Ireland basketball head coach explains why Mayo captain Hazel ticks all right boxes

By John Melvin

IRISH Under 20 women’s basketball team head coach, Karl Kilbride, couldn’t heap enough praise on the captain of the Irish team, Hazel Finn, who is leading her side into battle in Romania at the European Under 20 B Basketball Championships this week, getting off to a good start with a win over the hosts.

And it is easy to see why the Kiltimagh woman has been given the honour and indeed the responsibility of leading her country at international level.

It is not the first time that Hazel has captained an Irish team as she also led out the Irish Under 16 and 18 teams since she first began playing international basketball six years ago.

Hazel has followed in the footsteps of her older sibling, Dayna, who has taken a break from the women’s senior panel and the Mayo senior women’s Gaelic football team to test the AFL waters in Australia, where she has joined the AFL's Carlton team in Melbourne.

Similar to Hazel, Dayna has played for Ireland in all grades.

Hazel’s record speaks for itself given the commitment she has made to her country at Under 16, Under 18 and now at Under 20 level, but coach Kilbride put her contribution as a player and a captain into context at a final weekend of preparation for the European championships in Hazel’s home town of Kiltimagh where around 80 kids were gathered at the gym in the local school where they were put through their drills by members of the Irish team.

“This is what it’s all about. This is where players like Hazel and Dayna and all those who have played for their country started,” said coach Kilbride as he watched kids from six to 14 work on their lay-ups, shooting and dribbling skills at the superb sports gym at St. Louis Community School where the Kiltimagh Giants Basketball Club do their training, with kids from six to 16 taking part in school and club competitions at various grades.

So why was Hazel selected as captain and what does she bring to the table?

Passion was very much the emotion which was central to the answer to that question from the Irish head coach.

“It’s not just what Hazel does on the floor but also what she contributes when she is not on the floor,” he said.

“She is a force of nature and really tough. She just keeps going - attack, attack, attack.

“Off the floor she is the best leader I have ever seen and from day one she was our captain.

“She is a natural leader and sets the tone on the floor with her actions, throwing herself around the place.

“She has that GAA mentality of getting stuck in and her communication skills are underrated,” was the assessment of Kilbride who has been involved in coaching Hazel and other members of the Under 20 team since they were 15.

IMPROVEMENTS

Kilbride has seen Irish teams, both men and women, returning from international tournaments with reasonable performances in the past when moral victories were celebrated.

He asserts that things have improved dramatically with Irish basketball in terms of standards and the days of the moral victories are well gone.

“The days of moral victories for Irish basketball teams are over. We are heading out to win and bring home some silverware and I think this group of players can deliver on that as they have been together at Under 18 level and know each other so well,” he said.

That was a point Hazel Finn supported wholeheartedly and pointed to the team spirit that has built up over the years as a vital ingredient, as well as the improvement in so many areas with most of the team playing at National League and Super League level.

Said Hazel: “Many of us have played at Under 18 level and we know each other so well.

“We have also been out in Croatia and the Czech Republic playing friendly games in preparation for this tournament and I think that will stand to us.”

She also thinks the resources behind the team in terms of coaching and preparing for the challenges against strong European countries is much better now than it has ever been.

“It has also helped our development by playing with our college and clubs, moving up to the National League and Super League where we have come up against players from the United States and other top players from other countries.

“Playing at a higher and more intense level has helped us and we are learning and improving all the time,” she said.

The notion that basketball is not a particularly physical sport does not stand up to the evidence produced in some of the games played against European sides.

“We have got a lot more physical since we began as teenagers and have now grown into women. The game is a lot more physical but we honestly believe we can return with a medal, hopefully either gold or silver,” was the confident view of Hazel who feels basketball is in a good place at international, national and local level.

“The game is in a better place than it ever was and for women’s basketball it has really developed with sponsors of the National Leagues, MissQuote, coming on board and they have really been very supportive of women’s basketball,” she said.

Added Hazel: “It is also growing in the clubs. My own club in Kiltimagh and other clubs around Mayo are really putting in a lot of work in terms of coaching kids and that can only be good for the sport further down the road.”

LACK OF FUNDING

Unfortunately not all players with potential can make the international panels and that is an area coach Kilbride feels needs to be addressed as he feels it is wrong that any player should be denied the chance to play for their country because of a lack of funding.

“Most of these girls are self-funded and have great support from their parents without whom it would not be possible for many of them to wear the Irish vest.

“There are players out there who could be playing for their country but just can’t afford it and that is something that needs to be looked at as it is not fair that a player with talent and ability does not get the opportunity to realise that potential by getting the chance to play for their country,” he said.

He added: “We have good sponsors and that surely helps but these girls make a lot of sacrifices during the summer training sessions, missing out on family holidays, social events and other things that young people enjoy, but they have decided to dedicate themselves to playing basketball and training at weekends when their friends are out enjoying themselves. They make huge sacrifices to play the sport they love.”

He continued: “They have shown great dedication but it would be great if we got more financial support to help them and to provide other players who are not so lucky in terms of financial support to be given a chance to avail of the same opportunity of playing for their country.”

For Hazel, it will be a busy summer and return to college next September to complete her arts degree at NUIG where she will also be playing basketball for the next season or two.

However, she may also decide on a break and travel abroad but at the moment all she is concentrating on is the European championships and captaining her team to victory.