Ingle to lead Irish team in World University Games

The newly appointed head coach of the Irish ladies basketball team is keeping realistic about the team’s prospects when they go to Belgrade this summer to compete in the World University games.

The Colleges and Universities Sports Association of Ireland (CUSAI) appointed Mark Ingle, the man in charge of DCU Mercy, to the role last month. Ingle is a vastly experienced figure on the Irish basketball scene and knows the size of the task his team will face out in Russia.

“It will be a young team. The talent coming through first and second level college is quite strong but we will be in some illustrious company with the likes of America, Russia, Italy and Greece. It’s quite a prestigious tournament and to get invited is an achievement.”

In 2005 Ireland finished in 16th place out of twenty-four teams but this year only sixteen teams will take part in the event. This renowned coach has worked at all levels of basketball in Ireland and is currently assistant coach with the Irish Senior Women’s team.

At the recent basketball intervarsities DCU finished runners up under the guidance of Ingle but he says it was also an opportunity to have a look at some players.

“I know most of the players anyway from coaching with DCU Mercy but it did give me a chance to have a look at the players who are available for selection. I thought it was a very young intervarsities this year. There were four players from DCU playing that qualify for the world student games,” said Ingle.

On his own team’s performance he said, “It was a big disappointment losing our point guard (Aisling O’Sullivan) in the first few minutes of the final. I felt had we a full team we could have won it. We certainly hadn’t as strong a team as last year but we put up a great fight in the final.”

He hopes to get the team together in the next three weeks for an open trial. They will then have five or six training session before the actual tournament. There are currently six girls away on Division 1 basketball scholarships in America and Ingle admits this might be a problem but one they’ll just have to deal with when the time comes

It is expected that the rest of the backroom staff for the Irish team will be finalised later in the week. After that Ingle faces a busy few weeks trying to prepare and select a squad capable of mixing it with the best from around the world in July.