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November 2011 Volume 3 Issue 3

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Editorial Welcome back to Hoop Scene. Each month when I complete the latest edition of Hoop Scene I wonder where am I going to get material for the next one. And then, almost within days, it just comes flowing in. It’s quiet extraordinary how much energy and activity goes on within our club from week to week. It’s an editor’s dream to be honest, because I am never short of events to write about. This month is no exception. If truth be told I could have filled 20 plus pages but the magazine would have been too big to mail out to people.

We had unprecedented success at the Basketball Ireland U15 Schoolboys and Schoolgirls tournament in Dublin in October with no fewer than 8 Mathews players turning out in the red of Cork. Congratulations go out to Jack and Liam for being called up to the Irish squad also. By the way, Cork won both the girls and boys tournaments, the first time that was done in years.

November is a huge month for us with our U20’s and Division I Men’s playing in the National Cup. While our 20’s have a home tie against fellow Cork side Ballincollig Kieran Doherty’s Div I men travel to Galway to take on Maree for the second year in a row. While there is no talk of ‘revenge’, Coach Doherty will have his team focused and ready to take on the men from the West.

The Championship draws were made for our Boys and Men’s teams at the end of October. There are some fascinating ties to look forward to over the coming couple of months so make sure you get out there and support our teams as they shoot for glory one more.

Mathews hit the airwaves in October also. Cork FM did a special on our club which was really well received by club members. Thanks to all at Cork FM.

Once again our Halloween Party was a fantastic success with almost 100 of our younger players dressing up and having a ‘scary’ but fun time at the Aula Max Hall in UCC. Our annual events such as the Halloween Party in conjunction with our Christmas Party and Awards days (to name but a few) have become very important events in our club’s calendar and add to the overall enjoyment of being part of one of the biggest basketball clubs in the country. It also keeps us adults grounded that it’s not always about winning trophies and medals but that being part of a real club setup and developing friendships (that will often remain there for life) is just as important to kids.

That is the real strength of Fr Mathews Basketball Club .

Enjoy the issue – enjoy the basketball.

November 2011 Volume 3 Issue 3

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Picture above shows four of our U10 Boys team (L to R – Jeremy Healy, Peter Hyland, John Curtin & David

McCarthy) prior to a game in the Parochial Hall. The talent coming through our excellent Boys & Girls

Academies is a real tribute to the work being done by our coaches and this group of boys has some

exceptional players in their ranks. The future is indeed bright for Mathews.

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Ladies Fixtures – November 2011

Hoop Scene – Volume 3, Issue 3 – November 2011 Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Jack O’Mahony and Cork FM for their contribution to Hoop Scene this month. Thanks also to the following people for providing photo’s for this latest edition: Janine Bevan (Page 7), Andrew Bevan (Page 11) and Sean Harley (Page 13) plus of course the extraordinary ‘world wide web’ (P 9).

Hoop Scene is produced and edited by Pat Connolly (Fr Mathews Basketball Club –

Cork). All photographs (with the exception of those acknowledged above) are taken by and

are the property of Pat Connolly & Owen Connolly (Fr Mathews Basketball Club).

PLEASE NOTE: Fixtures can be subject to change – please confirm dates & times with your coach

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Men’s Fixtures – November 2011

PLEASE NOTE: Fixtures can be subject to change – please confirm dates & times with your coach

Classic quotes from basketball celebrities

"You've got to learn the footwork, the positioning, how to box out, how to pass, how to shoot your free throws.” All these things are necessary, not to be the No.” 1 player in the world, but maybe you can play against him.” -- Oscar Robertson

"That's how we like to play basketball, is be physical down there in the paint and force teams to the perimeter.” -- Bill Laimbeer (ex Detroit Pistons)

"When I was young, I never wanted to leave the court until I got things exactly correct. My dream was to become a pro.” -- Larry Bird

"To all the positions, I just bring the determination to win. Me being an unselfish player, I think that can carry on to my teammates. When you have one of the best players on the court being unselfish, I think that transfers to the other players.” -- LeBron James

"This is a tough game. There are times when you've got to play hurt, when you've got to block out the pain.” -- Shaquille O'Neal

"They shot the ball well early. What comes out of the microwave hot doesn't always stay hot. I know, because I eat bagels in the morning.” -- Shaquille O'Neal

"These are my new shoes. They're good shoes. They won't make you rich like me, they won't make you rebound like me, they definitely won't make you handsome like me. They'll only make you have shoes like me. That's it.” -- Charles Barkley

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Fr Mathews Junior Academy Each weekend we hold our Junior Academy for boys and girls aged between 6 and 9 years of age. The sessions run on Sundays in Colaiste Chroist Ri from 11:00am to 12:00 noon for girls and from 12:00 noon to 1:00pm for boys. If you know of any boy or girl between the ages of 6 and 9 years of age who would like to take up basketball, be part of a great team structure and most importantly have loads of fun every week then why not put them in contact with Fr Mathews at the following numbers: - 087-7905049 or 086-2008807.

AMAZING BASKETBALL FACTS! Did you know...? The man known as “Ray Allen” is, in fact, named “Walter Ray Allen” As a child, Chris Paul was reprimanded with a paddle that had “Board of Corrections” written on one side and “Victim Sign Here” on the other As a child, Shaq fell from a tree while imitating Spider-Man and fractured both of his wrists Playing as teammates on an AAU squad, Ron Artest and Elton Brand once had a fight during the warm-ups Ray Allen once dunked the ball in his own hoop following the tip-off as a high school senior Mike Bibby and Eddie House are brothers-in-law

From the Gallery – ‘Teenage Kicks’...

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From the Gallery – ‘Teenage Kicks’... (continued)

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Hoops Scene’s Team of the Month

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Padraig O’Donovan

This month we feature both our U20 Boys & Ladies Div I teams. Beginning with our U20 Boys, the extraordinary journey of these incredibly dedicated group of players has taken them from U16B League and Top 4 champions in 2008-09 to competing in our very first National Cup tie to be played on a Mathews home court. Coached by Peter Lyall through to 2009-10 Jim Wolfe took over the reigns last season and this year Coach Paul Barrett has led the lads to some outstanding performances, most notably against their National Cup opponents, Ballincollig, in a recent league game on their court. With Mathews leading by 20 points and with just minutes remaining the game was abandoned due to a wet floor but the plaudits from those in attendance,

In a season which has already thrown up several ‘firsts’ for the club probably the most significant event for Mathews has been our Ladies playing in their very first Division I game. On Saturday 8th October Coach Mark Foley led his team onto the court in our inaugural Division I fixture against Donoughamore. The fact that it took place in our home venue was particularly special as a large crowd turned out to support the girls. As with the U20 Boys this group of players are incredibly dedicated and most have come up through the ranks at Mathews.

which included onlookers from other clubs such as Blue Demons, were well received. The outcome of this game is still to be decided by the Co Board but it was clear to everyone in Ballincollig that Sunday morning that this team had arrived. Hoop Scene would like to wish both Paul’s (Barrett and Fleming) and the entire team the very best of luck in their National Cup match in November. We are sure it will be another memorable day for our club.

We can now boast a full suite of teams throughout our club in both our boys and girls sections. We are one of very few clubs in the country that can cater for both male and female players at every age from U6 right through to seniors / adult age. This Ladies team have some very talented players and the whole club is incredibly proud of what they have achieved this season. Hoop Scene would like congratulate Coach Foley, Manager Michelle Cotter and the entire squad on this magnificent achievement.

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What’s Hot... and ...What’s Not

Fantastic to have City back in the Premier Division. Good for our city to have the biggest and best club in the country competing at the top. Congratulations from everyone at Fr Mathews Basketball Club.

Everything that is wrong in sport. How can any true fan applaud their model. Throw millions upon millions at it until you win silverware. What happens when the sheiks get bored and move on...? Tears!

Could there have been any better news on the music front , I think not. The greatest band of all time have reformed. 220,000 ‘reunion’ tickets sold out in 68 minutes says it all. Thank you Stone Roses…!

Lest we confuse people, they’re on the ‘What’s Not’ side of this page because their break up has come about 10 years too late. What is Louis going do now…?

If he had a brain he’d be dangerous. Wayne decided his premature bald patch didn’t look good….and he thinks this does. Dear oh dear...!

C’mon ladies, admit it, you all fancy Jon Bon Jovi. Wayne can only look on in envy. Rooney’s going to have to face a good few more trips to the hair surgeon before his mop looks anything like Jon’s.

Lee Mack has to be one of the funniest comedians on TV at the moment. This is side splitting, quick fire comedy at its best.

Dirty Den, the Queen Vic, et all – is there a more depressing Soap on TV? When you hear the first bars of THAT music hit the ‘OFF’ button…for your own sake!

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Jack O’Mahony’s Season Diary

Picture shows Jack winning the opening jump ball for Cork U15’s in their game against the Midlands

Mob 086-2958705 • info@mcmedia.ie

Wow, a lot can certainly happen in a few months - I think I'll start from the beginning. Mathews pre-season really got going at a tournament in Limerick hosted by Limerick Celtics. It was a tough weekend overall, with teams like Limerick giving us a bit of a scare in our game. But I was very happy with the team's performance, and our plays were running smoothly, the main reason for our success. In the final we got a taste of what our games with Neptune are going be like this season as we won a scrappy game by 6 points, if I remember correctly. A series of good performances followed as we picked up wins against Limerick Lakers, Demons and St Brendan’s (Tralee), two of which were on the road. The schedule hasn't been too busy so far, which is good in a way, because it gives me a chance to rest yet another sprained ankle - a consequence of early morning school training without ankle braces. However, as I'm returning to fitness, basketball outside Fr Mathews has sprung into action. Just last weekend I, along with 5 other Mathews players, took part in the BIPPS Inter-Regional Championships. It was a tough tournament and I spent the earlier part testing out my ankle. After playing a quarter against the Midlands with no reaction, my minutes grew in the following games. After a thoroughly successful opening day, which included wins against the Midlands, the East (Dublin) and the North, the night was spent "resting" my ankle (out for a 15 min run around the block).

Day two proved a much tougher challenge however, as we faced a well organised South West team in the semi finals in the National Basketball Arena. After two quarters however, the game swung in favour of us and myself and I sat out the last quarter to avoid any further injuries. The final began at 3:30, allowing time to relax somewhat before tip-off. After beating the East by 10 points the previous day with a bit to spare, we thought we were in for a relatively easy title. This was not the case, however. After a first half controlled by us, the 20-point lead collapsed to 6 in the 3rd quarter and stayed that way until the dying seconds. Our free throw shooting was huge for us, putting us up by 5 with 5 seconds left. Yet somehow, complacent defence by us let in a three pointer and an easy lay up to send the game into overtime. I couldn't believe what had happened, but had to focus on the job ahead. The 3 minutes of overtime passed slowly, as Liam Harris scored his famous hook shot and sunk two free throws, the winning basket for us came from a clutch three to clinch the game. Exciting stuff.

It was much closer than it should have been but we came out victorious nonetheless! Another bonus from the tournament was the picking of the Irish U15 squad, which I was lucky enough to get on with Liam. Just a quick ‘thanks’ to everyone and their support recently, it means a lot and hopefully we can go on to do the club proud! Thanks for reading, it’s fair to say 3rd year is hectic already. Enjoy the mid-term!

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Fr Mathews Club News

Mathews hit the airwaves with Cork FM Community Radio On Sunday, October 30th, Fr Mathews were guests on Cork FM. Appearing on the station’s Sunday Sports Show they ran a special piece on our club. Hosted by Stephen Shine, they gave a full overview of our club’s remarkable rise from just a small, one team club to one of the biggest basketball clubs in the country with 26 teams and over 360 registered players on our books.

The show marked a fantastic start to the season for our club and on the show Cork FM awarded us with their ‘Team of the Week’ accolade.

The show also included a 20 minute interview with one of our senior coaches in the club (you’ll have to tune in to the podcast to find out who it was if you missed the initial broadcast).

The Sunday Sports Show goes out from 12:00 noon to 2:00pm and can be found on 100.5 FM. It is a new Community Radio station with special emphasis on local interests in Cork city.

Picture below is Stephen Shine, host of Cork FM’s Sunday Sports Show. Stephen ran a special piece on

Fr Mathews recently.

Boys / Men’s Championship draws announced. This season’s Boys/Men’s Championship draws were made at the end of October. There are some intriguing match ups for Mathews and we can all look forward to some great games over the coming months. Here is the full list of fixtures for Mathews teams.

NOTE: All Championship games to be played in the Parochial Hall – dates & times to be confirmed at a later date.

U12A: Semi-Final (Mathews get bye in 1st round) – Neptune/Carrig na bhFear v Fr Mathews

U14B: 1st Rd – Bantry v Fr Mathews

U14A: Semi-Final (Mathews get bye in 1st round) – Fr Mathews v Carrig na bhFear/Limerick Lions

U16B: 2nd Rd (Mathews get bye in 1st round) – Fr Mathews v Mallow YC

U16A: 1st Rd – Fr Mathews v Limerick Lions

U18B: 1st Rd – Fr Mathews v Bantry

U18A: 1st Rd – Fr Mathews v Limerick Lakers

U20: 1st Rd – Neptune v Fr Mathews

Div II: 1st Rd – Mallow YC v Fr Mathews A

Div II: 1st Rd – Fr Mathews B v Dromtarriffe

Div I: 1st Rd – Neptune v Fr Mathews

We would like to wish all our teams the very best of luck in their championships and we look forward to cheering them on to glory.

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Picture above are our U11 and U12 Boys teams from last season. Both were victorious in their

Championship campaigns. Here’s hoping we see some more success in the Blue Riband competition

again this season.

Fr Mathews Club News

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Please Support our Sponsors Fr Mathews are very grateful for the backing each of

our sponsors provide our club. Their continued commitment to our club ensures Fr Mathews

continues to develop and grow as a basketball club. Please support our sponsors

Season Review DVD now on YouTube The opening video from our Awards Day is up on YouTube for everyone to see. To view type in Fr

Mathews Basketball Club, Cork 2010-2011 Season Review. Fr Mathews - PO Box

The club now has its own PO Box . All correspondence, invoices etc. Should be sent to the address below: Fr Mathews Basketball Club, PO Box 824, An Post South City Delivery Office, Togher Industrial Estate, Cork.

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Fr Mathews Club News

Fr Mathews website Why not post your comments on our match reports and news updates. Simply click on the report or news update of your choice on our website and leave a

comment – it couldn’t be any easier

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Mathews Halloween party proves a huge success Once again our Annual Kids Halloween party was a resounding success. Held on Sunday 30th October in UCC in the Aula Max Hall all the kids were treated to a video disco along with a ‘konga’ through the scary hall ways of the building – despite the surroundings our Mathews kids braved the ‘walk of fear’ through the Hall. There was a great turn out with over 90 kids in attendance. The costumes were superb as can be seen from the above photo (courtesy of Sean Harley). There are many more in our gallery on this website. Thanks to Pat Cotter for putting such a great event – a resounding success once again.

Jack O’Mahony & Liam Harris called up to the Irish U16 squad Congratulations go out to two of our young players, Jack O’Mahony & Liam Harris, who were picked for the Irish U16 squad at the Basketball Ireland Inter Regional Tournament in October. Both players played pivotal roles in Cork’s victory at the tournament and their outstanding performances caught the eye of the National Coaches. Jack (pictured left) and Liam (pictured far left) will become our 4th juvenile players to receive International honours. Everyone at Fr Mathews is hugely proud of their achievement and wish them the very best over the next 2 years with the National Team.

Pictured above are some of our young Mathews players enjoying themselves at our Annual

Halloween Party at the Aula Max Hall in UCC on Sunday 30th October. Once again it was scary...but

very enjoyable.

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Hoop Scene’s Pictures of the Month

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Q 1: How many men does it take to change a net? Q2: Is Mark trying to figure out which side of the ladder is the ‘Up Side’? Q3: Why is Paul hooked up to the mains power supply…by his head?

You just can’t get good help anymore…!

Mathews Girls show their support for their team mates during the 2009 Championship Finals. How many of these girls do you recognise?

It looks like our U14A Girls have been watching too much of the recent Rugby World Cup.

Instead of running an ‘inbound play’ they seem to be setting up a ‘line out’.

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Hoop Scene’s – Star on the rise This month we feature Derek Emelifeonwu – Boys U12A (U11 MVP 2010-11)

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Hoop Scene’s – Star on the rise This month we feature Kelly Lynch – Girls U16 and Cork U15 Schoolgirls