Ireland men's national basketball team

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

Ireland

FIBA ranking	88 3 (1 March 2024)[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)
Home Away
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

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

FIBA World Cup World Cup Qualification Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1950 Did not enter Did not enter 1954 1959 1963 1967 1970 1974 1978 Did not qualify EuroBasket served as qualifiers 1982 1986 Did not enter Did not enter 1990 1994 1998 Did not qualify EuroBasket served as qualifiers 2002 2006 2010 2014 Did not enter Did not enter 2019 2023 2027 To be determined To be determined Total 0/19 Olympic Games Olympic Games Qualifying Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1948 23rd 6 0 6 1952 Did not enter 1956 1960 Did not enter 1964 1968 1972 Did not qualify 4 0 4 1976 5 0 5 1980 Did not enter Did not enter 1984 Did not qualify 3 0 3 1988 4 0 4 1992 5 0 5 1996 to 2024 Did not enter Did not enter 2028 To be determined To be determined Total 1/20 6 0 6 21 0 21 Championship for Small Countries FIBA European Championship for Small Countries Year Position Pld W L 1988 5 4 1 1990 4th 5 3 2 1992 4th 5 2 3 1994 5 5 0 2016 4th 5 3 2 2018 4 2 2 2021 4 4 0 Total 33 23 10

EuroBasket EuroBasket Qualification Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1947 Did not enter 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 Did not enter 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 Did not qualify 5 1 4 1979 Did not enter Did not enter 1981 Did not qualify 4 0 4 1983 5 0 5 1985 Did not enter Did not enter 1987 Did not qualify 4 0 4 1989 Did not enter Did not enter 1991 1993 1995 1997 Did not qualify 5 2 3 1999 8 4 4 2001 11 3 8 2003 21 10 11 2005 Division B 8 5 3 2007 Division B 6 1 5 2009 Division B 8 2 6 2011 Did not enter Did not enter 2013 2015 2017 2022 2025 Did not qualify 10 4 6 Total 0/38 95 32 63

Results and fixtures

  Win   Loss

2023

Croatia  v  Ireland

19 July 2023 EuroBasket 2025 pre-qualifiers – 3rd round	Croatia	89–49	Ireland	Opatija, Croatia
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)

Luxembourg  v  Ireland

26 July 2023 EuroBasket 2025 pre-qualifiers – 3rd round	Luxembourg	76–96	Ireland	Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
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)

Ireland  v  Croatia

29 July 2023 EuroBasket 2025 pre-qualifiers – 3rd round	Ireland	61–95	Croatia	Dublin, Ireland
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

Ireland  v  Luxembourg

5 August 2023 EuroBasket 2025 pre-qualifiers – 3rd round	Ireland	79–76	Luxembourg	Dublin, Ireland
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)

2024

Kosovo  v  Ireland

22 February 2024 2027 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round	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)

Ireland  v   Switzerland

25 February 2024 2027 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round	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)

Ireland  v  Azerbaijan

21 November 2024 2027 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round	Ireland	vs.	Azerbaijan	Ireland
		Boxscore

Ireland  v  Kosovo

24 November 2024 2027 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round	Ireland	vs.	Kosovo	Ireland
		Boxscore

2025

Switzerland  v  Ireland

20 February 2025 2027 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round	Switzerland	vs.	Ireland	Switzerland
		Boxscore

Azerbaijan  v  Ireland

23 February 2025 2027 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round	Azerbaijan	vs.	Ireland	Azerbaijan
		Boxscore

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2027 FIBA World Cup Pre-Qualifiers matches on 22 and 25 February 2024 against Kosovo and Switzerland.^[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 30 – (1993-07-21)21 July 1993 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Ballincollig G/F 6 Lorcan Murphy 29 – (1994-12-08)8 December 1994 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Templeogue SG 7 James Beckom 23 – (2000-05-07)7 May 2000 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) UCC Demons F 10 Neil Randolph 31 – (1992-02-29)29 February 1992 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Templeogue PG 11 Sean Flood (C) 27 – (1996-09-10)10 September 1996 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Den Helder G 12 Conor Quinn 28 – (1995-07-10)10 July 1995 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Belfast Star F 13 Jordan Blount 27 – (1997-01-05)5 January 1997 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Neptune F 14 Rapolas Buivydas 21 – (2002-12-11)11 December 2002 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Tralee Warriors C 15 James Gormley 24 – (1999-08-31)31 August 1999 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Éanna SF 16 David Lehane 22 – (2001-05-10)10 May 2001 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) UCC Demons F 21 Taiwo Badmus 30 – (1993-07-03)3 July 1993 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Valur SF 22 Matt Treacy 25 – (1998-10-23)23 October 1998 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) Wallabies G 23 Paul Dick 32 – (1991-04-30)30 April 1991 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Killester C 24 Keelan Cairns 31 – (1992-05-26)26 May 1992 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) Ballincollig	Head coach Mark Keenan Assistant coach(es) Adrian Fulton Puff Summers Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 22 February 2024

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2
C	James Gormley	Rapolas Buivydas	Keelan Cairns
PF	Jordan Blount	Neil Randolph
SF	Taiwo Badmus	Matt Treacy	David Lehane
SG	Lorcan Murphy	James Beckom	Paul Dick
PG	Sean Flood	Adrian O'Sullivan	Conor Quinn

Head coach position

• Enda Byrt – (1990–1999)
• / Jay Larrañaga – (2008–2010)
• Mark Keenan – (2014)
• Colin O'Reilly – (2015)
• Pete Strickland – (2016–2018)^[18]
• Mark Keenan – (2019–present)^[19]

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.^[20]
• 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)

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2016 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished 4th among 8 teams^[21]

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 G 5 Paul Dick 25 – (1991-04-30)30 April 1991 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Cheshire Jets G 6 Lorcan Murphy 21 – (1994-12-08)8 December 1994 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Neptune SF 7 Ciarán O'Sullivan 25 – (1990-12-27)27 December 1990 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Swords Thunder SF 9 Stephen James 24 – (1992-03-16)16 March 1992 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Cheshire Jets C 10 Brian Fitzpatrick 26 – (1989-11-06)6 November 1989 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Horsens C 11 Keelan Cairns 24 – (1992-05-26)26 May 1992 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) UCC Demons PF 12 Colin O'Reilly 32 – (1984-01-30)30 January 1984 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) UCC Demons F 13 Jordan Blount 19 – (1997-01-05)5 January 1997 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) UIC Flames C 14 Conor Gallagher 31 – (1984-09-15)15 September 1984 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Killester F 15 Kevin Lacey 27 – (1989-02-24)24 February 1989 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Swords Thunder PG 16 Kyle Hosford 27 – (1989-06-27)27 June 1989 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) UCC Demons	Head coach Colin O'Reilly Assistant coach(es) Puff Summers Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 28 June 2016

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2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished 3rd among 7 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 24 – (1993-07-21)21 July 1993 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) UCC Demons SG 5 Aidan Quinn 22 – (1995-07-10)10 July 1995 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Belfast Star G 6 Lorcan Murphy 23 – (1994-12-08)8 December 1994 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Templeogue PG 7 Patrick Lyons 22 – (1995-08-16)16 August 1995 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Moycullen SG 8 Travis Black 27 – (1991-01-16)16 January 1991 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) Swords Thunder F 9 Jordan Blount 21 – (1997-01-05)5 January 1997 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) UIC Flames PG 10 Ciaran Roe 25 – (1993-06-21)21 June 1993 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Killester SF 11 Matthew Kelly 30 – (1987-10-15)15 October 1987 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) UCD Marian F 12 Taiwo Badmus 24 – (1993-07-03)3 July 1993 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Virginia–Wise C 14 Keelan Cairns 26 – (1992-05-26)26 May 1992 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) Belfast Star C 15 Eoghain Kiernan 21 – (1996-07-10)10 July 1996 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Killester C 16 Paul Freeman 35 – (1983-03-31)31 March 1983 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Moycullen	Head coach Pete Strickland Assistant coach(es) Ioannis Liapakis Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 26 June 2018

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2021 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished 1st among 5 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 28 – (1993-07-21)21 July 1993 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Carbajosa PG 5 Christopher Fulton 19 – (2002-06-24)24 June 2002 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Lafayette College G 6 Lorcan Murphy 26 – (1994-12-08)8 December 1994 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Templeogue G 7 Sean Flood 24 – (1996-09-10)10 September 1996 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Karlsruhe PG 8 Kyle Hosford 32 – (1989-06-27)27 June 1989 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) UCC Demons F 9 Eoin Quigley 29 – (1991-09-18)18 September 1991 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Tralee Warriors PG 10 Ciaran Roe 28 – (1993-06-21)21 June 1993 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Killester F 11 Neil Randolph 29 – (1992-02-29)29 February 1992 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Templeogue C 12 Will Hanley 31 – (1990-03-12)12 March 1990 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Hebraica Macabi F 13 Jordan Blount 24 – (1997-01-05)5 January 1997 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Carbajosa F 14 John Carroll 26 – (1995-03-16)16 March 1995 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Zamora C 15 Jason Killeen (C) 36 – (1985-01-22)22 January 1985 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) Templeogue	Head coach Mark Keenan Assistant coach(es) Adrian Fulton Puff Summers Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 10 August 2021

Kit

Manufacturer

2016: Macron

See also

• Sport in Ireland
• Ireland women's national basketball team
• Ireland men's national under-20 basketball team
• Ireland men's national under-18 basketball team
• Ireland men's national under-16 basketball team
• Ireland men's national 3x3 team
• Super League

References

1. "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 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: 1948 Olympic Games : Tournament for Men". 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). doi:10.2307/41588713.
5. "Ireland: 1972 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
6. "Ireland: 1976 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
7. "Ireland: 1984 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men". Results archive. FIBA. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
8. "Ireland: 1988 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men". 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. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
14. "Ireland win European Championship for Small Countries after victory over Malta". The 42. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
15. "Keenan trims squad to 12 for historic FIBA World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifiers game with Kosovo". ireland.basketball. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
16. "Keenan names extended 14-man squad ahead of FIBA World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifiers game with Switzerland". ireland.basketball. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
17. "Ireland during the 2027 FIBA World Cup European Pre-Qualifiers in February 2024". Retrieved 21 February 2024.
18. "Pete Strickland takes over as head man of the Irish men's national team". Retrieved 18 November 2016.
19. "Basketball Ireland names Mark Keenan coach of the men's national team". 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 2016 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". Retrieved 3 July 2016.
22. "Ireland at the 2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". Retrieved 1 July 2018.
23. "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