Irish coach announces squad for Cyprus

Irish coach Gerry Fitzpatrick has announced the squad that will line out against Cyprus for Ireland's last home game of the current European Championships series.

The team will arrive into Cork Airport next weekend ahead of the game on Wednesday January 22, before they strike for Bosnia to complete the campaign.

Due to the ill health of his father, Dan Callahan has retired from professional basketball, departing with his club, Roseto Basket this month to return to the United States.

Callahan wore the Irish jersey for the last time against Macedonia in November and the co-Captain will be a huge loss to the Irish team.

Callahan has been a key member of the Irish Senior Men's basketball team since his debut in 1996, leading the squad in international competitions around the world. He was hugely influential in Ireland's historical qualifying campaign in the summer of 2001, indeed his innate ability to

motivate the team was due in no small part to Ireland's achievements.

Tim Kennedy will miss these last two games through a leg injury that has hampered his play in recent weeks. The Irish forward has been in white-hot form for Portuguese club, Ovarense recently, and his presence against Cyprus and Bosnia will be missed.

The gaping absence of a point guard last November, which could be argued cost Ireland their place in the European Championships finals, has been addressed and Michael Bree will join the squad to play his first game of this European Championships.

Bree missed out on Ireland's 1999 qualifying round in Denmark due to injury. He has been capped at all levels for Ireland, and won the "International Player of the Year" in 1998.

He was the first Irish-born player to be recruited directly to a Division 1 school in the United States, and made an immediate impact at Davidson where he graduated in 2002. Bree is currently signed with French club, Beauvais.

The Ireland v Cyprus game tips off at 7.30pm in the Mardyke Arena UCC on January 22, 2003.

Ireland Team List: Cal Bowdler, Adrian Fulton, Damien Sealy, Marty Conlon, Jay Larranaga, Mike Mitchell, Jim Moran, John O'Connell, Michael Bree, Glenn Sekundal.