League forced to abandon season

Basketball has been forced to abandon its league schedule following advice from the Irish Sports Council and the Department of Agriculture.

As a result, the 2001 title will not be awarded to any club even though Killester are clear leaders and on course for their first league title since 1976. Because there was still a mathematical chance the championship could go to another team, the Irish Basketball Association could not award it to Killester.

With no clear date available for when the league might resume, the national competitions committee (NCC) felt clubs could not sustain the financial pressures of paying for professional players indefinitely while there was no income from matches.

Most clubs have two American professionals, with several more also containing a non-Irish European professional. Given the costs of paying those professionals, estimated at £800 a week minimum, and the restricted access to college gyms because of the foot-and-mouth crisis, it was decided to abandon the season.

The league had just three weeks remaining when it was originally suspended on March 1st. The women's league title had already been secured by Wildcats, while the men's Division One title goes to Ballina for the third successive year.