In a rare, local hosting of International sporting events, the Irish U-16 Boys’ Basketball team, including local star, Adam Donoghue will play Scotland at Castleisland Community Centre at 6pm on Friday week, July 24th.
Castleisland teenager, Adam Donoghue got his call up last year to the Irish U-16 Basketball team for the European Championships in Sofia in Bulgaria this August. This was after a selection process which began in September 2013.
It is a great honour for the young man and his community and a just reward for his dedication to sport in his young life to date.
Being given the opportunity to play with your country’s team in front of your home-town crowd is an honour bestowed on only the few.
Adam, a pupil in St. Patrick’s College, already has several All-Ireland winner’s medals in his possession. Between college and community games he has collected several Basketball medals and one very special athletics medal from a couple of years ago.
Basketball Ireland has issued guidelines for each of the team members regarding the cost of participation in the European Championships.
The estimated cost for the Ireland U-16 Men’s Team to compete in these championships is put at €17,000.
Needless to say Adam Donoghue is delighted at his selection on the team and well merited it is as he scored 18 points in an away game against Denmark last winter.
“I began playing Basketball when I was six and in senior infants. Back then the only competitive games we had were in the Christmas Blitz.
I liked the game from the start. However, like most people at that age I played more than one sport. Football and athletics were the other sports I competed in and in the early years I preferred running as I had been more successful at that than at any other sport.
I started to prefer Basketball when I was 11 or 12. It was at this age when I really started playing the game competitively.
I loved every minute of playing and couldn’t wait to play again after a game or a training session.
I think it was this love of the sport that allowed me to make the commitment to the Irish team. The Irish squad of 36 was picked in September of 2013 and since then there has been four selections reducing the number of players down to the final 12.
So far we have already played two international friendlies against Scotland last February and Denmark in Copenhagen during the December just gone. We will now be heading to the European championships in August of this year,” said Adam.
