Notre Dame coach relishing Irish trip

The basketball stars of University of Notre Dame are set to begin pre-season tour to Ireland next week, taking on the senior men’s teams of Ireland, Poland and Iceland.

‘Fighting Irish’ head coach Mike Brey is relishing the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Emerald Hoops International Series.

The tour includes trips to Limerick (Southern Slam), Belfast (Northern Slam) before the Emerald Hoops tournament is staged in the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght.

“This will be a truly unique experience for our coaching staff, administration, fans, and most importantly, our players,” said Brey. “We have been looking forward to these two weeks in Ireland since our season ended back in March when we lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

“I have been greatly impressed by those who have organised this event and the program and what has been planned for us both on and off the court. We are truly honoured that our university and basketball program has been selected as the first collegiate team to participate in this event.

“We’re looking forward to two very special two weeks in Ireland with our basketball team, as we will have the opportunity to learn about the history of the country and enjoy the Irish culture. This will be tremendous learning experience for our players and something that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”

Under Coach Brey’s leadership, Notre Dame established a conference record by being the first team in Big East history to complete back-to-back undefeated seasons at home. Notre Dame has also had three consecutive 20-win seasons during Brey’s run as coach.

Fixtures:

Friday, August 15: Notre Dame v Ireland, University of Limerick, 7:15pm

Sunday, August 17: Notre Dame v SuperLeague All Stars, Antrim Forum, Belfast, 3:30pm

Monday, August 18: Notre Dame v Poland, Antrim Forum, Belfast, 17:30pm

Thursday, August 21: Poland v Iceland, National Basketball Arena, 18:00; Notre Dame v Ireland, National Basketball Arena, 20:00

Friday, August 22: Ireland v Iceland, National Basketball Arena, 6pm; Notre Dame v Poland, National Basketball Arena, 8pm

Saturday August 23: Notre Dame v Iceland, National Basketball Arena, 2pm; Ireland v Poland, National Basketball Arena, 4pm.