Belarus-bound for basketball

TWO talented Kerry basketball players are Belarus-bound after they were selected to take part in a five-day tournament in Minsk.

Both just 15 years old, Tim and Seán Pollman-Daamer will fly out to Minsk, where they will take part in the Belarus International Basketball Tournament, which will take place from December 6 up until December 10.

They are the only two Kerry players to have been chosen, and they will be part of an Irish team that will take on Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova and Poland.

Tim and Seán successfully raised the necessary funds for the trip by holding a highly successful bag-packing fundraiser in Garvey’s Supervalu in Tralee.

The two ply their trade with both Mercy Mounthawk, where they are under the watchful eye of John Dowling, and the Ballymac-based team, the TK Bobcats, where they are coached by Liam Culloty.

“They’ve received great support from the community, and they just wanted to thank everyone who has helped them with their fundraising,” said the boys’ mother, Anne, when she spoke to The Kerryman on Friday.

“It is a great honour for them to be chosen. They train very hard, and they have trained all over the country. I’m very happy for them, and they’re very excited themselves as it gets closer and closer.”