The Celtics have leaned on home court advantage to give themselves a perfect start
Eight games into their Division One National League campaign and the Limerick Celtics men’s team are undefeated.
Head coach, Tony Hehir, has led his charges on a sensational opening run to the season.
With an average winning margin of twenty-six points, the Celtics have been dominant.
A notable 111-75 point victory over local rivals Limerick Sport Eagles in October catches the eye. Carrick Cruisers pushed them the closest in early November, the Celtics prevailing by just nine, 98-89. They followed that up with a 94-52 blow out win against Galway Titans before destroying Tolka Rovers in their latest game by twenty-eight, 103-75.
Coach Hehir spoke to the Limerick Voice recently and had this to say about the Tolka result, “We started poorly but when our defence picked up and we started to move the ball, we were able to pull away”.
Six of these opening eight games have been at home in Crescent College where the support is tremendous. At the Tolka game on Sunday evening, the sideline was packed with supporters. The majority being young club members and their parents. The relentless booming of a drum from some of the girls and encouraging chants of “defence, defence” on every opposition possession play big parts in adding to a lively and exciting atmosphere in the Crescent.
Hehir spoke about the community and the support, “It’s great for the kids to have role models within the club. I think they enjoy the buzz and they enjoy the brand of basketball. It’s challenging as underage games sometimes clash with weekend National League games but it’s great when our youth teams get to see our games”.
The home crowd appeared to have something to worry about early in the Tolka game as the visitors opened with game with a fifteen to five run. Emilian Grudov, Rory Howe and point guard, Michael Wallace started hot for the Dublin side, all contributing to the opening push. The Celtics began to find their rhythm later in the quarter, with Finn Hughes setting the tone. Hughes had nine in the first, supported by Celtic’s sizeable inside pairing of Chima Obikwelu and Adbul Wurie, who had seven and six respectively. 22-24 to Tolka after one.
Coach Hehir is happy with the recruitment of Obikwelu and Wurie. “We looked at their athleticism when recruiting and we are delighted with two great guys with great attitudes that always want to get better”.
In the second quarter, the defensive presence and offensive rebounding of Hughes, Obikwelu and Wurie became massive obstacles for the visitors. A quick five points for Hughes early got the Celtics going. Wurie took over in the middle part of the quarter. He made an emphatic block on Tolka’s key player, Grudov, to go with eight straight points including a high-flying baseline dunk. Celtics were comfortable now as Tolka relied on foul calls and difficult finishes for their scores. The home sides’ young players began to get in on the action. UL players Philip Kearney, Eoghan Donaghy and Martin Frawley all added to the scoring before the break. 49-38 Celtics at half time.
Martin Frawley provided a player’s perspective after the game. “Every game we’re getting stronger. Abdul is teaching me stuff. He was showing how to finish off two feet during the game yesterday. Even though the lads are only a few years older than me I still look up to Abdul, Chima and AJ. Whenever I need help, basketball or otherwise, I trust them to help me out.”
Coach Hehir spoke highly of his younger players. “I can’t say enough about Eoghan Donaghy and Jordan (Hehir), they’re the leaders within the group of lads that have been together in UL. They get behind the younger lads, encourage them and that bond really helps when they’re producing on the court.”
The third quarter against Tolka saw more Celtics dominance. The rhythm of the game became disrupted as fouls and free throws started to mount up for both sides. In between these stoppages, it was the Limerick men that pushed on. Frawley showed off his talents with nine points in the quarter. Hughes came back in for the fourth to see the Celtics home. He led all scorers in the game with twenty-seven points.
Martin Frawley had this to say about his teammate, Hughes, “He’s really exploded this year, I think he’s nearly leading the league in rebounds and he’s putting up great numbers, he had like twenty-six yesterday”.
Coach Hehir echoed Frawley’s thoughts. “(Finn) is a phenomenal rebounder and has a great basketball IQ. His combination with AJ and Eoghan has been great for us”.
AJ Williams, from the US, had one of his lower scoring games against Tolka but his coach explained that it’s a sign of his selflessness. “When you sign these guys, you wonder how they’ll fit in. His work rate and attitude has been great. He’s averaged over thirty points for us but he’s a team guy. He’s unselfish and it will be in the more difficult games, when we need him to score, that he will shine”, Hehir said.
Last weekend’s game finished 103-75 with the Celtics looking forward to their next league game at home against Scott’s Lakers, Killarney this weekend.
Hehir is confident his team won’t fall victim to complacency. “We’ve always had a ‘one game at a time’ mindset. There’s loads we need to improve on, but we are delighted to be where we are. We’ll keep looking at what’s coming next and make sure we’re ready. It will become tough.”
The Celtics have assembled a talented, energetic and charismatic young group that carry a refreshing togetherness. They will hope to maintain their form and keep the unbeaten streak alive for as long as they can. This weekend’s game against Scott’s Lakers tips off at 7pm on Saturday evening in Crescent College. .