THE basketball season doesn't fit snugly into the calender year.
It covers part of two years, so let us start with the second part of the 2015-2016 season, when club cup competitions are played, leagues are wrapped up and annual awards are handed out. Cup semi-finals and finals are played in January. The semis took place from January 8-10.
New teams like Templeogue, Swords and Eanna from Dublin had made their presence felt with Templeogue and Swords making the last-four places in the men's cup knockout stages
UCC Demons were defending the men's National Cup but they ran up against a success hungry Swords side that swept to an unexpected 103-82 victory. The second semi featured an all-Dublin battle, a tight see-saw game as Templeogue edged out Killester 61-59.
Success for Killester, however, as the club made it through to the Women's cup final with a 72-65 defeat of Waterford Wildcats, while favourites Montenotte Hotel Cork defeated Dublin Meteors 77-61.
Blue Demons compensated for the defeat of their senior side as they prevented a Killester treble by winning the Presidents' Cup semi-final to book a date in the final against Maree Oranmore, who ousted Cork's Fr Mathews by four points.
Other winners were Neptune and Moycullen (U18 Men), Brunell Cork and DCU Mercy (U18 Women), Limerick and Muckno Lakers Monaghan (Women's Intermediate Cup), Tralee and Leixlip (Men's Intermediate Cup), Oblate Drimnagh and NUIG, who beat Ulster Rockets (Senior Women). It was an unfortunate weekend for Fr Mathew's as the Cork club lost in three semi-finals.
January 25-27 was given over to All-Ireland school cup finals when St Malachy's Belfast suffered a one point agonising defeat by Coláiste Phádraig, Lucan at U16A Boys' level. St Columb's, Derry lost to Castleisland CC in the U19B Boys' decider, but there was success for Coláiste Choilmcille, Ballyshannon (U16B Girls) and Ulidia Intergrated, Carrickfergus (U19C Girls).
The National Cup finals were played from January 29-31, when a crunch Dublin battle in the men's decider resulted in Templeogue beating Swords 78-75. Montenotte Hotel Cork took the women’s trophy when over-powering Killester 96-64 but there was compensation for the Dublin club as it won the Women's U20 title.
The other weekend winners were: Oblate Dynamos Drimnagh (Senior Women), Maree Oranmore (Presidents' Cup), Neptune Cork had a teenage double (U20 & U18 Men), Tralee (Men's Intermediate Club), Muckno Lakers Monaghan (Women's Intermediate Club) and Limerick Scorpions (Men's Wheelchair).
As the league action wound to a close in February and March with thoughts of European action drawing closer. Ireland, grouped with smaller nations, has only had moderate success but it is participation that counts.
Men's senior player coach Colin O'Reilly named four ex-St Malachy's College (Belfast) players – Paul Dick, Keelan Cairns, Conor and Aidan Quinn in his 20-man squad. The teenage Quinn twins had starred with Star but were off to further their basketball career at college in America.
Cork man Mark Scannell was coach of the senior women's international panel and he called in Belfast girls Mairead McNally and Fionnuala Toner They had moved from Ulster International honours were also bestowed on Rockets to play at Super League level with DCU Mercy in Dublin.
International honours were also bestowed on Darren O'Neill, the current Belfast Star senior men's coach. He was appointed as head coach of the Irish squad for the European U20 Championship during the summer.
March is also a month for reflection on the season past and the annual awards were announced. There are Top Five All Star first, second and third picks in the men's and women's Super League but only limited success for Ulster players. Star's import Shaun Vanzant was a first pick for the men's league but no northerner featured among the women chosen. In men and women's Division One, the only northerner honoured was Ulster Rockets US star Emma O'Connor.
Following the Allstar awards came the annual awards, all 46 of them with 13 counties included. American players dominated the senior honours with the Super League players being Lahmon Culbert (Demons) and Jazman Boone (WIT Wildcats).
Among other award winners were coach Andy Gill (Irish Women U15 team), who is now coach of UU Elks women, Abbey Vocational School, Ballyshannon and Coláiste Oirial, Monaghan.
When the 2016-'17 season tipped-off, many personnel changes had occurred in teams. Darren O'Neill took over as head coach with Belfast Star and Greg Womack was the new pro player. Womack's stay was short, however, as he was replaced by Dillon Stith.
Down south, there were various changes, also, most notable Lahmon Culbert leaving Demons, who had also lost Colin O'Reilly to Cheshire, as coach. The new forces in the men's Super League became Templeogue, the men's National Cup winners of the previous season, and Swords with former strong side UL Eagles slipping down.
Dublin clubs Éanna and KUBS stepped up to the top grade and the University of Ulster Eagles re-entered the national stage with a team in both men's and women's Division One.
A number of new faces appeared in the Ulster Rockets squad with Americans Carlee Lough and Zee Shadid-Martin joining, along with their US College colleague Dubliner Mimi Troy. International Mairead McNally also re-joined her former club, while November Division One Coach of the Month Breda Dick promoted a number of teenagers to the squad.
Also in November came the surprise announcement that former Neptune player Pete Strickland, from Maryland, was appointed the new head coach, for a two year period, of the Irish Senior men's team.
At the halfway break, Templeogue led Men's Super League on 33 points with Belfast Star joint eighth on 12. The Women's Super League was led by Glanmire on 24 as Kilorglin top Men's Division One with 27 points. UU Elks are joint second, three points back, and are joint leaders, with Maree Oranmore, of the Northern Conference.
Sharing top of Women's Division One are IT Carlow, Ulster Rockets and UL Eagles with Carlow having two games in hand. UU Elks, on three points, are joint six of seven teams.
