In what has been a mixed season so far for Dublin University Basketball Club (DUBC), the hope is that a strong semester display will continue the growth shown in recent years. Club Captain, Manuel Carro, and former-captain-turned-secretary, Manus Darby, speaking to The University Times, emphasised their faith in this year’s roster. Carro claims that “the men’s firsts are having the best season that I’ve ever seen them have” in his three years at Trinity.
Despite this, however, the first team’s drive for success has suffered from early setbacks. Back-to-back losses against Letterkenny IT and Dundalk IT were an unwelcome obstacle for a team who want to win a place in the NBCC Men’s Division 1 North. Carro’s claim does carry weight however, with an 83-71 victory against the National College of Ireland helping the team get back on track. With two more home games to come in Division 2 North, there is a belief within the team that they can finish the season strongly.
Openness, inclusivity and an emphasis on freshman recruitment are to the forefront of the club’s policy this year. A college-wide freshers’ tournament proved to be the bedrock of this plan, yielding a team of first years to travel to Carlow IT for the annual freshers tournament. Unfortunately, the Dublin side failed to make much of an impact, but the growth of the player pool available is impressive and a key focus for the club this year.
While performances on the court must always be priority number one for a captain, there is an eagerness to develop the club to the fullest this year and establish basketball as a more recognised and popular sport within the Trinity sporting community. When speaking on growth, Carro emphasised that “the club is getting bigger and there are more people sticking around this year”. A three-on-three tournament, established in conjunction with DUCAC and running over the past eight weeks, has assisted the establishment of a wider basketball community and increasing student involvement. President of the Club and Vice-President of Basketball Ireland, Prof Seamus Donnelly, continues to work tirelessly to involve Trinity in the Irish college basketball community. He aims to rival the historical strongholds of University College Cork (UCC) and University of Limerick (UL) in third-level competitions.
Institutional problems outside of the club hinder this development. Communication difficulties with Dublin University Central Athletic Club (DUCAC) in particular hinder the organisation of matches. Late training hours on weekend evenings can push talented foreign students away. However, an impressive sense of togetherness and positive team atmosphere insures that many with the requisite talent who commit to membership, remain with the team in the long term. Carro stressed the unity that permeates through all teams within the club: “Honestly, I can say that everyone gets along with each other, both within the teams and between members of different sides within the club”.
That said, Carro is seeking to “develop the performance aspect and introduce a higher level and greater consistency within the club”. With a 100 per cent record needed from the firsts’ remaining games to qualify for intervarsities in the new year, the pressure is on to deliver on the team’s promise. Hosted by Trinity this year, the added incentive of competing in front of a home crowd in college basketball’s benchmark competition will test the side’s steel in what should be a decisive period to come in January.
Key players and experienced heads will be vital in this run, none more so than Carro and Robbie Fidgeon-Kavanagh. Not only captain, but court general and playmaker, Carro will be essential in setting the team’s tempo and hopefully adding to his impressive showings in the Division 2 North, the Dublin league and the cup which saw the Trinity side progress past the Coolmine Cavs. Fidgeon-Kavanagh, a consistent scoring threat all season, will hope to continue his good form in the clutch for these crucial games to come.
Carro’s side certainly have the capacity to pick up the necessary results and with intervarsities on the horizon in the new year, Trinity will prove to be a hub of college basketball in Ireland, irrespective of any potential qualification.
