St. Mary’s Youth Basketball Teams Ready for Barcelona Tournament

The Barcelona bound St. Mary’s Basketball Club teams and coaches and their impressive collection of trophies. Front from left: Ógie O’Leary-Griffin, Emmet Grady, Chairle Tarrant, Sean Kerin, Olly O’Shea, Joey Sheahan, Adam Walsh, Donal O’Sullivan, Ryan O Connor and Brian McShane. Second row from left: Adam Griffin, Shay O’Connor, Tadgh Nolan, Glen O’Sullivan, Harry O’Donghue, Conor O’Donghue, Cillian Murphy, Connie O’Connor. Third row from left: Ronan O’Connor, Tadhg McCarthy, Danny Murphy, Podge O’Sullivan, Ajay O’Connor, Jamie Nolan and Darragh O’Sullivan. Back from left: Denis Porter, coach; Cian Cahill, Fionn Browne, Emmet Hickey, Jack O’Connor, Jacob Surzyn and Micheál Cahill, coach.

St. Mary’s Basketball Club is sending two high achieving teams of boys, U-14 and U-16 to the Euro Youth Basketball Cup games in Barcelona this month from Friday 14^thto 16^th and it’s a trip well deserved and earned.

To help fund the trip, club members and parents organised a clothes collection day at Castleisland Community Centre car-park during school mid-term break last February it was well supported.

“The Euro Youth Basketball Cup is bringing teams of boys and girls together from all over the world from from June 14^th to 16^th and it’s being organised by European Sports Events,” said group spokesperson Owen Nolan.

The high achievements come from the fact that the team and coaches Denny Porter and Micheál Cahill have won a dozen trophies during the year and the impressive haul includes an U-14 All Ireland Division 1 Silver Medal.

The teams played in tournaments in Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Dublin and in Portlaoise where Olly O’Shea won MVP of the tournament.

Here’s wishing that the team and management will find a hearty Bienvenida a Barcelona when they get there. And here’s an atmospheric, scene setting piece to set them on their way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1fiOJDXA-E

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