Following the selection of Hannah Cassin for the Ireland under 16 national team and Aoibheann Donnelly for the U18’s Basketball Northern Ireland would like to congratulate a further 4 of our young stars to national team panels.
Ollie Donnelly-Belfast Star Basketball Ireland Under 14 boys Academy 12
Ollie, who is a member of the Team NI under 15 summer squad joins his sister in achieving national recognition with his selection for the Basketball Ireland under 14 boys academy team that take on Wales, Scotland and England over the weekend of 13th-15th June. Ollie has been a standout guard for his club side , Belfast Star and was prominent in their play-off success this year sinking an amazing 5 free throws at the end of the game to seal victory.
Niamh Ferguson-Belfast Star Basketball Ireland Under 14 girls Academy 12
Niamh, sister of Darragh, who recently starred with the Team NI senior men 3×3 team at the BNI invitational is selected for the Basketball Ireland under 14 girls academy team taking part in the same event as Ollie. Niamh is also a member of the Team NI under 15 girls team and was a standout player across the under 14 BNI league last season
Games can be watched live using the following link https://www.basketball.scot/en/content/pages/39896
Layden O’Neill- Belfast Star Ireland Under 16 men
Layden, who was top scorers over the 4 games Team NI under 15 played v Wales last season continues his development trajectory with selection for Emer Howards Ireland under 16 men’s team. They will be taking part in a number of warm up games and the European championships in Skopje, Macedonia from 7th to 16th August. Layden’s all court game is sure to be an important weapon in coach Howards technical arsenal.
Mark Burns-Belfast Star Ireland Under 18 men
Mark’s selection for Niall Berry’s Ireland under 18 men’s team is his second year as an international player. Last season he represented Ireland under 16 men and played in the European championships in Skopje, Macedonia finishing 4th in team scoring with 7.8 points a game with an excellent 32 % from the 3-point arc. Mark’s experience and composure will be a valuable asset to the team and despite his status as a year young will be pushing for significant minutes.
Andy Gill, BNI Performance Pathway Coordinator commented, “We have 6 young players from Northern Ireland in national teams and that is great testament to their hard work, the efforts of their school and club coaches and support of their parents and significant others. We commend their success and I am sure the whole Basketball Northern Ireland basketball fraternity will be right behind them as they strive for international success.”