Elijah Tillman: ‘Cork and Demons treat you like family'

Elijah Tillman: ‘I had family over from New York a few weeks ago and Demons were unreal with the way they supported us... Even one day they took us to the Cliffs of Moher.’ Pic: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

Elijah Tillman knows that UCC Demons won’t be catching anyone off guard this season. 

After last year’s fairytale run to the cup title, the Cork side are among the best in the Super League this season. He knows Killester will be ready for whatever his side brings in Saturday’s cup final.

“Killester are going to run up and down the court fast. They’ll play good defence and pressure the ball a lot. They’re a physical team. It’s not a team we’re unfamiliar with,” said Tillman.

“I feel really confident. Since we last played them, we’ve taken steps forward. We’ve gelled more, so going into this game we are much better. That’s why I feel very good about this weekend. Killester is a great team so we still have to bring our A game.”

The American big man joined Demons in the middle of last season while they were mired in a relegation battle. They would recover to reach the playoff semi-finals, spurred on by that cup run. It was still a baptism of fire for Tillman.

“Last year it was a case of just being thrown in there. My first cup game was against Neptune in the semi-final, that was a lot all at once. This time I’ve been able to gradually build, it’s a way different feeling this time around,” he said.

“Even last year, the expectation was high even in the league. With Demons, we believe in focusing on the cup first. Let’s get that out of the way. This year, I’m more prepared and I know more of what to expect.”

Tillman took no time off after finishing his campaign with Demons last spring. He went straight to Venezuela to continue playing there before returning to Cork in the autumn. The version that returned was notably slimmer.

“I wanted to expand things a little bit, to not be so one- dimensional. The more I can do, the more I can help my team. Sometimes that means not being in the post and stepping out a little bit, it allows me to be more versatile,” he said.

While lighter, the intimidating heft he has on the inside is anything but diminished. Once Tillman wrapped up his play in Venezuela, he knew he wanted to come back to Cork.

“The main thing with Cork and Demons is that they treat you like family. I’ve played a lot of places but there’s not many that would do that for an import player. The way they all come together and look after each other, it shows it’s more than just basketball with the club,” he said.

“Obviously they want you to do your job on the basketball court but they also want to see how you’re doing outside of that. I had family over from New York a few weeks ago and Demons were unreal with the way they supported us, making sure they all felt welcome and had anything they needed from small to big. Even one day they took us to the Cliffs of Moher.”

Tillman’s route to Cork began with a mutual connection he had with Daniel O’Mahoney, the Demons coach, in Spain. O’Mahoney first brought him to Kubs in Dublin where he learned a little about the rivalry between Demons and Neptune. 

When O’Mahoney called him last winter, Tillman jumped at the chance to be part of it.

“Last season, with Seventh [Woods] there, he felt I’d be a great fit and obviously we went and won the cup. If I didn’t know any better, I wouldn’t have thought anything could get better than that. All they told me ahead of it was the rivalry started before Adam and Eve.

“Obviously there’s a mutual respect for each other,” Tillman said.

“It was unreal to be a part of it, for it to be a cup game on top of it, it was great and sent shivers down my spine.”

Victory this Saturday would mean a great deal to the American big man, who wants to win everything with Demons.

“It would probably be one of the highlights of my career. Not many teams get to go back to back. This year has been a non-stop basketball year. I want to win a cup and a league.

“Right now we’re second in the league right behind Killester, it’s only right that the 1 and 2 teams play each other in the cup and try to keep going.”