Ireland now the next step in Beckom's voyage

Wearing the green could be a pathway to other dreams for James Beckom.

Thu, 22 Feb, 2024 - 07:25

Brendan O'Brien

James Beckom was still in his sweaty training gear and hardly back in the door after a session with UCC Demons when his phone pinged with a text to say he had been selected for Mark Keenan’s senior Ireland men’s squad.

“It was a real wow moment,” he said this week. “It felt great.” These are achievements with ripples that wash up on more than one shore. His father Dave, a Pittsburgh native who moved to Ireland to play basketball over 40 years ago, is almost more invested in James’ career than the man himself. He was chuffed, naturally.

It goes without saying that the entire family shared that sense of pride but, while the enormity of the achievement is clear to the 6' 3" guard, Beckom didn’t feel any nerves about the occasion until quizzed on its significance over Zoom.

Even with that he sounds ready.

This was something he had long hoped for, something he had worked tirelessly for. It comes as due reward for a man whose talent and work ethic were apparent to others when he started out as a six-year-old with Demons and when he moved on to Italy and Arkansas.

His international bow will come this evening at the wonderfully-titled Palace of Youth and Sports in Prishtina when Keenan’s side takes on their Kosovan hosts in the opening Group A game of the FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers.

A second group game follows on Sunday against Switzerland in Tallaght.

“I know it will be completely different to what I have played against before. I know I have played 3x3 international but this is a completely different level. The composure of the players will be one of the huge differences, the ball pressure will be amazing.

“You just have a lot less time on the ball at this level, and a lot less time to make decisions. It’s going to come down to being smart and being composed. That’s something I can do so I am prepared for it.”

It doesn’t take from the international honour in any way to suggest that wearing the green could be a pathway to other dreams. It was some standout displays in the U16 European Championships in 2016 that first booked a ticket beyond home shores.

Moving to Italy to further his game at the ASD Lido Di Roma Basket Academy was a major move for a kid in his mid-teens but he demonstrated an early maturity in getting over the language barrier and through a tough first few months.

Three of his teammates this week are living their best lives abroad. Sean Flood is with Den Helder in the Netherlands, Taiwo Badmus is with Valur in Iceland and Matt Treacy plays for the Gold Coast Wallabies in, strangely enough given the team name, Zurich.

Beckom has similar designs.

“Yeah, it was always in my mind to go away and not even come home for this year but whatever way things worked out it was for the best. It has been in the back of my mind to go somewhere in Europe next season.”

Whatever the next destination, he has taken a rich and varied path to the here and now. That stint in Rome was followed by six years in the States with two of them spent at Bentonville High School and the next four at John Brown University.

The return to Cork from America’s Deep South took some getting used to given the different environments off the court and the styles of play on it but he has taken up a job with SuperValu where the hours dovetail with Demons sessions and games.

The reintegration was made all the easier by linking up with the Hannigan twins, James and Scott, who were good friends long before they swapped Neptune for Demons back in 2022. James, incidentally, is on standby for Ireland this week.

“It’s been good,” Beckom said of his return. “Obviously it’s something that I had to get used to again. I had been away for seven years so it was getting used to the difference between American basketball and overseas basketball, and especially Irish basketball.

“So it’s going good. We just won our first Cup in a few years so just so grateful to be a part of that and I just want to keep striving to get better every day. It’s been a good season so far so hopefully keep that going in the league as well.”

IRELAND (squad v Kosovo): Adrian O’Sullivan (Ballincollig), Lorcan Murphy (Templeogue), James Beckom (UCC Demons), Neil Randolph (Templeogue), Sean Flood (Den Helder, Netherlands), Conor Quinn (Belfast Star), Jordan Blount (Energywise Ireland Neptune), Rapolas Buivydas (Garvey’s Tralee Warriors), James Gormley (Griffith College Eanna), David Lehane (UCC Demons), Taiwo Badmus (Valur, Iceland), Matt Treacy (Wallabies, Switzerland).