Ireland men's national basketball team
The Ireland men's national basketball team (Irish: Foireann cispheile náisiúnta na hÉireann) represents the island of Ireland in international basketball. It is governed by Basketball Ireland with players from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland plays their home matches at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght, Dublin.
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| FIBA ranking | 85  11 (15 September 2023)[1] | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Joined FIBA | 1947 | ||
| FIBA zone | FIBA Europe | ||
| National federation | Basketball Ireland | ||
| Coach | Mark Keenan | ||
| Nickname(s) | Na buachaillí i nglas (The Boys in Green) | ||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Appearances | 1 (1948) | ||
| Medals | None | ||
| FIBA World Cup | |||
| Appearances | None | ||
| EuroBasket | |||
| Appearances | None | ||
| Championship for Small Countries | |||
| Appearances | 7 | ||
| Medals |  Gold: (1994, 2021) Silver: (1988) Bronze: (2018) | ||
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| First international | |||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Mexico 71–9 Ireland  (London, England; 2 August 1948) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Ireland 112–39 Gibraltar  (Cardiff, Wales; 12 December 1990) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Italy 128–49 Ireland (Edinburgh, Scotland; 3 May 1976) | |||
Ireland has little history on the international stage, as they have yet to qualify for top tournaments such as the EuroBasket or the FIBA World Cup. However, the national team did manage to reach the Summer Olympics once, in 1948.
History
The Amateur Basketball Association of Ireland (ABAI; now Basketball Ireland) was formed in 1945 and affiliated to FIBA in 1947. An indoor version of basketball had been played in the Irish Army from 1936, but using non-standard rules to create an indoor winter substitute for Gaelic football; until 1943, the Army Athletic Council officially recognized only Gaelic games.[2] The ABAI sent a team of the best Army players to the 1948 Olympic tournament in nearby London, despite the refusal of Army command to release the players for intensive training. The team coaches were officers unfamiliar with the sport, who outranked the players and ignored their advice. Although many top sides were absent from the London Games in the aftermath of World War II, the Irish team finished last, losing every match heavily; the worst a 71–9 loss to Mexico, who finished fourth.[3] Only two members of the team were over 6 feet (1.8 m) tall.[4]
The team's standard improved gradually from the 1970s to the 2000s, as more school leavers won scholarships to play US college basketball, and some Irish American professional players took up eligibility to compete for their ancestral country. Ireland entered European-zone Olympic qualification tournaments in 1972,[5] 1976,[6] 1984,[7] and 1988,[8] losing every match each time. In 1988, Ireland finished runner-up in the inaugural Promotion Cup, the third tier of EuroBasket, later named EuroBasket Division C, and now the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries. In 1993, the National Basketball Arena opened in Dublin, which became the team's new permanent home. Division C was hosted there the following year, and Ireland beat Cyprus 81–78 in the final to gain promotion to EuroBasket Division B. Ireland narrowly failed to win promotion to Division A in FIBA EuroBasket 2005 Division B, losing to Denmark by 4 points after having won the first game in Dublin by 10 points.
In February 2010, during the Irish financial crisis, Basketball Ireland announced that it was €1.2m in debt and was deactivating its senior international squads to cut costs.[9] In December 2015, the team was reactivated for 2016.[10]
In December 2015, it was announced that Ireland would play at the 2016 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries.[11] The team finished in the fourth position overall.
Ireland played in the 2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries, held in San Marino from 26 June to 1 July. Ireland finished (1–1) in group play, losing to Malta then defeating Andorra. In the semi-finals Ireland lost to Norway, sending the team to the bronze medal match where they defeated Gibraltar to finish in third place.[12]
Three years later, Ireland hosted the 2021 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries in Dublin. The national team would go undefeated during the tournament at (4–0), to capture their second title at the competition all time.[13][14]
Competitive record
FIBA World Cup
Olympic Games
Championship for Small Countries
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EuroBasket
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Results and fixtures
Win Loss
2023
| 19 July 2023 | Croatia  |
89–49 | Ireland |
Opatija, Croatia |
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| 20:00 (UTC+2) | Scoring by quarter: 24–5, 32–12, 14–16, 19–16 | |||
| Pts: Badžim 18 Rebs: Perković 8 Asts: Kapusta 9 |
Boxscore | Pts: Quinn 12 Rebs: Alajiki 5 Asts: Quinn 4 |
Arena: Sportska dvorana Marino Cvetković Attendance: 970 Referees: Georgios Poursanidis (GRE), Luis Castillo (ESP), Oskars Lūcis (LAT) |
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| 26 July 2023 | Luxembourg  |
76–96 | Ireland |
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |
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| 20:15 (UTC+2) | Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 16–17, 22–30, 17–26 | |||
| Pts: Laurent 16 Rebs: Rugg 8 Asts: Delgado 5 |
Boxscore | Pts: Badmus, Igiehon 20 Rebs: Alajiki 13 Asts: Quinn 3 |
Arena: d'Coque Attendance: 1,413 Referees: Aleksandar Glišić (SRB), Mihkel Männiste (EST), Vladimir Jevtović (SRB) |
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| 29 July 2023 | Ireland |
61–95 | Croatia |
Dublin, Ireland |
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| 14:30 (UTC+1) | Scoring by quarter: 12–20, 22–22, 8–21, 19–32 | |||
| Pts: Murphy 12 Rebs: Alajiki 5 Asts: Fulton 4 |
Boxscore | Pts: D. Drežnjak 17 Rebs: D. Drežnjak 5 Asts: five players 3 |
Arena: National Basketball Arena Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Mārtiņš Kozlovskis (LAT), Fernando Calatrava (ESP), Javier Torres (ESP |
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| 5 August 2023 | Ireland |
79–76 | Luxembourg |
Dublin, Ireland |
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| 19:30 (UTC+1) | Scoring by quarter: 29–20, 12–23, 18–20, 20–13 | |||
| Pts: Blount, Fulton 16 Rebs: Blount 14 Asts: Blount 6 |
Boxscore | Pts: Rugg 27 Rebs: Rugg 12 Asts: Gutenkauf, Rugg 3 |
Arena: National Basketball Arena Attendance: 3,000 Referees: Antonio Conde (ESP), Emmanouil Tsolakos (GRE), Hrvoje Čavar (BIH) |
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2024
| 25 February 2024 | Ireland |
vs. | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Switzerland |
Ireland |
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| 21 November 2024 | Ireland |
vs. |  Azerbaijan |
Ireland |
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2025
| 20 February 2025 | Switzerland |
vs. | Ireland |
Switzerland |
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| 23 February 2025 | Azerbaijan |
vs. | Ireland |
Azerbaijan |
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Team
Current roster
Roster for the EuroBasket 2025 Pre-Qualifiers matches in July/August 2023 against Croatia and Luxembourg.[15][16]
| Ireland men's national basketball team roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth chart
| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Neal Quinn | Aidan Igiehon | |
| PF | Jordan Blount | Samuel Alajiki | John Carroll |
| SF | Taiwo Badmus | Matt Treacy | |
| SG | Sean Flood | Lorcan Murphy | Conor O'Sullivan |
| PG | Christopher Fulton | Conor Quinn |
Head coach position
- /
Jay Larrañaga – (2008–2010) - Mark Keenan – (2014)
- Colin O'Reilly – (2015)
- Pete Strickland – (2016–2018)[17]
- Mark Keenan – (2019–present)[18]
Notable players
- Cal Bowdler – NBA player for the Atlanta Hawks, but not born in Ireland
- Pat Burke – Only Irish-born to have played in the NBA, played for the Orlando Magic & Phoenix Suns. Also a Euroleague and ULEB Eurocup winner with Panathinaikos and Real Madrid
- Marty Conlon – NBA player for the Seattle SuperSonics, Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Bullets, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Clippers, but not born in Ireland
- Billy Donlon – former head coach of the Wright State University men's basketball team and as of 2019 head coach of UMKC.[19]
- Aidan Igiehon – former Louisville and current Grand Canyon player
- Jay Larrañaga – former captain of the Ireland national team
- Donnie McGrath – Irish American, he played for Anadolu Efes, Spartak St. Petersburg and Žalgiris Kaunas amongst others
- Darren Randolph – Irish football goalkeeper and player for the Republic of Ireland national team, father Ed Randolph was an American who played basketball in Ireland. He taught his son basketball and Darren has since represented the national team
Past rosters
1948 Olympic Games: finished 23rd among 23 teams
4 Donald O'Donovan, 5 Frank O'Connor, 6 Paddy Crehan, 7 Jimmy McGee, 8 Bill Jackson, 9 Harry Boland, 10 Tommy Keenan, 12 Dermot Sheriff, 13 Danny Reddin, 14 Paddy Sheriff, 15 Jim Flynn, 16 Christy Walsh (Coach: Donald McCormack)
2016 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished 4th among 8 teams[20]
| Ireland men's national basketball team roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished 3rd among 7 teams[21]
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2021 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished 1st among 5 teams[22]
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Kit
Manufacturer
2016: Macron
See also
References
- "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- Mac Lua, Brendan (1967). "12: The Passing Years". The steadfast rule : a history of the G.A.A. ban. Dublin: Press Cuchulainn. pp. 85–87. OCLC 16988629.
- "Ireland: 1948 Olympic Games : Tournament for Men". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- Hunt, Tom (July–August 2012). "Ireland 'slam-dunked': basketball at the 1948 games". History Ireland. 20 (4). doi:10.2307/41588713.
- "Ireland: 1972 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- "Ireland: 1976 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- "Ireland: 1984 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- "Ireland: 1988 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- Duggan, Keith (24 February 2010). "Basketball Ireland pull plug on international sides". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
- "IRELAND SENIOR MEN RETURN TO ACTION". BasketballIreland.ie. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- "Ireland's men's basketball team to re-enter European competition in 2016". Inside the games. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- "Ireland - FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- "Mark Keenan guides Ireland to second European basketball title". Irish Independent. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Ireland win European Championship for Small Countries after victory over Malta". The 42. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Ireland name unchanged squad for FIBA EuroBasket game with Luxembourg". ireland.basketball. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- "Ireland during the EuroBasket 2025 Pre-Qualifiers in July/August 2023". Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- "Pete Strickland takes over as head man of the Irish men's national team". Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- "Basketball Ireland names Mark Keenan coach of the men's national team". Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- "Billy Donlon will draw from his Northwestern, Michigan days to build UMKC basketball". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- "Ireland at the 2016 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- "Ireland at the 2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- "Ireland at the 2021 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". Retrieved 15 August 2021.
External links
- Official website
- Ireland FIBA profile
- Ireland National Team – Men at Eurobasket.com
- Ireland Basketball Records at FIBA Archive