UCD Connections 2018/2019

BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS

The long 40-year wait was over for UCD

Marian Basketball Club this year as they

were crowned Basketball Ireland Men’s

Super League champions at the National

Basketball Arena in Tallaght with a

thrilling 72-71 point win over Pyrobel

Killester. Back in 1978, when UCD

alumnus Paul Meany lifted the winner’s

trophy, he never dreamed that by the time

the club would see league honours again,

his youngest son Conor would be 31 and

one of the main stars of the show. It has

certainly been a long wait for Marian, but

they won out in style in the all-Dublin

showdown against Killester. A huge three-

pointer from Killester’s Ciaran Roe with

12.1 seconds to go saw the game tied

on 71 points each, and it looked like the

contest was headed for overtime. With

basketball though, there is always time for

yet more twists and turns and they came

with less than five seconds to go as UCD’s

Mike Garrow drew the foul and, from the

free throw line, scored the first and missed

the second. With the clock against them,

Killester came up the court looking for

the winner but time ran out and Marian’s

current players, coaches and 1978 team

members were all there together to revel

in the glorious moment.

From the UCD Connections magazine.