IN THE 32-YEAR history of the National Basketball Cup, no team has been as dominant as Team Montenotte Hotel and the Cork outfit can etch their name in the history books later this evening.
Mark Scannell’s side are standing on the cusp of greatness as they look to win three successive national crowns for the second time and edge ahead of UL Huskies as the most decorated club in the country.
Team Montenotte Hotel, the name of the Women’s Premier League side representing Glanmire BC, can consolidate their position as the kingpins of women’s basketball when they face Pyrobel Killester in the showpiece game of the year at 5.15pm.
The game, which is live on TG4, is a replay of last year’s decider but Killester are a different proposition this time around and the defending champions certainly aren’t taking anything for granted.
“We’ve tried to keep the build-up as normal as possible,” Team Montenotte Hotel coach Mark Scannell told The42. “It’s a cliche but we’ve stayed in our own bubble and not let any other distractions interfere with our prep.”
“Basketball is big in Cork and we’ve won three in-a-row before but it’s big for us to keep achieving success for sponsorship and exposure. We want to be top of the tree.”
Although their success has been unparalleled, Team Montenotte Hotel remain focused on the task in hand and their coach insists complacency has never been an issue.
They coasted to the title twelve months ago but will be without former professional Niamh Dwyer this time around as she’s sidelined through injury.
“We’ve had a couple of injuries this year and you’ve got to accept they happen,” Scannell continued. “But that means the door opens for someone else. Niamh has been brilliant, she’s attended every session and will be involved in some capacity on Sunday.”
For Killester, Sunday offers a chance for redemption. They were competitive for the opening quarter last year at the National Basketball Arena but ran out of steam and were on the receiving end of a heavy defeat.
But they’ve returned stronger under coach Karl Kilbride and will be confident of upsetting the odds and derailing their rivals’ bid for history.
“We respect Killester a lot,” Scannell continues. “I always say you have to lose a final to win one and we’re certainly not underestimating them. We’ve done a lot of scouting and the girls know what sort of challenge awaits.
“If we’re beaten it will be by a better team on the day and certainly won’t be because of complacency from us.
“Every cup final brings a hero and whether that’s someone from our team or their’s, it will be somebody. It’s about our players going out and performing on this stage.
“We want to enjoy it but not let the occasion pass us by because of what’s at stake. We’ve been here before and now we need to go out and do it again.”
