Mayo ready for the return of national league basketball to Ballina
The Ballina Braves senior men’s basketball team will take a huge step forward this Saturday night (October 3) when they welcome Dublin Raiders in a preliminary round of the Basketball Ireland Men's Division 2 Cup competition, writes John Melvin.
The club, who won the Basketball Ireland Development League (BIDL) Plate final last year, have now entered the newly formed Men's Division 2, which is the platform for gaining promotion to the much tougher Division 1 league.
Former Ballina Super League player Paul Barrett has been appointed the senior team’s head coach this year. He will be assisted by experienced coach Derek Cunningham, who made a major contribution as coach of the Braves Under 20 team and has been a driving force behind the club alongside chairman Kevin McHale and other dedicated volunteers.
Along with the senior team, Ballina will also be competing in the Under 18 and Under 20 National Cup (and let us not forget hundreds of kids that are playing in the Mayo Basketball Leagues and championships at Under 10, 12, 14 and 16 levels).
The newly formed Division 2 league allows teams to bring in two professional players, including one European and an American, and Ballina are confident that they have selected two top class players who will fit very much into their plans for the coming season.
The two – Joseph Owens from the United States and Miles Felletti from Scotland – have already displayed their talent in a pre-season game between Ballina and Sligo, Owens scoring the game high of 37.
However, this Ballina team will be built around players developed through the club’s long-established underage system, where they have gained vital experience at national level with the Braves at Under 18 and Under 20 level.
Combined with the experienced players and the two new signings, Ballina Braves look well equipped to stand up to the challenge they will face in the newly formed Division 2.
They play their first league game at home on October 31 against Cavan Eagles and will play their first of eight away games on October 11 against Arcadia Athlone.
Ballina will be competing in a tough league, with home games and away against Athlone BC, Cavan Eagles, Dublin Raiders (based in Bray), Fr. Mathew's (Cork), Ongar Chasers (Dublin), Team Northwest (Ballyshannon) and Trinity BC (Dublin).
Division Two will run in a straight league format and the team who finishes top will be promoted to the Domino’s Men’s Division One.
EXCITING CHAPTER
This season marks an exciting new chapter for the club, players, volunteers, and, of course, their loyal supporters, who love their basketball.
Bar Square Ballina is the club’s main sponsor this year, while several other local sponsors reflect the strong support of the wider community.
Club chairman Kevin McHale said they have had huge financial support from their main sponsor, Bar Square, along with 18 other sponsors, with a total of €15,000 raised to cover expenses for the season.
Said Kevin: “We are delighted to be back in the national league. We have been scaling the club over the last couple of years, competing in the Under 20 national league and Basketball Ireland Development League (BIDL), and we feel the time is now to get back to the national league. We are delighted to be accepted back in.”
The return of national league basketball is the first step towards the club’s goal of reaching Division One and, ultimately, returning to the Super League, where Ballina was once a dominant force, winning national cups in 1991 and 1996 and numerous league titles during the golden era of the sport in north Mayo.
Tip-off this Saturday night is at 7 p.m. in Ballina Community Sports Centre.