Kissane's hoop dreams lead Killester to cup win

BASKETBALL: When a team produces a performance such as Killester's in the National Basketball Cup final against the University of Limerick last month - ending the cup holders' unbeaten run that stretched back to December 2002 - it can make even the most remorseless of judges feel uneasy about picking out a single player, rather than the whole team, for an award to honour the display.

Much to our relief, though, Killester coach Maeve Coleman, widely applauded for her flawless tactics on the day, had no objection to the singling out of one of her players, even if she, too, saw the success as a team effort.

"The truth is," said Coleman, "we wouldn't even have been there without Carmel Kissane."

Kissane, then, takes our Irish Times/Mitsubishi Electric Sportswoman award for January.

Having beaten St Paul's 78-56 in the semi-final, Killester renewed acquaintances with their great rivals UL in the final, intent on regaining the cup they had won in 2002. They opened brightly, taking a 13-4 lead, but UL, going for their third league and cup double in a row, were 28-24 up by half-time, a lead that was narrowed to a point going in to the final quarter.

And that, said Coleman, was when her players dug deep, most notably Kissane. Her work-rate all over the court was, recalls Coleman with awe, "quite unbelievable".

A thrilling spectacle ended with Ashley Luke sealing victory for the Dublin club with a free-throw with just 11 seconds on the clock. Final score: Killester 57, UL 53.

It was the second cup win for Kissane, a native of Listowel, in her four years with Killester, but, perhaps, an even sweeter success than her first in 2002. Last year she broke her ankle while playing for the Republic of Ireland soccer team against Northern Ireland and only returned for Killester at Christmas.

"It was hard sitting on the side, watching the girls play at the start of the season. But I made this my target to come back," said Kissane, "so when I got there I just had a huge appetite for the game.

"Off the court, it had been a tough season for the club, we lost Anne Crowe, our chairperson, and one of the girls on the team lost her father, so really it was a fairytale end to what had been a sad year for us."

Kissane, then, added another honour to her growing list of sporting achievements. Aside from her senior international soccer involvement (she has also won FAI Cup medals with UCD), she has represented Kerry at junior level in Gaelic football.

A graduate of Recreation and Leisure Management from the Waterford Institute of Technology, she has lectured at both IT Tralee and WIT and is currently working as a manager at the Department of Sport in University College, Dublin, where one of her responsibilities is the development of women's sport.

"When it comes to Carmel Kissane," says Coleman, "I just don't know where to start. She is the complete sportswoman, wonderfully committed and gifted. I can't say enough about her, and I really mean that. She deserves every honour and award she gets."