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Ireland men's national basketball team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Ireland women's national basketball team.

Ireland
FIBA ranking87 Increase 3 (26 November 2024)[1]
Joined FIBA1947
FIBA zoneFIBA Europe
National federationBasketball Ireland
CoachMark Keenan
Nickname(s)Na buachaillí i nglas
(The Boys in Green)
Olympic Games
Appearances1 (1948)
MedalsNone
FIBA World Cup
AppearancesNone
EuroBasket
AppearancesNone
Championship for Small Countries
Appearances7
MedalsGold Gold: (1994, 2021)
Silver Silver: (1988)
Bronze Bronze: (2018)
First international
 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)

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.

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

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Ireland (white) against Luxembourg (blue) in 2009

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

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Results and fixtures

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  Win   Loss

2024

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22 February 2024 Kosovo  83–76  Ireland Pristina, Kosovo
19:00 (UTC+1) Scoring by quarter: 22–17, 23–21, 20–19, 18–19
Pts: Hajrizi 20
Rebs: Hajrizi 9
Asts: Tmušić 6 		Boxscore Pts: Blount 27
Rebs: Blount 13
Asts: Badmus 4 		Arena: Palace of Youth and Sports
Attendance: 2,500
Referees: Ali Şakacı (TUR), Jan Baloun (CZE), Edgard Ceccarelli (FRA)
25 February 2024 Ireland  63–86   Switzerland Dublin, Ireland
15:00 (UTC±0) Scoring by quarter: 14–22, 15–19, 14–22, 20–23
Pts: Flood 15
Rebs: Buivydas 7
Asts: Blount 4 		Boxscore Pts: Anabir 15
Rebs: Jurkovitz 8
Asts: Fofanfa 6 		Arena: National Basketball Arena
Attendance: 1,500
Referees: Valerio Grigioni (ITA), Javier Torres (ESP), Chess van Looy (BEL)
21 November 2024 Ireland  91–67  Azerbaijan Dublin, Ireland
17:00 (UTC±0) Scoring by quarter: 25–12, 23–13, 23–20, 20–22
Pts: Flood 28
Rebs: Blount 12
Asts: Blount 9 		Boxscore Pts: Davis 25
Rebs: Aydın, Davis 8
Asts: Aydın 4 		Arena: National Basketball Arena
Attendance: 900
Referees: Iain MacDonald (GBR), Ioannis Tsimpouris (GRE), Davíð Tómasson (ISL)
24 November 2024 Ireland  91–85  Kosovo Dublin, Ireland
17:00 (UTC±0) Scoring by quarter: 24–14, 18–25, 31–21, 18–27
Pts: Quinn 23
Rebs: Quinn 10
Asts: Blount 8 		Boxscore Pts: Berisha 15
Rebs: Ukaj 8
Asts: Armstead 9 		Arena: National Basketball Arena
Attendance: 1,800
Referees: Ritvars Helmšteins (LAT), Martin Van Hoye (BEL), Alexandre Maret (FRA)

2025

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20 February 2025 Switzerland  vs.  Ireland Switzerland
Boxscore
23 February 2025 Azerbaijan  vs.  Ireland Azerbaijan
Boxscore

Team

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Current roster

[edit]

Roster for the 2027 FIBA World Cup Pre-Qualifiers matches on 21 and 24 November 2024 against Azerbaijan and Kosovo.[15][16][17]

Ireland men's national basketball team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
G 4 Adrian O'Sullivan 31 – (1993-07-21)21 July 1993 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Ballincollig Republic of Ireland
PG 5 Roy Downey 30 – (1994-03-14)14 March 1994 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Neptune Republic of Ireland
SF 8 David Lehane 23 – (2001-05-10)10 May 2001 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) UCC Demons Republic of Ireland
F 9 Rapolas Buivydas 22 – (2002-02-11)11 February 2002 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Tralee Warriors Republic of Ireland
PG 11 Sean Flood (C) 28 – (1996-09-10)10 September 1996 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) London Lions England
G 12 Conor Quinn 29 – (1995-07-10)10 July 1995 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Belfast Star Northern Ireland
F 13 Jordan Blount 27 – (1997-01-05)5 January 1997 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Killorglin Republic of Ireland
F 14 John Carroll 29 – (1995-03-16)16 March 1995 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Sligo All-Stars Republic of Ireland
G 16 Paul Dick 33 – (1991-04-30)30 April 1991 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Killester Republic of Ireland
SF 22 Matt Treacy 26 – (1998-10-23)23 October 1998 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) Tarragona Spain
C 32 Neal Quinn 23 – (2001-05-31)31 May 2001 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) Aix Maurienne France
PF 33 Aidan Igiehon 24 – (2000-08-17)17 August 2000 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Dublin Lions Republic of Ireland
Head coach
  • Republic of Ireland Mark Keenan
Assistant coach(es)
  • Republic of Ireland Puff Summers
  • Republic of Ireland Adrian Fulton
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the competition
  • Age – describes age
    on 21 November 2024

Depth chart

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Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Neal Quinn Rapolas Buivydas
PF Jordan Blount Aidan Igiehon
SF John Carroll Rapolas Buivydas David Lehane
SG Paul Dick Matt Treacy Adrian O'Sullivan
PG Sean Flood Roy Downey

Head coach position

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Notable players

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Past rosters

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1948 Olympic Games: finished 23rd among 23 teams[21]

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[22]

Ireland men's national basketball team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
G 4 Adrian O'Sullivan 22 – (1993-07-21)21 July 1993 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) UCC Demons Republic of Ireland
G 5 Paul Dick 25 – (1991-04-30)30 April 1991 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Cheshire Jets England
G 6 Lorcan Murphy 21 – (1994-12-08)8 December 1994 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Neptune Republic of Ireland
SF 7 Ciarán O'Sullivan 25 – (1990-12-27)27 December 1990 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Swords Thunder Republic of Ireland
SF 9 Stephen James 24 – (1992-03-16)16 March 1992 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Cheshire Jets England
C 10 Brian Fitzpatrick 26 – (1989-11-06)6 November 1989 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Horsens Denmark
C 11 Keelan Cairns 24 – (1992-05-26)26 May 1992 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) UCC Demons Republic of Ireland
PF 12 Colin O'Reilly 32 – (1984-01-30)30 January 1984 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) UCC Demons Republic of Ireland
F 13 Jordan Blount 19 – (1997-01-05)5 January 1997 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) UIC Flames United States
C 14 Conor Gallagher 31 – (1984-09-15)15 September 1984 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Killester Republic of Ireland
F 15 Kevin Lacey 27 – (1989-02-24)24 February 1989 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Swords Thunder Republic of Ireland
PG 16 Kyle Hosford 27 – (1989-06-27)27 June 1989 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) UCC Demons Republic of Ireland
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Republic of Ireland Puff Summers
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the competition
  • Age – describes age
    on 28 June 2016

2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished 3rd Bronze among 7 teams[23]

Ireland men's national basketball team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
G 4 Adrian O'Sullivan 24 – (1993-07-21)21 July 1993 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) UCC Demons Republic of Ireland
SG 5 Aidan Quinn 22 – (1995-07-10)10 July 1995 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Belfast Star Northern Ireland
G 6 Lorcan Murphy 23 – (1994-12-08)8 December 1994 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Templeogue Republic of Ireland
PG 7 Patrick Lyons 22 – (1995-08-16)16 August 1995 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Moycullen Republic of Ireland
SG 8 Travis Black 27 – (1991-01-16)16 January 1991 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) Swords Thunder Republic of Ireland
F 9 Jordan Blount 21 – (1997-01-05)5 January 1997 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) UIC Flames United States
PG 10 Ciaran Roe 25 – (1993-06-21)21 June 1993 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Killester Republic of Ireland
SF 11 Matthew Kelly 30 – (1987-10-15)15 October 1987 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) UCD Marian Republic of Ireland
F 12 Taiwo Badmus 24 – (1993-07-03)3 July 1993 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Virginia–Wise United States
C 14 Keelan Cairns 26 – (1992-05-26)26 May 1992 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) Belfast Star Northern Ireland
C 15 Eoghain Kiernan 21 – (1996-07-10)10 July 1996 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Killester Republic of Ireland
C 16 Paul Freeman 35 – (1983-03-31)31 March 1983 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Moycullen Republic of Ireland
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Greece Ioannis Liapakis
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the competition
  • Age – describes age
    on 26 June 2018

2021 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished 1st Gold among 5 teams[24]

Ireland men's national basketball team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
G 4 Adrian O'Sullivan 28 – (1993-07-21)21 July 1993 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Carbajosa Spain
PG 5 Christopher Fulton 19 – (2002-06-24)24 June 2002 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Lafayette College United States
G 6 Lorcan Murphy 26 – (1994-12-08)8 December 1994 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Templeogue Republic of Ireland
G 7 Sean Flood 24 – (1996-09-10)10 September 1996 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Karlsruhe Germany
PG 8 Kyle Hosford 32 – (1989-06-27)27 June 1989 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) UCC Demons Republic of Ireland
F 9 Eoin Quigley 29 – (1991-09-18)18 September 1991 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Tralee Warriors Republic of Ireland
PG 10 Ciaran Roe 28 – (1993-06-21)21 June 1993 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Killester Republic of Ireland
F 11 Neil Randolph 29 – (1992-02-29)29 February 1992 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Templeogue Republic of Ireland
C 12 Will Hanley 31 – (1990-03-12)12 March 1990 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Hebraica Macabi Uruguay
F 13 Jordan Blount 24 – (1997-01-05)5 January 1997 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Carbajosa Spain
F 14 John Carroll 26 – (1995-03-16)16 March 1995 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Zamora Spain
C 15 Jason Killeen (C) 36 – (1985-01-22)22 January 1985 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) Templeogue Republic of Ireland
Head coach
  • Republic of Ireland Mark Keenan
Assistant coach(es)
  • Republic of Ireland Adrian Fulton
  • Republic of Ireland Puff Summers
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the competition
  • Age – describes age
    on 10 August 2021

Kit

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Manufacturer

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Ireland at the 1948 Olympic Games". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  4. ^ Hunt, Tom (July–August 2012). "Ireland 'slam-dunked': basketball at the 1948 games". History Ireland. 20 (4): 34–37. JSTOR 41588713.
  5. ^ "Ireland at the 1972 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Ireland at the 1976 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  7. ^ "Ireland at the 1984 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  8. ^ "Ireland at the 1988 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  9. ^ Duggan, Keith (24 February 2010). "Basketball Ireland pull plug on international sides". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  10. ^ "IRELAND SENIOR MEN RETURN TO ACTION". BasketballIreland.ie. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  11. ^ "Ireland's men's basketball team to re-enter European competition in 2016". Inside the games. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  12. ^ "Ireland - FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Mark Keenan guides Ireland to second European basketball title". Irish Independent. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Ireland win European Championship for Small Countries after victory over Malta". The 42. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Ireland squad trimmed to 14 for FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Kosovo". ireland.basketball. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  16. ^ "Ireland name unchanged 12-man squad for Kosovo FIBA World Cup qualifier". ireland.basketball. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Ireland during the 2027 FIBA World Cup European Pre-Qualifiers in November 2024". Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  18. ^ "Pete Strickland takes over as head man of the Irish men's national team". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  19. ^ "Basketball Ireland names Mark Keenan coach of the men's national team". RTÉ.ie. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  20. ^ "Billy Donlon will draw from his Northwestern, Michigan days to build UMKC basketball". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Ireland at the 1948 Olympic Games". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  22. ^ "Ireland at the 2016 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  23. ^ "Ireland at the 2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  24. ^ "Ireland at the 2021 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Basketball Signs New Sponsor Deal with Macron". 22 April 2013.
  26. ^ "Basketball Ireland Signs Kappa Deal". 20 September 2016.
  27. ^ "Basketball Signs Three Year Kappa Deal". 7 November 2018.
  28. ^ "Basketball Ireland launch new Nike kit". ireland.basketball. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
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