MARIAN basketball club have brought in a new American, Eric Dean Powers, to replace Jason Siemon whose impressive few weeks in Ireland earned him a lucrative contract to play with British Super League side Thames Valley.
Siemon actually made his debut for the London club on Wednesday night. The national competitions committee of the IBA regarded his prompt departure as a disciplinary matter which has allowed Marian bring in 6'8" Powers from Iowa after the transfer deadline.
Another Budweiser Super League club, Sligo, have still not finalised who they will register as a replacement for Sean Bell who was cut by the club on disciplinary grounds this week. Bell was involved in a row with coach Joe Coughlan during last week's narrow home defeat by Marian.
Sligo's near neighbours, Ballina, are also in a state of upheaval following Jason Rubrite's failure to return from the USA after Christmas. Last weekend, the depleted Mayo team suffered a major blow to their promotion prospects from division one when they were beaten by lowly Tridents.
Ballina have been given clearance to replace Rub rite under a special circumstance rule and, with nearby resident Bell now a free agent, they may well register the former Sligo American, although the paper work still has not reached IBA headquarters in Dublin.
Ballina were said to be pursuing Terry Smith to fill the vacancy left by Rub rite but, if they sign up Bell, that would leave Sligo in a position to sign Smith who played last season for Killarney.
With just a week to go to the Sprite Cup play offs there is real pressure on joint league leaders Neptune to avoid a second defeat in a row when they visit Killester tomorrow night.
In the corresponding fixture last year, Neptune won by a single score, while during the 1994-95 season the game between the sides effectively decided the title race.
Killester's unpredictable form of late has been partly due to injury problems which have troubled them again this week. One of their best Irish players, Tony McDonagh, will miss the game with a knee injury.
Neptune also have their difficulties, although they are mainly of the psychological variety alter they lost their 12 match unbeaten league and cup run last week at home to Tralee.
Delta Notre Dame, Neptune's opponents in the cup semi final next Friday were severely disrupted this week in their preparations by the decision of their Irish squad member, Neville Charles, to leave the club in a row over the amount of court time that he had been given since the arrival of Lennie McMillan.
Charles, who was a prominent member of the Irish team which played recently in a tournament at Luxembourg, cannot now play competitive basketball as the transfer deadline passed six weeks ago. His future with the Irish squad as they prepare for the European championship qualifiers next May in Dublin is consequently in considerable doubt.
In disciplinary action taken by the IBA this week Killester's Randall Mounts avoided a one match ban for a recent incident of verbal abuse of a referee. The National Competitions Committee handed out 16 disciplinary points, just four short of a ban. However, Marathon's coach Tom Hehir will have to sit out one game away from the bench after receiving a ban - also for verbal abuse of a referee.
