ANYTHING you can do, I can do too, would seem to be the message that Neil McCotter has sent out to Breda Dick who won the Women's Division One Coach of the Month Award for November. Now comes the news that McCotter is named Men's Premier League Coach for December.
The Belfast Star head coach steered his team to five victories, three in eight days, last month to hoist the side up into a challenging position for a place in the Top Four Tournament, at the end of the season, but the coach is not taking all the praise for the upsurge in form.
“The award is more a recognition of the form of the team, rather than a recognition of my contribution,” says McCotter. “I have got the accolade but it was the players who played great 'ball during December.
“I also got tremendous help from others on the coaching side. Assistant Danny Fulton has been a great help as he takes over training sessions when I am away on business. JD (Javan Dupree) has also had a big input and Darren O'Neill has given a lot of good advice. There are others, too, so I can't take all the credit.
“Personally, it is not a big deal but, still, it is very nice to be recognised, especially recognised for the way the team has been playing and, hopefully, that form will now continue into the second half of the season as we continue to chase that Top Four spot.”
Star continue with their surge tomorrow evening with a home game, at Methodist College (7.00), against UL Eagles who have not been flying as high this season, as usual. The Limerick team is down the Premier League table on 12 points, six adrift of Star who had their first win of the season, in their third game, on a visit to UL.
“The Eagles have picked up a bit recently and we must be careful. They have some very good Irish players, among them Stephen King and the experienced Robert Lynch. Shawn Vanzant easily handled their American Fats Bittle in Limerick.
“If we win, it will be three wins in a row and four wins out of five games which would be very good. It would keep us in the mix.”
Sasha Seymour has not yet returned from his Christmas visit back home in the US but everybody else is available. Conor Johnston has had a little ankle niggle but should be OK.
Unbeaten Templeoge, on 30 points, are three ahead of Demons. Killester defeated DCU 84-61 on Wednesday night and are on 21 points while Star, Swords and Marian share 18.
Ulster Rockets are not in action tomorrow night but their Women's Division One game against Longford Falcons will be played at Methody on Sunday (2.00).
Anna Maguire, who missed the cup semi-final last Sunday, due to a 'flu virus, should be back in action with the home side that is determined to put the memory of the 26 points defeat by NUIG Mystics out of their system and get on with keeping their league hopes alive.
When Longford visited Belfast in the cup quarter-final, Rockets soared to a 74-37 victory with Ciara O'Neill and Helena O'Dornan sharing a game high 16 points and Emma O'Connor netting 12. It should be another home win for the Ulster side, that is in sixth place on 18 points with two games in hand over the leaders NUIG (28) and joint second Tralee and Oblate Dynamos (22).
FIXTURES
Saturday, January 16
Men’s Premier League: GCD Swords Thunder v Templeogue; Belfast Star v UL Eagles (Methodist College, Belfast, 7pm); SSE Airtricity Moycullen v Éanna, Dublin; Women’s Premier League: Team Montenotte Hotel Glanmire v DCU Mercy, Coolock; UL Huskies v Pyrobel Killester, Maxol WIT Wildcats v Portlaoise Panthers; Courtyard Liffey Celtics, Leixlip v Meteors, Dublin; Men’s Division One: Kestrels, Portarlington v Team Kilkenny; JM&L Auctioneers Titans v IT Carlow; Keane's Supervalu Killorglin v Fr Mathew's, Cork; Maree, Oranmore v BFG Neptune; Women’s Division One: NUIG Mystics v IT Carlow; Fr Mathew's, Cork v American Style Castleisland; Team Garvey's, Tralee v Oblate Dynamos, Drimnagh.
Sunday, January 17
Men’s Premier League: C&S UCC Demons v UCD Marian; Women’s Premier League: Singleton SuperValu Brunell v Portlaoise Panthers; Men’s Division One: C&S Blue Demons v KUBS Dublin; Women’s Division One: IT Carlow v Marble City Hawks; Ulster Rockets v Longford Falcons (Methodist College, Belfast, 2pm).
