Two newcomers will grace Irish basketball's showpiece tomorrow night when Templeogue meet GCD Swords Thunder in the Hula Hoops Men's National Cup final. The men's and women's deciders fall on separate days this year, with the men taking top billing on Saturday.
Templeogue will go into the game as slight favourites. They have the best record in the league along with four senior Ireland international and former Grenadian international Michael Bonaparte on their roster. Their coach has also been there and done that before – Mark Keenan was a National Cup winner with Killester in 2010 and again with UL Eagles in 2012.
“The league games against them are out of the way and it’s going to be very hard to call,” said Keenan. “Having lost to them in the league two weeks ago, does that mean we’ll have an extra little bit of motivation? I certainly hope so.”
GCD Swords Thunder are looking healthier for their maiden final. "Everyone seems fit and ready to go," says coach Dave Baker. "It was a huge thing for us even to get here. We had a rocky start in the league so the cup was another focus for us and so far it's worked out great."
As Dublin Thunder, Baker’s club won the Senior Men’s Cup for lower league teams in 2012. Just one player remains from that squad and only four players were around to gain revenge on C&S UCC Demons this year after last year’s semi-final humbling.
Different spectacle
The 2016 Hula Hoops Women’s National Cup final is a reprise of last year’s decider but both clubs are promising a very different spectacle this weekend.
Team Montenotte Hotel are the defending champions and on the brink of greatness. A win on Sunday would make them the most successful women’s cup team in Irish basketball history.
"Because we've been so good over the last couple of years, people expect us to turn up and beat teams and it doesn't happen like that," says coach Mark Scannell.
“Teams cop on and prepare better. The players get tired and injured like everyone else. We just have to hope that we’re tuned in and that we go out and perform.”
Killester lost last year’s final by 26 points despite trailing by just a point at half-time. They were also bottom of the league. In 2016, they are looking good in second place in the table, having already beaten Glanmire at the National Basketball Arena back in October.
Coach Karl Kilbride is happy to play down their chances: "We're probably the underdogs going into this but with the experience our younger players have gotten throughout the season , we're certainly ready for this."
Four of his squad will also contest the under-20 Women’s National Cup final on Saturday.
The recruitment of Rae Contreras has also proved a major catalyst. The American leads the Women’s Premier League in points and steals and was ranked 22nd Nationallly for three-pointers in the US College system in 2015.
