The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Scotts Lakers looking to make a splash on National League return
NATIONAL League Basketball will make a long awaited welcome return to Killarney after an absence of nearly a decade and St Pauls Killarney playing under the ‘Scotts Lakers’ banner will open their campaign with a home game against Dublin Lions this Saturday at 7.30pm in Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre. The new national league campaign for Scotts Lakers was launched by Brendan Griffin, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, in Scotts Hotel, Killarney on Friday night.
St. Paul’s Basketball Club Chairman Padraig Weldon said the club has been growing at a tremendous rate in recent years catering for 400 juvenile members. He paid tribute to all the officers, coaches and parents of young players for their support and said that the new national league committee has done trojan work with the establishment of the national league team.
Scotts Lakers National League Committee chairman Aidan Quirke spoke about the fantastic response from local businesses in Killarney and how it would not be possible to compete at national level without them. He praised Maurice O’Donoghue and Scotts Hotel for their role as the main team sponsor and also to Killarney Credit Union for coming on board as a club sponsor.
Maurice O’Donoghue said it was a very easy decision to come on board as team sponsor as they could see the great work being done at juvenile level. He said that the club needs a team competing at national level and and the young players could look to the future and aspire to playing at national league level.
He also recalled the long association the O’Donoghue family have with Killlarney basketball and told the story about his own father the late Maurice O’Donoghue and Paudie O’Connor going to the USA to recruit the very first American basketballers that came to Ireland in 1979. He said that three generations of the O’Donoghue family have had a great association with Killarney basketball and they looked forward to continuing it.
St. Paul’s Basketball Club founding member Tom Looney recalled the massive history of basketball in Killarney and the establishment of St. Paul’s in 1985 to cater for juvenile basketball. He said that to hear that there are currently 400 juvenile members was way beyond their expectation back then. He said that despite being a minority sport and trying to compete in difficult circumstances, Killarney basketball has always thrived and succeeded producing several Irish internationals over the years. He added that the presence of a national league team will be of enormous benefit to everybody and that the schools and the club coaching structures will benefit.
Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, Mayor of Killarney Niall Kelleher, and Mayor of Kerry John Sheahan all offered their best wishes to the club for the season.
Serbian native Vojkan Bencic is the new head coach of Scotts Lakers and comes to Killarney with a wealth of basketball experience as a player and coach. He enjoyed a very successful playing career before establishing himself as a top class and well respected coach in several countries including Serbia, Croatia, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Russia, Poland, Slovenia and Hungary. Vojkan’s presence in Killarney will also be a huge boost to all the St. Paul’s club coaches and underage players.
Scotts Lakers have recruited 6’ 7” power forward Antuan Bootle, formerly of Sam Houston State University Texas. He is joined by Irish-American Justin Tuason and Bulgarian point guard Mihail Kapitanov.
Team captain is Philip O’Connor and the rest of the squad includes Andrew Fitzgerald, Mark Greene, Dan Griffin, Dylan O’Sullivan, Con O’Mahony, Cian Clernon, Keith O’Grady, Billy Wiseman, Paul Clarke, Patrick O’Regan, Mark O’Shea, Niall O’Brien, Shane Horgan and Sean O’Neill.
Scotts Lakers will play their home games in Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre starting this Saturday against Dublin Lions at 7.30pm.