I first became interested in basketball in my first year at Moyle Park College. I'd
always been the sporting type but I'd never really been on any competitive teams.
The trials for the 1st year team were approaching and my good friend Karlo
Vasquez (many of you will know him) suggested that I try out. I decided that it
could not do any harm and tried out for the team. Somehow I made it (clearly the
ability to actually play basketball wasn't a requirement that year. Also the fact
I was the tallest person trying out may have influenced Ms. Cahalane's decision!)
From the outset it was clear that a lot of work would needed to be done if I was to
improve my somewhat basic basketball skills. Actually putting the ball in the net
was something of a difficulty for me but with a bit of hard work and support from
the lads I grew in skill and confidence. We progressed through the Dublin stages
of the league with ease as our team was full of talented individuals. (I'd like to think
I was one of them) who worked really well as a team. Our next challenge was the
All-Ireland qualifiers weekend in Kerry. We traveled down as the undefeated
champions of Dublin, full of confidence and self belief. I myself was returning
from a broken wrist and was lucky to travel. We lost our first match which was a
major blow for us but we responded with a victory in the next game which set up
a decider against the local team, Mercy Mounthawk. Unfortunately we lost but
something of a rivalry has developed between our two schools over the last
few years. I look back at that weekend as the time that I realised that if I was
ever to progress at basketball, some serious work would have to be done.Basketball at club level in Ireland is growing all the time. I myself play for the local
team here in Clondalkin, the Clondalkin Lakers. The club has really helped me
to develop my game and get a greater understanding of the sport in general. This
was reflected in the clubs awards ceremony when I received my team's 'Most
Improved Player' award. Fitting in at the Lakers wasn't a problem as many of the
lads from school were playing throughout the club's various age groups. Being a
member of Clondalkin Lakers also gave me the chance to go to America, which is
a trip I'll never forget. Playing club basketball really gave me an opportunity to
make friends on 'the basketball scene'. Unlike a lot of sports, basketball players
are nearly always friendly with each other off the court. If you go over to the
basketball arena in Tallaght any time there's a big match on, you'll find people
from many different clubs all talking as if they were teammates.My greatest achievement with the club (so far) was winning the Under-16 league
in 2007. This gave us promotion to the A league and presented us with the
opportunity to play against the best teams in Dublin. On a personal level, my
greatest achievement in basketball was captaining the Clondalkin Community
Games team to All-Ireland success in the National Finals in Mosney in the
summer of 2007. I grasped the opportunity of captaining the side as I consider
myself something of a leader. The experience of the older lads on the team,
including myself, really helped our younger teammates and we really gelled in a
short space of time. Although the Community Games is primarily based around
inclusion and people taking part, rather than the competitive nature of sports, I was
proud of my achievement of leading the team to victory.My ambitions towards basketball right now would be to simply keep on playing.
Basketball has really helped in keeping me active, which I feel is really important,
even if turning up for training can sometimes be an issue for me! With the Leaving
Cert coming up next yea, sacrifices will have to be made for studying but I don't
intend in giving playing up altogether. Some time has got to be put into keeping fit,
and it'll give me an opportunity to work off the stresses of 6th year. A major goal of
mine for 6th year is to qualify for the All-Ireland weekend one last time before I leave
school as we missed out on it this year. The loss of Karlo from the team was a major
factor. However one man never makes a team in any sport, so me, and players
like Dan Browne and Andrew Begley, will be working hard to prove that we can
be successful and uphold the high standards that previous teams have set for us.
Finally I would like to thank both Ms. Cahalane and Ms. Roche, without whom
basketball in Moyler just wouldn't be what it is today. Special praise must also go to
Ms. Cahalane for providing possibly the most ridiculous photo of me from this year's
Jump For Joy competition. Thanks!
