Sadness at the death of basketball star Paudie O’Connor

IT says a lot about a young man from O’Sullivan’s Place in Killarney running the court as point-guard standing at 6 ft 4inches. But that was Paudie O’Connor, legendary basketball player. Tributes flowed in from all quarters this week after news of Paudie’s death reached Kerry early last Wednesday morning.

Paudie moved to the US in the 1980s but not before leaving behind a tremendous legacy to the game, both in Kerry and Ireland. Paudie was ahead of his time and it was his vision which opened the way for American basketball players to become household names in Ireland.

As a child I recall standing with my late father in the Parish Hall, Killarney in the 1980s. Paudie’s Team Gleneagle had just beaten Team Britvic of Cork. Afterwards, Paudie and dad chatted for eons in the noisy gym. I discovered later Paudie had been a star player on a Kerry team coached by my father in the 1970s.

Just a few months ago I contacted Paudie on Facebook. He sent me his number and told me to call and arrange to meet the next time he was home. He promised me an interview and to tell me all about the glory days of Kerry basketball. But that’s life as they say.

Everyone has their own Paudie memory and none more so than his lifelong friend, John Keogh. “Paudie was the best there was and a wonderful ambassador and visionary,” John said.

“We grew up together and soldiered together in basketball, football and politics. He was always held in such high esteem. Paudie was raised a short distance from the Parish Hall where he would go on to star on so many occasions. I only spoke with him a few weeks ago and he was due home this month. It’s sad,” he added.

Tralee man Gerald ‘Gatt’ Carey played with Paudie and also coached the Killarney Gleneagle and Dannyman teams of the 1980s that Paudie starred in.

“He was one of the best Irish players of all time. He was a strong player and always had great determination. He played over 100 times for Ireland which speaks for itself,” Gerald said.

The late Paudie O’Connor pictured with the great Michael Jordan at Ballybunion Golf Course in the 1990s.