Colin O’Reilly, C&S UCC Demons Coach
Well the perfect season is finally over and we can now sit back and relax after a job well done. To be the first team ever to win a treble by going undefeated for the whole season is a great achievement from a great bunch of players. We set out at the beginning of July with one goal and that was to be better than last season. This in itself was a huge task as we had won 93% of our games last year and played some very good basketball. This year though we took it to a new level and have set a standard never seen in the country. The speed, ball movement, unselfishness and team work of the team were exceptional throughout the season as each player sacrificed their own game to help the team achieve the success it did.
For me personally it’s been a fantastic two years and it’s been an honour coaching such a dedicated group of winners. The lads have never shirked a challenge and the tougher the game was the closer they came together to help us perform. It’s right that each one of them will be remembered for years to come after creating history on Sunday and I can’t thank them enough for their commitment.
Praise also has to go to Troy O’Mahony. He is the man behind the scenes who kept everything running smoothly during the games for us. He has an excellent feel for the game and was pivotal in adjustments we made. He brought energy, enthusiasm and knowledge to the job which goes unnoticed from the outside however we all know was integral to our success.
Dave Brickley served as stats man this year and did a tremendous job as this helped us evaluate the players in an accurate manner.
Pat Keane served as team manager again and at this stage must surely be the most decorated man in Irish Basketball. Pat as always did more than required and at all times brought an infectious positive vibe to the camp. We never wanted for anything with Pat and we are forever indebted to him for his contribution.
Finally to the fans thank you for following us around the country and hopefully it was an enjoyable experience. It was a pleasure representing you on the national stage and may the success continue for both parties.