Conor Meany: Battle of the guards should shape men's basketball showpiece
HOOP DREAMS: Claire Melia (Trinity Meteors), Chyna Latimer (Killester), Stefan Desnica (DBS Eanna), Sean Jenkins (DBS Eanna), Celena Taborn (Trinity Meteors) and Michelle Clarke (Killester) pictured ahead of the InsureMyHouse.ie National Cup finals. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan
The battle of Josh Wilson and Jarrett Haines will be an interesting style clash that will hugely impact the Men’s Super League final between DBS Éanna and University of Galway Maree. Wilson has size and experience on his side and he’ll try and hunt post-up opportunities against the smaller Haines. On the other hand Haines, who has won multiple players of the month awards already this season, is more explosive and if he can get out and run he’ll put Eanna under huge pressure. If either guard dominates the match-up it will be hard for their team to lose. A big question coming into the game is whether Josh Wilson’s scoring slump is a blip or something to worry about. In the games before Christmas Wilson averaged 18 points a game but in the three games since the break that average is eight. For Eanna to win they don’t need Josh to score 20 but they do need him to be a threat.
Mark Reynolds is the calm steadying influence that Éanna need at times. The big man has been having an amazing year and is aging as gracefully as an Irish player ever has. Éanna give up a lot of size against the Maree frontline and it will be on Reynolds to keep them competitive inside. Maree have more front-court depth but won’t want to chase Éanna guards all over the floor. For the University of Galway team they need to take advantage inside, particularly when Reynolds is off the floor. Cup Finals are often a war of attrition and Maree’s physical advantage will have to be telling if they are to win.
In two of their three losses this year, Maree had to face a lot of zone defence. It takes them out of their nice balanced offence and limits Jarrett Haines' influence at times. Éanna don’t play a lot of zone but they did play some last week against Tralee, so if Maree’s size is punishing them, Éanna may need an option defensively. On the flip side, Maree have played zone too in recent weeks and although they prefer man they are well-built to play zone. In the 2020 final that Éanna lost Templeogue moved to a zone in the second quarter and it took five and a half minutes for Éanna to score. For a team whose offence is based on finding matchups to exploit, moving to zone could be a great weapon for Maree. Interestingly, Neil Lynch is the only Éanna player in the top 35 of made three-point shots per game so even though they are guard heavy, Éanna don’t always shoot the lights out.
In so many cup finals, whoever wins the free throw battle comes out on top. DBS Éanna lived off the free throw line all year. In games where they shoot over 13 free throws they are 8-1 (with the only loss last week to Tralee), while they are just 2-2 in games where teams keep them to less than 13 free throws. If Maree can be disciplined defensively it could be a big factor. At the other end, Maree need to knock down their own opportunities. In last week’s loss to Killester, the Galwaymen managed a paltry 6/15 from the charity stripe in their own gym. That won’t get it done on Saturday night.
Trinity Meteors return to the Women's Super League final for the first time since 1996 and they go against Killester as heavy favourites. The Dubliners' meteoric rise began with the arrival of Dayna Finn and Claire Melia. Claire in particular is aiming for a personal three Cups in a row (two Super League) and there’s no doubt that she’s made for the big moments. Meteors' game is built on size and athleticism and they are relentless in the way that they punish teams inside. Killester are built as a finesse quick team and the contrasting styles will make for a really interesting battle. Ella McCloskey is having a brilliant season and a lot of responsibility falls on her shoulders as she tries to battle both Claire Melia and Celena Taborn inside. If McCloskey can avoid foul trouble and be competitive in the matchup it will give Killester a real chance.
Killester’s biggest hope is that they shoot so well from the perimeter it negates some of the Meteors’ size advantage. Michelle Clarke has been there and done it for many years and the added motivation of doing it for her family club could be the spark the Northsiders need. Killester’s firepower through their two Americans and Clarke is something that will worry Niall Berry. He will have to create a gameplan that tries to limit Chyna Latimer and Channell Williams which is easier said than done. By the end of the first we should know whose style is winning out. If Killester are in the 20s they have a good chance to compete. If they are struggling to score, it’s hard to see how they will pull it out.
In the U20 women’s game it will be interesting to see if Mystics' Super League contingent will help the Galway women to overcome UL Huskies. Kara McCleane is definitely one to watch in the game, the dynamic guard has already had games of 29 and 26 in the Super League this season. When you add in her sister and the Glavin twins it’s hard to see how Huskies will be able to live with them. Huskies did get to the final with one of the most dramatic wins of the semi-final weekend and if Sophie Moore and Jessica O’Shea can perform well, the Limerick women will have a chance.
The U20 men’s final will stage an interesting battle between two teams with key guards already making big contributions at senior level. Elijah Faapito needs to be great for Tolka to win and it won’t be easy against a Demons team with lots of capable guards. Demons lost last year’s U20 final against our UCD Marian team but only by one basket. Ben Horgan is a hugely talented guard who can shoot the lights out. He didn’t score as well as he would have liked in last year’s final and he and his teammates will be looking to exercose those demons with a big performance on Saturday.
The U18 Finals are often the first stop for major stars announcing themselves on the national scene. The Brunell v Meteors U18 game has so many talented players on both sides that it’s hard to see who will break through. Brunell are slightly older and their extra experience could be a factor. Meteors are talented though and can shoot the lights out. Keep a close eye on Izzy McSweeney and Aisling Moran in particular but there’s ability all over the floor for both teams. This could be one of the games of the weekend. In the men’s game, Limerick Celtics have developed over the past five years into a dominant underage force and they are about to face one of the most successful underage programmes in recent years. This will be a great game with a huge amount of physicality all over the floor. Cian Gleeson is excellent for Celtics but Templeogue have a bit more depth in talent. It will be close and a great exhibition of where the game is moving to at underage level.
Rebel Wheelers have become the dominant force in Wheelchair basketball over the past couple of seasons, winning the National Cup with relative ease in recent years. Their opponents Limerick Celtics have ability but lack as much depth as their Cork opponents. Wheelchair basketball is mesmerising and the speed and physicality that the teams play with is hugely impressive. This game is the perfect start to a busy weekend. It’s a tough ask for Celtics to cause an upset but if any team in the country is capable of stopping the Wheelers juggernaut it’s probably Limerick.
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