For Bonn, to win just once would be enough
On Sunday, in the Basketball Champions League final, Telekom Baskets have a chance at the first major trophy in the club’s history. The Bonn club has been waiting a long time for this moment Fun is, and this may be the least controversial take I’ve ever made in a lifetime of irritatingly largely calm and […]
Thank you Partizan
KK Partizan lost a game of basketball on Thursday night to Real Madrid but they succeeded where it mattered and that will never be forgotten We have a saying in Ireland, we describe people as “More Irish than the Irish themselves.” It refers to people that move here and adopt our habits, our mannerisms, our […]
The Sloukas game
What else is there to say? Kostas Sloukas did what we all knew he could do even when we didn’t see it coming I mean I already tweeted it but, wow, poor Kostas Sloukas. Imagine having to walk around every day of your life with grapefruits that big. The shot heard around Europe that led […]
It was never going to be straightforward
Countless nerves, two short handed teams, and one wild crowd ensured drama was going to be on the menu no matter what at the Stark Arena Real Madrid took Game 3 having looked destined to not even make a game of it because of course this series between Los Blancos and Partizan must continue to […]
Vezenkov just has that vibe
He was already the favourite for MVP before Game 1 but Sasha Vezenkov carried himself like one in the victory for Olympiacos over Fenerbahce The stats were nice, they tend to be with players that impress, but it was how Sasha Vezenkov carried himself through a well-earned win on Wednesday that really showed the level […]
The irrational stress we live for
Game 1 in the Euroleague playoffs is a wildly unbalanced beast in terms of stakes, or at least the imagined stakes, and few games made the beauty of the madness of such a scenario quite as clear Elie Okobo went 0 of 3 from deep in the first half of Game 1. It felt like […]
Ireland’s men know their fate but what’s their future?
Having drawn Croatia and Luxembourg in the third round of FIBA EuroBasket 2025 pre-qualification, Ireland’s path over the next cycle or two has become clearer The draw could have been a lot worse but there was only so much better that it could have really gotten. That’s the nature of the pre-qualification format for EuroBasket […]
Lauri Markkanen is why the MIP award exists
With the Finland and Utah Jazz superstar picking up a much deserved NBA Most Improved Player award, Emmet Ryan on the inevitable rise of Markkamania The timing felt like everything. On the eve of EuroBasket, Lauri Markkanen’s time in Cleveland was over and he was being shipped to Salt Lake City as the Utah Jazz […]
The weight of expectation
With Prometey the last Ukrainian team left in a pan-European competition in any sport this season, Emmet Ryan on the unlikely charge of the side and the hopes they carry for a people they remain physically distant from The war put sport on pause for Ukraine along with most of life but it was only […]
Hunting high and low
Ireland’s few players across continental European leagues have reached the playoff stages of their seasons and Emmet Ryan is doing what he can to keep track A spice bag is a wonderful creation. It’s crispy chilli chicken with chips (fries for most of the world), some bizarre assortment of spices and the tiniest garnish of […]
Malaga’s hosting win is the secondary story in BCL F4 drama
Unicaja Malaga fans will get to watch their team challenge for the Basketball Champions League title in their own arena but the decision is shrouded in drama as Hapoel Jerusalem missed out on hosting I am often wrong and rarely informed. I said as much last night as the expectations over where the Basketball Champions […]
Charlie Crowley steps down as University of Galway Maree coach
The 25 year old had guided the club to its first ever national cup title and its best ever finish in the Irish men’s Super League In a stunning development in Irish basketball, Charlie Crowley, the 25 year old wunderkind, has opted to step down as head coach of University of Galway Maree. Crowley guided […]