here.”