Hall accommodated all teams school, club and Community Games indeed it is still the spiritual home of Maree

ee BC. In 2003, basketball in the parish was on the cusp of a golden era. That year, Calasanctius won the All-Ireland U16A Girls and U16B Boys School Cups. So many more school titles were to follow, both boys and girls - the girls total has been staggering and record-setting. Also in 2003, Oranmore-Maree contested all four Community Games finals in Mosney, winning three The Maree 91s nine dream seasons the U13 Boys and Girls and the U16 Boys. A furSen Conroy ther record haul of CG titles was to come over the ensuing years. On the club scene, Maree Basketball Club had since the early nineties undertaken a major revival at underage level, and in 2003 the club won 5 of the then 6 Galway titles available - U11 Boys and Girls, U13 Boys and Girls, and U15 Girls. Maree had also begun to up the standards, playing against teams from outside Galway, in friendlies and tournaments. The club began to run its own West of Ireland Invitational tournaments, boys and girls, with the best teams from around the country competing. The club was also sending young teams to compete in big national tournaments. Five National Cup titles were to come later. But back in 2003 at the building stage - Maree The Maree 91s swept all before them for hosted and won the West of Ireland U15 Boys Invi9 seasons tational tournament. Maree also travelled to and won the Cork Open U14 Boys tournament and reIt was suggested that the feats of the Under 20 tained the Cork Open Under 12 Boys title. It was Maree team which won the U20 Mens National the Maree 91s who got past Neptune, Tralee, ClonCup in January, be set out in an article for More dalkin and Blue Demons beating Demons 49 41 News. This is their story. There have been many in the final - to bring the U12 cup back again from wonderful teams in this famous basketball parish and many club, school and Community Games na- Cork, and it was the beginning of their remarkable run. Only the beginning, though. tional titles brought back to the community by them. This is an account of one of those teams, the Over the nine seasons from 2002/3 to 2010/11, the Maree 91 boys, made up of those born in 1991 or Maree 91 team has included many players. Only later. In summary, they went unbeaten, winning three of those born in 1991 - and now at the end of more than 90 games on the trot, all the way from their underage careers - were there for the whole U12 to U20 nine seasons an extraordinary journey; Liam Conroy, Con Crowley and George achievement that suggests they may just have been Rahmani. A fourth, Conor Foley, missed his last the greatest underage club team to date in Ireland. two seasons, through injury and then through study Along the way, they thrilled us so many times, on abroad. Colm OHagan and Brian Kelly, born in so many courts all over the country, including the 1992, were also there for all nine underage seasons, National Basketball Arena Tallaght, the Parochial and have one more to go. The team that went to Hall Gurranabraher Cork, and Calasanctius Gym Gurranabraher in February 2003 and won the Cork Oranmore. Often awesome, never dull! But it all Open U12 Cup was Liam Conroy, Con Crowley, began, as did so much that is great in basketball in George Rahmani, Conor Foley, Colm OHagan, Ian Oranmore-Maree, in Maree Hall. Lynskey, Ross Lynskey, Brian Kelly, Daniel Beuster, Fiachra Burke and Phillip Staunton. The Back in 2003, when the story of the Maree 91s team that won the U20 National Cup in January nine-season run began, Maree Hall was the nerve centre, the heartland of basketball. The new Cala- 2011 was Liam Conroy, Con Crowley, George sanctius College had not yet been built, and Maree Rahmani, Colm OHagan, Brian Kelly, Ken Hansberry, Ciarn Harte, Tomas Mitkus, Cormac

Shields, Eavan Finn, Enda Walsh and Pdraig Burke. Over the intervening years, there were others who played with the Maree 91s, including David Burke, Colin Whelan, Christopher Bannon, Shane Geoghegan, Dnal Greene, Evan Fahy, Colin Harty, Ronan Burke and Dan Cunningham. The Maree 91s went back to Cork the next season 2003/4 - and won the U13 Open fairly convincingly. They also took the U13 Galway title, beating Claregalway 22 8 in the county Final. It was beginning to look as though they might just be a force nationally, and the U14 West of Ireland tournament hosted by Maree in December 2004 would tell a lot. Invited were Lisburn, St Vincents Dublin, Killester and Claregalway. Lisburn were the leading 91 team in Ulster, and the St Vincents and Killester 91s were the two top teams in the Dublin Under 14 league. Maree won all their round-robin games and then beat Lisburn for a second time in the final, taking the title 54 36 (Conroy 16, Crowley 10, Foley 14, Rahmani 6, OHagan 2, Kelly 4, I Lynskey2).

they were good, but better again was to come in the 2005/2006 season.

A third Cork Open title the U14

U14 Galway champions

Action from Dec 2004 West of Ireland Final Maree players in green from left to right; Conor Foley, Ian Lynskey, George Rahmani, Con Crowley, Liam Conroy The Maree 91s then went on to win the Cork Open U14 title (Maree 40 Demons 37) and the Galway U14 title, beating Moycullen 51 29. Another benchmark came along in October 2005, in the form of Galways participation in the Inter-Area Board competition. Liam Conroy, Conor Foley, George Rahmani, Colm OHagan, Ian Lynskey, Ross Lynskey and Colin Harty were all selected, and Galway took the title, beating Ulster 66 54 in the final in Tallaght. Maree players Conroy (27, MVP), Crowley (19), Foley (12) and Rahmani (8) accounted for all of Galways scores. The reputation was growing; three seasons unbeaten and silverware mounting. The Maree 91s had proven that

Galway winners All-Ireland Inter-Areas, Tallaght 2005

As U15s, the Maree 91s took the U15 Cork Open (the John Coughlan), winning the final against Demons on a massive 71 40 scoreline (Conroy 33, Crowley 15, Foley 10, Rahmani 8, Bannon 4). Maree then hosted a West of Ireland U15 invitational in Calasanctius Gym, with Templeogue, Moycullen, Killester and Ballincollig. Maree won all their games, beating Killester in the decider 57 45 (Conroy 22, Crowley 14, Foley 13, Rahmani 8). More benchmarks came along. Following trials, the preliminary Irish squad for the 2007 Under 16 Europeans was formed; Liam Conroy, Con Crowley, Con Crowley and George Rahmani were all selected. These four, along with Colm OHagan were also selected on the West team for the Under 15 Inter-Regionals in Waterford. The West won all five games impressively, taking the final against the East 46 29 (Conroy 22, Crowley 5, Foley 4, Rahmani 4). Maree 91s accounted for 199 of the 259 tournament points scored by the West; George Rahmani (26), Conor Foley (47), Liam Conroy (79), Con Crowley (45), Colm OHagan (2). Maree also took the Galway title again, after a delayed final against Moycullen. Four seasons gone, still undefeated. When would it end?

The West wins U15 Inter-Regionals, Waterford in 2006 Over the course of the 2006/07 season, the Irish Under 16 squad was gradually whittled down, with Liam Conroy, Con Crowley, Conor Foley and George Rahmani surviving each cut. Meanwhile, the Maree 91s now U16s again won the Galway county title, beating Moycullen 48 - 30.

Maree 91s (with trophies) 2006; Liam Conroy (U14 Inter-Area), Con Crowley (Cork U15), Conor Foley (West of Ireland U15), George Rahmani (U15 Inter-Regional), Colm OHagan (Galway U15) There was, at the time, no U16 Cork Open tournament. The ultimate benchmark for this group of Maree win fourth title in Cork - U15 John Coughlan Cup players came when all four Maree players were selected on the final Ireland team of 12 that headed off to the Europeans in Skopje Macedonia in July 2007, captained by Conor Foley. Not only did they make the Irish team, but all four started for Ireland. It was unforgettable, and a source of great pride, to see four boys, all of whom had been in the same primary school class in Scoil Isaf Naofa Oranmore, take to the floor together in the green of Ireland. The four scored 224 of Irelands 472 points over the course of 8 games (Conroy 115, Crowley 41, Foley 51, Rahmani 17). Meanwhile, Colm OHagan was selected on the Irish U16 team for the Europeans the following year. West of Ireland Invitational champions

Maree take another Galway title U16

Of all the Cork Open tournaments, the iconic one is the Billy Kelly. For years it has been recognized as the unofficial All-Ireland Under 17 championship event, and the magnificent cup is worthy of the tournaments reputation. The Maree 91s won the 2008 staging, beating Demons 80 68 in the final. It was a notable win, even for this Maree team. All five starters scored 10 or more points and Colm OHagan - a year younger than Foley, Crowley, Rahmani and Conroy had well and truly caught up with his four older team-mates, the age difference to be irrelevant from then on. Although Maree had gone up 12 points in the third quarter of the final, Demons hauled them back and, with the first score of the fourth, went ahead ominously. Maree faced a true test of character. They passed it. With 27 points in a blistering final quarter, they surged ahead again, to take the Billy Kelly easing up (Crowley 25, Conroy 18 MVP, Foley 11, Rahmani 14, OHagan 11). Six seasons of unbeaten success. And ..?!

Ireland U16s at Europeans in Macedonia July 2007; Conor Foley (Captain) #8, Con Crowley #7, Liam Conroy #6, George Rahmani #4 In October, all five featured on the Galway team that beat Kerry 50 30 in the Inter-Area U16 final in Tallaght (Liam Conroy 23, George Rahmani 10, Conor Foley 6, Colm OHagan 2, Con Crowley 1). Some season. What next?!

Gurranabraher Cork, Easter 2008 - Maree take the famous Billy Kelly U17 cup And so to the 2008/09 season. To kick it off, the team went to Cork one more time, to the U18 Cork open, the Michael Heffernan. They won it, beating Ballincollig, Tramore, Claregalway, Fr Mathews, Tolka and then Blue Demons 38 32 in the final, to record their 6th Cork win from 6 tournaments (Foley 4, Rahmani 4, OHagan 6, Conroy 14, Crowley 10).

Tallaght 2007 - Galway win U16 Inter-Areas

Celebrating the U18 National Cup win the team that eats together, beats together! Maree 91s take their 6th and last Cork Open title Michael Heffernan U18 Memorial Next up was the U18 National Cup. Maree Basketball Club had sensationally won both the Boys and Girls Under 18 Cups the previous season, with Maree 91 boys featuring prominently on the Maree 90 team. At this stage, with so much success behind them, their unbeaten record etc, it was inevitable that the Maree 91s would be installed as favourites to retain the cup. They bore the heavy weight of expectation well. On the way to the final in Tallaght, they dispatched St Pauls Killarney, Titans, Blue Demons, Killester and St Vincents of Dublin. The final was against Templeogue, and in as good a quarter of basketball as theyd ever played, Maree took a 30 7 lead and cruised to a 70 43 U18 National Cup title; Liam Conroy 27 MVP, Con Crowley 12, Conor Foley 11, George Rahmani 6, Colm OHagan 10, Kenneth Hansberry 2, Ciarn Harte, David Burke, Brian Kelly 2, Colin Whelan, Dnal Greene, Evan Fahy. Bliss! Seven winning years..

2009 - Foley, Rahmani, OHagan, Crowley and Conroy with Cups U18 Michael Heffernan Memorial, U18 National Cup, U17 Billy Kelly In the 2009/10 season, the Maree 90s with Conroy, Crowley, Rahmani and OHagan starting won the U20 National Cup, and so in 2010/11, the Maree 91s were again favourites, this time to retain the U20 trophy. First up, they beat Longford, then Templeogue, then Neptune. So who did they meet in the final? You guessed it Blue Demons of Cork. Demons had one last chance to avenge all those defeats and to deny Maree the perfect ending. It came down to the wire; Maree won 66 - 64. National champions again. The team; Liam Conroy 17, Con Crowley 14 MVP, George Rahmani 3, Colm OHagan 14, Ken Hansberry 8, Tomas Mitkus 6, Ciarn Harte, Brian Kelly, Enda Walsh 4, Pdraig Burke, Cormac Shields, Eavan Finn.

Maree U18 National Cup winners 2008

January 29 2011 Maree 91s win U20 National Cup in last game of 9-year unbeaten run Nine perfect seasons, ninety-something wins in a row. For Liam Conroy, Con Crowley and George Rahmani, the 2011 Under 20 final was their last ever underage game n bheidh a leithid ann ars. Nine-season ever-presents Colm OHagan and Brian Kelly have one more season, as do Ken Hansberry and Ciarn Harte, while Enda Walsh and Pdraig Burke (who both played for Ireland in the 2010 Under 16 Europeans), along with Tomas Mitkus, Eavan Finn and Cormac Shields have another three. Although the writer is the coach most associated with the Maree 91s, many coaches, managers and others have had close involvement in their development and success; Mary OHagan and Richie Finn of course, but also John Finn, Pat Hansberry, Joe Shields, Peter Sharkey, Eileen Graham, Una Finn, Joe Burke, Jack Conroy, Sohail Rahmani and more. Thats the story of the underage career of the Maree 91s, from under 12 to under 20. Well done to the now overage George Rahmani, Conor Foley, Con Crowley and Liam Conroy and thanks to their ever-supportive parents Sohail and Mitra, Oliver and Maureen (thanks for the now famous HP gear, Maureen!), Verona and Jim, and my own Anita. Good luck to the Maree 92s led by Colm OHagan, Ken Hansberry, Brian Kelly and Ciarn Harte, and to the Maree 93s and beyond. As my father, God rest him, used to say and thats it all now, in a nutshell.

2008 - 4 Maree 91s minding 1 Maree 53 at Connacht Tribune Awards