National Leagues 327
BiE’s book I Like it Loud is finally on sale
You may have noticed activity on this site has been near non-existent since the end of last season. BallinEurope editor Emmet Ryan had a book to finish while also dealing with his day job. Things got crazy but it’s finally available to buy, in ample time for the holiday season Back in Munich airport last […]
Valencia add to a miserable week for Barcelona
The first half was bad basketball. The third quarter was mostly good basketball. The fourth was good bad basketball. Emmet Ryan almost fell asleep in Palau Blaugrana but eventually got a hot mess to enjoy as the BiE tour saw Barcelona fall to Valencia. The bad basketball was however a fine excuse to go off […]
Real romp past Estudiantes as derby day brings back memories
Ah you’ve just got to love the simplicity of European team anthems. especially when they seem totally alien to the backdrop. ¡Hala Madrid! by Jose De Aguilar, leading right into the more typical tune for a modern arena, Stop the Rock by Apollo 440. This is what you get when you go to sport on […]
The way of the Warriors
The race was over, then it was alive again, then it was decided. Over the course of 2 games, starting 24 hours apart, the Irish Super League championship was decided in a combination of both the height of drama and the calm of a coronation. Emmet Ryan hit the road to take in all the, […]
The beat goes on
The last of our missives from the Kingdom sees Emmet Ryan return to Tralee during the run-in to the Irish Super League race as the unexpected league leaders faced a stern test from relegation battlers Neptune Saturday and Sunday see two huge games for the Tralee Warriors but that’s pretty much the norm. Every time […]
The quiet night amidst the resurgence
Sometimes you just come across a bad game of basketball but that can be a blip. The resurrection of top tier basketball in Killarney is moving along nicely, just for one Saturday there was a reminder of the work that is still ahead. In his second missive from the Kingdom of Kerry, Emmet Ryan watched […]
Killorglin go down but can look forward
It wasn’t Killorglin’s day in their penultimate home outing of the season but the village of just 2,199 people can look forward to another season of top flight basketball. Emmet Ryan with the first of his missives from his Kerry adventure visits the town where there’s only one true goat Prior to Killorglin’s ascension to […]
Now it’s about holding serve
Tralee took care of business in front of a typically raucous home crowd but now the Warriors have the small matter of closing the deal. Emmet Ryan on the wild run-in to the Irish season that is offering a different flavour of drama to last year Last year’s title race was more than a bit […]
Let’s talk about Paris
There are only so many times Emmet Ryan can use the term déjà vu in a tone that is both serious and dad jokey but looking at Paris as a potential Euroleague city certainly fits the bill. The French capital has a lot of promise and that, well, is the problem After London dominated the […]
Mike Hall deserves so much better than this
A stalwart of the European scene, particularly Italy, and one of the most honest pros on Twitter, Mike Hall suffered racial abuse while in action for Virtus Cassino on Sunday as fans of visitors Siena disgraced themselves. Emmet Ryan on why it’s important to keep stating the obvious It’s 2019 and we’re still seeing stuff […]
Garrow goes off to keep Irish race wide open
In a night where those on the outside of the title race were under pressure, UCD Marian’s Mike Garrow got hot when it mattered as the Students had a storming comeback to see off Belfast Star. Emmet Ryan gives his thoughts and rounds up the rest of the Irish Super League action From the off […]
Celtics, not that one, make for an unlikely Goliath
The Boston Celtics have had a target on their back as the big gun to take down more often than not across their storied history. Their cousins in Leixlip are a little different but Liffey Celtics go into Ireland’s women’s cup final as clear favourites despite having never previously lifted the trophy, writes Emmet Ryan […]