Men's Super League: All you need to know ahead of the 2026-27 season

Conor Meany talks us through each team ahead of the big tip-off this weekend.

BAC-TO-BACK?  Ballincollig BC’s Jay Buckley. Pic: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

BALLINCOLLIG

Coach: Ciaran O’Sullivan

Players in: Jake Buckley; Israel Momodu; Alejandro Bellver Valiente.

Players out/unavailable: Latrell Jossell; Latavious Mitchell; Ronan O’Sullivan not playing; Willie Williams signed but returned home injured.

Key returning players: Josh Steel; established Irish core.

The defending champions deserve to be treated as one of the favourites again. For me they play the best basketball in the country, built around excellent ball movement, decision-making and a really intelligent Irish core. But there has been significant change. Latavious Mitchell and Latrell Jossell are gone, Josh Steel is expected to miss the opening part of the season and new American Willie Williams has already had to return home injured. Alejandro Bellver looks a good player, and Ciaran O’Sullivan has recruited well in recent years so I expect them to be good. I don’t think Ballincollig will finish with the league’s best record, but nobody will want to meet them when the silverware is being decided.

BELFAST STAR

Coach: Adrian Fulton

Players in: Jordan Green; Paul Dick; Shane Bell returns

Players out/unavailable: Michael Donnelly; Luke Donnelly; Conor Ryan not playing.

Key returning players: Rap Buivydas; Shane Bell; established Irish core.

Star had the second-best record last year, bring back virtually all of their important Irish pieces and then add Paul Dick, arguably the best Irish player in the league. Shane Bell returns after an excellent season was cut short and Rap Buivydas is back when I thought he might earn an opportunity overseas. Jordan Green looks an exciting addition and will bring plenty of highlights with his athleticism. On paper they have everything and will have to wear the favourites tag. The remaining question is knockout basketball. When Star last won the league in 2020 there were no playoffs and this group hasn’t consistently delivered in those games. For me, this is their time. They have to prove it when it matters.

ENERGYWISE IRELAND NEPTUNE

Coach: Adam Drummond.

Players in: Jalen Hodge; Kendall Taylor; Samuel Smith; Sean McCarthy.

Players out/unavailable: Michael Paul Hayes; Gregorio Adon; Samuel Henderson; Kelvin O’Donoghue and Cian Heaphy not playing.

Key returning players: Nils Sabata; Eli Lenihan; Eoin Nelson; Irish core.

Neptune have had plenty of promise and very little delivery in recent years and probably should have gone down last season. Adam Drummond taking over is exciting and he has been given plenty of talent to work with. Kendall Taylor arrives with an excellent college résumé, Jalen Hodge has already scored heavily in this league and there is Irish talent in Sean McCarthy, Eli Lenihan and Eoin Nelson. On talent, that should be a top-half team. The question is stability after significant roster turnover and numerous coaching changes in recent years. They need this to be the year the basketball becomes the story.

ÉANNA BASKETBALL

Coach: Gareth Winders

Players in: Morgan Taylor; Nick Hopkins

Players out/unavailable: Stefan Desnica; Adam Charles; Sean Jenkins injured; James Gormley currently unavailable

Éanna have been contenders and champions in recent years but this season looks very different. Sean Jenkins averaged 20 points last year, while James Gormley and Adam Charles provided another 16 between them. Jenkins is one of the league’s best scorers and Gormley anchors their defence, so their absence to start the season goes far beyond those numbers. Stefan Desnica has also moved to Killester. Nick Hopkins and Morgan Taylor now carry enormous responsibility and Éanna may need their conveyor belt of young talent to produce again quickly. How they negotiate the opening months, and if/when Gormley and Jenkins return, could define their season.

GARVEY’S TRALEE WARRIORS

Coach: Gareth Moore.

Players in: Alec Millender; Jaden Daughtry; Ryan Sheehy.

Players out/unavailable: Jordan Perkins; Ishrad Hunt.

Key returning players: Daniel Jokubaitis; Eoin Quigley; Cian Sullivan; young Irish core.

Last year’s Cup runners-up exceeded expectations, with their young core earning their stripes as the season developed. The early reports on Alec Millender and Jaden Daughtry are excellent and both arrive with strong résumés, while Daniel Jokubaitis and Eoin Quigley give them proven quality alongside them. Cian Sullivan also gives them something almost nobody else in the league has at 7’2. Gareth Moore steps into his first season as head coach and there may still be growing pains with some of the younger Irish players. I like the recipe though. Silverware might be a little early, but it certainly isn’t impossible.

Players from the teams competing in the Domino’s Men’s Super League. Pic: Nick Elliott/Inpho

KILLESTER

Coach: Mike Olsson

Players in: Will Thomas; Stefan Desnica; Stephen Commins; Benjamin Ubaekwe; Eoghain Kiernan; Ciaran Evans.

Players out/unavailable: Andy McGeever; Paul Dick; Baptiste Chazelas; Robert Braswell.

Key returning players: Josh Wilson; established Irish core.

A new coach, some unfamiliar faces and plenty of question marks for Killester. Losing Paul Dick is enormous and there isn’t a direct replacement for arguably the best Irish player in the league. Will Thomas replaces Robert Braswell in the American scoring spot, but Braswell averaged 22.7 points last year compared with Thomas’ 17.2 at Vincent’s. Stefan Desnica is a smart addition and perhaps Josh Wilson benefits from having more of the ball without Dick. There is still plenty of talent, but I’m worried about their Irish depth and consistent scoring. They’ll expect playoffs, but it may be as a lower seed.

LIMERICK CELTICS

Coach: Tony Hehir.

Players in: Sebastian Cole; Peter Turay; Tiras Morton; Callum Keys.

Players out/unavailable: AJ Williams; Abdul Wurrie; Sean Antonio Hauser Jr; Eoghan Donaghy; Nikola Ivkovic and Vadjikiba Dosso not playing.

Key returning players: Ruairi Cronin; Finn Hughes; Irish core.

The Irish core remains but Celtics have lost two really important pieces. Abdul Wurrie was their defensive anchor and his length and shot blocking allowed them to vary their defences brilliantly. Eoghan Donaghy was also a steady, calm influence who will be missed. Ruairi Cronin and Finn Hughes have already shown they can produce at this level, and Tiras Morton is a significant addition. The 2025 Albanian Superliga Player of the Year arrives with an excellent all-round pedigree and previously averaged 16.2 points and 8.2 rebounds at Lubbock Christian. Celtics have established themselves remarkably quickly and should be competitive again. The question is whether they can replace what Wurrie gave them defensively, while finding the right balance between their new additions and the proven production of players like Finn Hughes.

LIMERICK EAGLES

Coach: Niall McDermott.

Players in: Aaron Rhooms; Aleksandar Kovacevic.

Players out/unavailable: Colm Hackett; Danny Mooney.

Key returning players: Toby Christensen; Ryan Leonard; young Irish core.

Recent teams promoted after dominant Division One seasons have shown they can compete immediately and Eagles should be no different. Ryan Leonard is an excellent Irish addition, while Aaron Rhooms arrives with an impressive Canadian college pedigree. Toby Christensen is almost the perfect Bosman because of everything he does without needing to score, but asking him to guard opposition centres every week is a concern. Does that workload take away from the playmaking that makes him so valuable? There may be some teething problems with a young Irish core, but I still think this looks like a playoff recipe.

EJ SLIGO ALL-STARS

Coach: Henry Wilkins.

Players in: Miles Brown; Liam Murphy; Albright Obode; Ibbe Klintman; Eoghan Donaghy.

Players out/unavailable: Danny O’Meara; Obi Agu; RJ Rock; Jordan Hinds; Eli Lawrence; John Carroll retired.

Key returning players: Elijah Faapito.

A new coach who hasn’t been around the league before and a lot of new pieces makes Sligo difficult to judge. Henry Wilkins has recruited aggressively, with Miles Brown, Liam Murphy and Ibbe Klintman all arriving with impressive backgrounds, while Albright Obode and Eoghan Donaghy add Irish options. Elijah Faapito gives them some continuity. There is serious talent here, but Wilkins has to learn the league while simultaneously bringing a largely new group together. If the pieces fit they could be top four or better; if they don’t it could take time. It may be December before we really know what Sligo are.

ST VINCENT’S

Coach: Mark Bodnar.

Players in: Scott Stone; Lawrence Slim; Kingsley Nwagboso; Adam Mullally.

Players out / unavailable: Adam Lisewski; Will Thomas; Jaylyn Richardson; Daniel Ogoro; Marcellus Garrick; Nathaniel Ogbu; Michael Pierre; Giorgi Tvalabeishvili; Charlie Coombs not playing.

Key returning players: James Phelan; Eoin McCann; Irish core.

I’ve had concerns over Vincent’s for a number of years and Mike Olsson getting them into the playoffs last season was an excellent achievement. Now they start again with another new head coach and have lost Will Thomas after his excellent year. James Phelan and Eoin McCann are important Irish contributors and the addition of Adam Mullally gives them another capable young Irish scorer. That makes the domestic core more interesting than I initially thought although how it fits together will be interesting. But there are still questions around the professionals, particularly with Kingsley Nwagboso having made a limited impact previously with Demons. There are enough unknowns that I’d still have Vincent’s in the relegation conversation.

UCC DEMONS

Coach: Stuart Rodgers.

Players in: Asanti Price; Davy Rocha; Elijah Tillman.

Players out/unavailable: Kyle Hosford retired from Super League.

Key returning players: Established Irish core.

I had to throw out the script once Elijah Tillman re-signed. The most dominant player this league has seen in the last decade, Tillman changes everything. There is a reason he’s known as Baby Shaq: defences have to commit multiple players to stopping him almost every possession. Demons have plenty of players who know how to win, but there is change too. Stuart Rodgers takes over from Danny O’Mahony, who had an excellent relationship with Tillman, while Kyle Hosford’s influence will also be missed. I’m not convinced they’ll win it, but with Tillman back they immediately become a contender again.

UCD MARIAN

Coach: Ioannis Liapakis.

Players in: Isaiah Taylor; Christian Alexander; Laurynas Andrijauskas; Liam Kinsella.

Players out / unavailable: Bruce Saintilus; Mihael Linde; Daniel Conway; Javi Comesana; Scott Kinevane not playing.

Key returning players: Tanner Graham, Ronan Byrne; Sean Fitzpatrick; James Connaire; Jack Kehoe. 

Coming off back-to-back years in the top six, Marian’s young core will expect to be there again. Isaiah Taylor showed he can score at huge volume in Division One, but the question is whether he can do it efficiently at this level. Tanner Graham and Ronan Byrne give them proven quality, but Marian will need Sean Fitzpatrick, James Connaire and Jack Kehoe contributing consistently too. They are almost always excellent defensively under Ioannis Liapakis. Whether they have enough scoring across the roster to keep pace with the best teams is the question.