FIBA Small Countries 10
What a return to international qualification would look like for Ireland
With the men taking gold in Dublin and silver for the women in Cyprus at the 2021 FIBA European Championships for Small Countries, Emmet Ryan explains what a return to the main international qualification pool would look like for Ireland Two things to bear in mind before we get to the nitty gritty. No formal […]
The long wait is over
Ireland ended a near three decade wait to complete a perfect 4-0 week and lift the trophy at the 2021 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries. Emmet Ryan was at the arena in Dublin to drink it all in That night in 1994, I was 13 years old and didn’t even know the game was […]
Carroll efficient as Ireland crush Gibraltar
John Carroll waited long enough to get his chance to play competitive hoops for Ireland. Now that he’s got it, he’s determined to stay unbeaten in competitive action while wearing a green jersey for as long as possible. Emmet Ryan watched him as Ireland moved to 3-0 at the FIBA European Championships for Small Countries […]
Interview: The Falzon bros bring the fire to Dublin
Two brothers from just outside of Boston have been the standouts for Malta so far at the FIBA European Championships for Small Countries. Tevin and Aaron Falzon are proud to be representing the nation of the family and want to claim a second straight crown in Dublin European countries tend to be quite proud of […]
And you will know them by the trail of dead
Nobody was expecting a close run thing between Ireland and San Marino but the sheer barbarity the hosts put on display in the opening quarter set the tone for an utter rout. Emmet Ryan witnessed the carnage up close The first few days of action had shown that San Marino appeared to be the weakest […]
Small countries but a big deal
Ireland opened their account on night one of the FIBA European Championships for Small Countries by winning a lively encounter over Andorra. Emmet Ryan would have settled for a damp squib of a game, he was just happy to be back courtside in person. The second half of Malta’s win over San Marino was well […]
The long wait for something real
Ireland’s senior sides return to competitive action for the first time in three years this summer. With the women’s European championships for small countries tipping off in Nicosia on 20 July and the men’s a few weeks later in Dublin, Emmet Ryan spoke with Dayna Finn and Ciaran Roe of the Irish senior teams about […]
Interview: FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis
He is one of the most powerful people in the whole of basketball and he spoke to us. FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis sat down with Emmet Ryan to talk about the Olympics, relationships with the NBA & Euroleague, what’s next for Asia and Africa, and his advice for federations With the FIBA Intercontinental Cup […]
Now come the questions
Irish basketball made it’s comeback last week at the FIBA European Small Countries Championships, now Emmet Ryan says the questions are what the next steps will be There was a lot to take in last week. Huge highs came early for both teams before deflating finishes were followed by a realisation of what this is […]
Did I tell you about that time Ireland played a game or two?
The long wait is over. The opponents, the locations, and the competitive nature of the games really didn’t matter. The important thing was that Ireland is back on the map, writes Emmet Ryan “Do they play basketball in Ireland?” “Is basketball big in Ireland?” “I didn’t know they had basketball in Ireland.” It’s always friendly, […]