BallinEurope’s Emmet Ryan is on the ground in Ferrol this week for the Eurocup Women final between Baxi Ferrol and Villeneuve d’Ascq. Back home in Ireland, the impact of Claire Melia’s performance with the Galician club is already being felt. He spoke to some of the people in the know back in her homeland about what Melia’s rise in Spain means for basketball in Ireland.
It’s barely 24 hours since I got to Ferrol and the interest in this week’s Eurocup Women final first leg is unmistakable. Basketball fever has gripped the city in Galicia ahead of Baxi Ferrol’s battle with Villeneuve d’Ascq. The view is similar back in Ireland as those who worked with Claire Melia on her journey look fondly towards the big occasion.
The very beginning
Louise Foster, was Claire Melia’s first basketball coach at Under 12 with Kestrels in Portarlington. There was no court in Monastarevin, Melia’s home town, when she was growing up so Foster was fortunate to be the first to work with her. Now that she’s flying the flag with Baxi Ferrol, Foster is amazed by Melia’s success.
“I’ve been watching her develop. We knew she had talent but none of us could have dreamed she’d achieve this much. It just wasn’t the type of thing that was talked about back then,” said Foster.
“I knew she could be an international but this is another level entirely. I can’t wait to see her in the final.”
Taking the steps
Martin Conroy has been coaching basketball for 35 years. He thinks he has coached more games against Claire Melia than anybody else. Conory, affectionately known as Kojak, was also her coach for the Ireland U20 and Midlands Select sides
“I was talking to Francis O’Sullivan [a longtime coach] when she was 15. We both saw that she was head and shoulders above everyone else, both physically but also in the way she played,”
Spain wasn’t always the guaranteed destination for Melia. Clubs in England had also been in touch with Melia. Lino Lopez, the head coach of Baxi Ferrol, had built up a good rapport with her however and that proved a key influence in her decision. Conroy was delighted she made the jump.
“She had done all she could possibly do in Ireland. There’s a common trend along the way that the team she was on tended to win trophies. Even with Irish teams, the most successful underage sides of the modern era all featured Claire,” he said.
Putting things in Context
In his 35 years in coaching, Conroy considers her the best Irish player he’s ever seen. “I saw Susan Moran play but, for me, Claire Melia is the best female player we’ve ever had,” he said.
“I don’t think we even realise how big it is that she’s in this final. There will be so many kids thinking now that they could be the next to do it and, trust me, you won’t find a better role model.”
When it comes to that role model aspect, she has set a standard for how Irish athletes manage big occasions. Throughout the business end of the Eurocup Women campaign, Melia has been extremely generous with her time with the media, this site included. It has not come at the detriment of her game, a usual fear among coaches in other sports. At Baxi Ferrol, Melia gets to be herself and she’s honest and relaxed with the media when talking about that.
Claire Melia’s performances with Baxi Ferrol in Eurocup Women are proving that Irish players can perform on the grandest stage.
Confident in the spotlight
Tommy O’Mahony was the head coach when Claire Melia captained the Ireland U18 national team in 2017. That side won a silver medal in the B Division, making it the first Irish side to ever get promoted to an A division in Europe. He’s thrilled to see her performing so well with Baxi Ferrol.
“Claire has always been ambitious and willing to take on a challenge. I’m delighted she made the step up. She’s really making a difference for her team,” he said.
“People don’t realise how big this is for the sport. In Ireland, a lot of players didn’t bother watching European basketball. Now, because of Claire, they’re watching but they are also watching other players and learning from them.”
Not an easy choice
While Claire Melia has been a sensation for Baxi Ferrol, particularly in Eurocup Women, it was never a guarantee that she would try the pro game.
Peter O’Sullivan coached her at Portlaoise Panthers, her first exposure to senior adult ball
Melia did and Portlaoise regularly won trophies in Ireland’s second tier with her on board. O’Sullivan was also there as she made the journey to and from the US.
Melia delayed her move to play NCAA basketball a year due to an ACL injury, but didn’t enjoy her time with St Joseph’s in Philadelphia. Despite putting up stellar stats with the side, she is on record as saying she wasn’t happy with the coaching style
That had O’Sullivan concerned that she might never make the jump to a European club.
“She was always a homebird. It was in the back of my mind that she mightn’t ever make a move. It was great to see her make the jump and, with Claire, she brings success wherever she goes,” he said.
O’Sullivan is naturally glad to see his fears didn’t come to pass and that Melia is setting a standard for Irish basketball in Europe.
“It’s phenomenal what she’s doing. A good few from the club are going over for the [second leg] game in France.”
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The need for a challenge
Considering how successful Claire Melia’s career in Ireland was, it’s surprisingly easy to pick out her most decorated season. Mark Scannell coached her at Glanmire in the 2021/22 season, where the team won the treble in Ireland.
“She was always easy to coach. She had no airs or graces about her. Her focus on doing what the team needed, whether that meant scoring 30 points or 7,” he said.
Scannell, like so many of her former coaches, was eager for Melia to test the waters at a higher standard of basketball.
“I told her she needed to go. I thought she might go back to the US. My daughter Jessica was playing in Australia so maybe she’d consider going there as well. She was always destined to make the big move. She’s in a good set-up and I see bigger and better things for her. I texted her the other night telling her to enjoy everything that comes her way the next couple of weeks,” he said.
“Claire never sweats about pressure. I remember one game against Brunell where she had 36 points, and we needed all 36 of them that night. She had a shot from the corner to win and I never had a notion that she’d miss.”
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Exceeding expectations
Mark Grennell coached Claire Melia’s last full season in Ireland at Killester. In the process, the club ended a 40 year wait to win the women’s Super League title and they added the Champions Trophy to boot.
He was one of the first to find out she’d be joining Baxi Ferrol. Even he didn’t realise just how well her maiden campaign on the continent would go.
“She rang me at the start of the summer to tell me she had a great opportunity. Now, I’m not sure Claire reckoned she’d be in a Eurocup Women final,” he said.
“You’d be silly to say anything to her other than to go get it. It’s magnificent for Irish basketball. Obviously it’s tough for her being away but Claire has found an incredible group that just gets her.”
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