Lions and Éanna clash to open new Super League season
BOTH Abbey Seals Dublin Lions and DBS Éanna will go head to head in what will be the curtain raiser to the new Men’s Super League Basketball season this Saturday evening in Colaiste Bride.
The two sides are very familiar with each other having both won promotion to the top ranks from the National League last season.
Muhamed Sabic is likely to play an important role for Dublin Lions again this season.
Interestingly it was the same two sides who clashed on the opening day of the National League last season with Eanna emerging top on that occasion in Clondalkin.
Lions Head Coach Rob White will be hoping to avoid another such start to their very first season in the Super League and has brought in a handful of new players to help them consolidate their position there.
Ramonn Nelson, a 26-year-old point guard from England has been brought in along with 21-year-old German centre Devon Jacob.
While they have lost power forward Igor Markiewicz to UCD, Lions have retained American Conroy Baltimore, who played a pivotal role in propelling them to promotion last season.
What’s more White will also have 7’centre James Gormley available for selection having brought the 19-year-old in from Portlaoise this summer.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s clash against Eanna, White told The Echo “I’m happy with the fixture because we need to acclimatise to the Super League and we’d rather acclimatise against a team that we’re familiar with.
“The team has been working hard since July and we’re ready to go.”
Éanna Head Coach Darren McGovern is, likewise, pleased with the set-up of his team, especially having managed to hold on top-drawer talent in the likes of Josh Wilson and Stefan Zecevic for their return to the Super League fold.
Indeed this is not Eanna’s first time competing among the elite of Irish club basketball, bouncing back from the National League just a year after having been relegated.
“We’ve been up and down [the leagues] like a yoyo so we just want to stay in the Super League and win as many games as we can” said McGovern. “If we do that, it’ll be a great achievement for us.
“Training has been going well. The rigours of Super League are going to be a lot higher so we’ve been working hard and putting things in place to help us cope with that” he added.
McGovern, who has lost co-captain Conor Gallagher, has also brought a couple of new faces into his squad for the season in 6’2” centre Mark Reynolds and 6’ point guard Paris Ballinger.
The latter has taken up a DBS scholarship and makes the move here from South Carolina Aiken while 35-year-old Reynolds brings a lot of experience to the table having previously played professionally in both England and Germany.
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