Ireland

FIBA ranking	82 (2 December 2025)[1]
JoinedFIBA	1947
FIBA zone	FIBA Europe
National federation	Basketball Ireland
Coach	Michael Bree
Nickname(s)	Na buachaillí i nglas (The Boys in Green)
Olympic Games
Appearances	1 (1948)
Medals	None
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	None
EuroBasket
Appearances	None
Championship for Small Countries
Appearances	7
Medals	Gold: (1994,2021) Silver: (1988) Bronze: (2018)
Home Away
First international
Mexico 71–9Ireland  (London, England; 2 August 1948)
Biggest win
Ireland 112–39Gibraltar  (Cardiff, Wales; 12 December 1990)
Biggest defeat
Italy 128–49Ireland  (Edinburgh, Scotland; 3 May 1976)

TheIreland men's national basketball team (Irish:Foireann cispheile náisiúnta na hÉireann) represents the island ofIreland in internationalbasketball. It is governed byBasketball Ireland with players from both theRepublic of Ireland andNorthern Ireland. Ireland plays their home matches at theNational Basketball Arena inTallaght, Dublin.

Ireland has little history on the international stage, as they have yet to qualify for top tournaments such as theEuroBasket or theFIBA World Cup. However, the national team did participate at theSummer Olympics once, in1948.

The Amateur Basketball Association of Ireland (ABAI; nowBasketball Ireland) was formed in 1945 and affiliated toFIBA in 1947. An indoor version of basketball had been played in theIrish Army from 1936, but using non-standard rules to create an indoor winter substitute forGaelic football; until 1943, the Army Athletic Council officially recognized onlyGaelic games.^[2] The ABAI sent a team of the best Army players to the1948 Olympic tournament in nearby London, despite the refusal of Army command to release the players for intensive training. The team coaches were officers unfamiliar with the sport, who outranked the players and ignored their advice. Although many top sides were absent from the London Games in the aftermath of World War II, the Irish team finished last, losing every match heavily; the worst a 71–9 loss toMexico, who finished fourth.^[3] Only two members of the team were over 6 feet (1.8 m) tall.^[4]

The team's standard improved gradually from the 1970s to the 2000s, as more school leavers won scholarships to playUS college basketball, and someIrish American professional players took up eligibility to compete for their ancestral country. Ireland entered European-zone Olympic qualification tournaments in1972,^[5]1976,^[6]1984,^[7] and1988,^[8] losing every match each time. In 1988, Ireland finished runner-up in the inaugural Promotion Cup, the third tier ofEuroBasket, later named EuroBasket Division C, and now theFIBA European Championship for Small Countries. In 1993, theNational Basketball Arena opened inDublin, which became the team's new permanent home. Division C was hosted there the following year, and Ireland beatCyprus 81–78 in the final to gain promotion toEuroBasket Division B. Ireland narrowly failed to win promotion to Division A inFIBA EuroBasket 2005 Division B, losing toDenmark by four points after having won the first game in Dublin by ten.

In February 2010, during theIrish financial crisis, Basketball Ireland announced that it was €1.2m in debt and was deactivating its senior international squads to cut costs.^[9] In December 2015, the team was reactivated for 2016.^[10]

In December 2015, it was announced that Ireland would play at the2016 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries.^[11] The team finished in the fourth position overall.

Ireland played in the2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries, held inSan Marino from 26 June to 1 July. Ireland finished (1–1) in group play, losing toMalta then defeatingAndorra. In the semi-finals Ireland lost toNorway, sending the team to the bronze medal match where they defeatedGibraltar to finish in third place.^[12]

Three years later, Ireland hosted the2021 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries inDublin. The national team would go undefeated during the tournament at (4–0), to capture their second title at the competition all time.^[13][14]

After Ireland's 2021 European Championship for Small Countries triumph, they enteredEuroBasket 2025 Pre-Qualifying, where they earned a victory in their first match away toCyprus 73–81.^[15] Although following the win, Ireland would go (3–6) during the rest of their pre-qualifying campaign, to eventually be eliminated.^[16]

Ireland then put their focus into the2027 FIBA World Cup European Pre-Qualifiers. However, they began their campaign with two demoralising losses, before sweeping their doubleheader in November 2024 againstAzerbaijan andKosovo.^[17][18] Ultimately, a heavy defeat at the hands ofSwitzerland 85–54 in February 2025, ended Ireland's hopes of progressing to the next round.^[19]

FIBA World Cup [edit] World Cup Qualification Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1950 Did not enter Did not enter 1954 1959 1963 1967 1970 1974 1978 Did not qualify EuroBasket served as qualifiers 1982 1986 Did not enter Did not enter 1990 1994 1998 Did not qualify EuroBasket served as qualifiers 2002 2006 2010 2014 Did not enter Did not enter 2019 2023 2027 Did not qualify 6 3 3 Total 0/20 6 3 3 Olympic Games [edit] Olympic Games Qualifying Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1936 No national representative 1948 23rd 6 0 6 1952 Did not enter 1956 1960 Did not enter 1964 1968 1972 Did not qualify 4 0 4 1976 5 0 5 1980 Did not enter Did not enter 1984 Did not qualify 3 0 3 1988 4 0 4 1992 5 0 5 1996 Did not enter Did not enter 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2028 Total 1/21 6 0 6 21 0 21 Championship for Small Countries [edit] FIBA European Championship for Small Countries Year Position Pld W L 1988 5 4 1 1990 4th 5 3 2 1992 4th 5 2 3 1994 5 5 0 2016 4th 5 3 2 2018 4 2 2 2021 4 4 0 Total 33 23 10

EuroBasket [edit] EuroBasket Qualification Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1935 No national representative 1937 1939 1946 1947 Did not enter 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 Did not enter 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 Did not qualify 5 1 4 1979 Did not enter Did not enter 1981 Did not qualify 4 0 4 1983 5 0 5 1985 Did not enter Did not enter 1987 Did not qualify 4 0 4 1989 Did not enter Did not enter 1991 1993 1995 1997 Did not qualify 5 2 3 1999 8 4 4 2001 11 3 8 2003 21 10 11 2005 Division B 8 5 3 2007 Division B 6 1 5 2009 Division B 8 2 6 2011 Did not enter Did not enter 2013 2015 2017 2022 2025 Did not qualify 10 4 6 2029 To be determined To be determined Total 0/38 95 32 63

  Win  Loss

Switzerland  v Ireland

20 February 2025 2027 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round	Switzerland	85–54	Ireland	Fribourg, Switzerland
19:30 (UTC+1)	Scoring by quarter:30–16,18–15,19–9,18–14
	Pts:Mbala 19 Rebs:three players 5 Asts:Fofana 10	Boxscore	Pts:N. Quinn 18 Rebs:N. Quinn 9 Asts:Flood 3	Arena:Site Sportif Saint-Léonard Attendance: 3,000 Referees: Alessandro Perciavalle (ITA), Arnau Padros (ESP), Ioannis Agrafiotis (GRE)

Azerbaijan  v Ireland

23 February 2025 2027 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round	Azerbaijan	64–79	Ireland	Baku, Azerbaijan
17:00 (UTC+4)	Scoring by quarter: 16–21, 14–20,19–13, 15–25
	Pts:S. Shirzadov 14 Rebs:Hall 12 Asts:K. Mammadov 4	Boxscore	Pts:Flood 23 Rebs:N. Quinn 9 Asts:Flood 5	Arena:Baku Sports Palace Attendance: 700 Referees: Zdravko Rutešić (MNE), Duhan Köyiçi (TUR), Nemanja Vlahović (SRB)

Luxembourg  v Ireland

27 November 2025 EuroBasket 2029 pre-qualifiers – 1st round	Luxembourg	89–77	Ireland	Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
19:30 (UTC+1)	Scoring by quarter:26–11, 21–26, 17–24,25–16
	Pts:Kovac 38 Rebs:Logelin,Rugg 6 Asts:Gutenkauf 6	Boxscore	Pts:Badmus 24 Rebs:Buivydas 10 Asts:Flood 6	Arena:d'Coque Attendance: 1,200 Referees: Mehmet Karabilecen (TUR), Diogo Martins (POR), Karol Kowalski (POL)

Ireland  v North Macedonia

30 November 2025 EuroBasket 2029 pre-qualifiers – 1st round	Ireland	76–88	North Macedonia	Dublin, Ireland
17:00 (UTC+0)	Scoring by quarter:27–20, 13–22,22–19, 14–27
	Pts:Alajiki 26 Rebs:Alajiki 10 Asts:Badmus 3	Boxscore	Pts:Jakimovski 26 Rebs:Wiley 9 Asts:Jakimovski,Mekić 4	Arena:National Basketball Arena Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Marek Mikulčík (SVK), Martin Van Hoye (BEL), Jānis Rozenbergs (LAT)

Ireland  v Azerbaijan

27 February 2025 EuroBasket 2029 pre-qualifiers – 1st round	Ireland	vs.	Azerbaijan	Ireland
--:-- (UTC+0)
		Boxscore

Ireland  v Luxembourg

2 March 2026 EuroBasket 2029 pre-qualifiers – 1st round	Ireland	vs.	Luxembourg	Ireland
--:-- (UTC+0)
		Boxscore

North Macedonia  v Ireland

2 July 2026 EuroBasket 2029 pre-qualifiers – 1st round	North Macedonia	vs.	Ireland	North Macedonia
--:-- (UTC+2)
		Boxscore

Azerbaijan  v Ireland

5 July 2026 EuroBasket 2029 pre-qualifiers – 1st round	Azerbaijan	vs.	Ireland	Azerbaijan
--:-- (UTC+4)
		Boxscore

Roster for theEuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers matches on 27 and 30 November 2025 againstLuxembourg
andNorth Macedonia.^[20][21][22]

Ireland men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age –Date of birth Height Club Ctr. G 4 Adrian O'Sullivan 32 –(1993-07-21)21 July 1993 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Ballincollig PF 9 Rapolas Buivydas 23 –(2002-02-11)11 February 2002 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Belfast Star PG 10 Sean Jenkins 26 –(1999-09-22)22 September 1999 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Éanna BC PG 11 Sean Flood (C) 29 –(1996-09-10)10 September 1996 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Unattached G 12 Conor Quinn 30 –(1995-07-10)10 July 1995 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Belfast Star F 13 Jordan Blount 28 –(1997-01-05)5 January 1997 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Killorglin F 14 John Carroll 30 –(1995-03-16)16 March 1995 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Sligo All-Stars C 17 Max Amadasun 25 –(2000-09-26)26 September 2000 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Cultural Leonesa F 21 Taiwo Badmus 32 –(1993-07-03)3 July 1993 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Tindastóll SF 22 Matt Treacy 27 –(1998-10-23)23 October 1998 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) Snæfell F/C 24 Matt Zona 23 –(2002-02-23)23 February 2002 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Cheshire Phoenix F 25 Eoin Nelson 25 –(2000-05-22)22 May 2000 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Neptune C 32 Neal Quinn 24 –(2001-05-31)31 May 2001 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) BCM Gravelines F 64 Samuel Alajiki 23 –(2002-11-12)12 November 2002 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Hapoel Galil Elyon	Head coach Michael Bree Assistant coach(es) Paul Kelleher Ciaran O’Sullivan Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 27 November 2025

• Enda Byrt – (1990–1999)
• /Jay Larrañaga – (2008–2010)
• Mark Keenan – (2014)
• Colin O'Reilly – (2015)
• Pete Strickland – (2016–2018)^[23]
• Mark Keenan – (2019–2025)^[24]
• Michael Bree – (2025–present)^[25]

• Cal Bowdler –NBA player for theAtlanta Hawks, but not born in Ireland
• Pat Burke – Only Irish-born to have played in theNBA, played for theOrlando Magic &Phoenix Suns. Also aEuroleague andULEB Eurocup winner withPanathinaikos andReal Madrid
• Marty Conlon –NBA player for theSeattle SuperSonics,Sacramento Kings,Charlotte Hornets,Washington Bullets,Milwaukee Bucks,Boston Celtics,Miami Heat, andLos Angeles Clippers, but not born in Ireland
• Billy Donlon – former head coach of theWright State University men's basketball team and as of 2019 head coach ofUMKC.^[26]
• Aidan Igiehon – formerLouisville and currentGrand Canyon player
• Jay Larrañaga – former captain of the Ireland national team
• Donnie McGrath – Irish American, he played forAnadolu Efes,Spartak St. Petersburg andŽalgiris Kaunas amongst others
• Darren Randolph – Irishfootball goalkeeper and player for theRepublic of Ireland national team, father Ed Randolph was an American who played basketball in Ireland. He taught his son basketball and Darren has since represented the national team

1948 Olympic Games: finished23rd among 23 teams^[27]

4Donald O'Donovan, 5Frank O'Connor, 6Paddy Crehan, 7Jimmy McGee, 8Bill Jackson, 9Harry Boland, 10Tommy Keenan,
12Dermot Sheriff, 13Danny Reddin, 14Paddy Sheriff, 15Jim Flynn, 16Christy Walsh (Coach: Donald McCormack)

2016 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished4th among 8 teams^[28]

Ireland men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age –Date of birth Height Club Ctr. G 4 Adrian O'Sullivan 22 –(1993-07-21)21 July 1993 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) UCC Demons G 5 Paul Dick 25 –(1991-04-30)30 April 1991 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Cheshire Jets G 6 Lorcan Murphy 21 –(1994-12-08)8 December 1994 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Neptune SF 7 Ciarán O'Sullivan 25 –(1990-12-27)27 December 1990 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Swords Thunder SF 9 Stephen James 24 –(1992-03-16)16 March 1992 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Cheshire Jets C 10 Brian Fitzpatrick 26 –(1989-11-06)6 November 1989 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Horsens C 11 Keelan Cairns 24 –(1992-05-26)26 May 1992 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) UCC Demons PF 12 Colin O'Reilly 32 –(1984-01-30)30 January 1984 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) UCC Demons F 13 Jordan Blount 19 –(1997-01-05)5 January 1997 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) UIC Flames C 14 Conor Gallagher 31 –(1984-09-15)15 September 1984 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Killester F 15 Kevin Lacey 27 –(1989-02-24)24 February 1989 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Swords Thunder PG 16 Kyle Hosford 27 –(1989-06-27)27 June 1989 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) UCC Demons	Head coach Colin O'Reilly Assistant coach(es) Puff Summers Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 28 June 2016

2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished3rd among 7 teams^[29]

Ireland men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age –Date of birth Height Club Ctr. G 4 Adrian O'Sullivan 24 –(1993-07-21)21 July 1993 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) UCC Demons SG 5 Aidan Quinn 22 –(1995-07-10)10 July 1995 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Belfast Star G 6 Lorcan Murphy 23 –(1994-12-08)8 December 1994 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Templeogue PG 7 Patrick Lyons 22 –(1995-08-16)16 August 1995 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Moycullen SG 8 Travis Black 27 –(1991-01-16)16 January 1991 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) Swords Thunder F 9 Jordan Blount 21 –(1997-01-05)5 January 1997 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) UIC Flames PG 10 Ciaran Roe 25 –(1993-06-21)21 June 1993 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Killester SF 11 Matthew Kelly 30 –(1987-10-15)15 October 1987 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) UCD Marian F 12 Taiwo Badmus 24 –(1993-07-03)3 July 1993 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Virginia–Wise C 14 Keelan Cairns 26 –(1992-05-26)26 May 1992 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) Belfast Star C 15 Eoghain Kiernan 21 –(1996-07-10)10 July 1996 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Killester C 16 Paul Freeman 35 –(1983-03-31)31 March 1983 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Moycullen	Head coach Pete Strickland Assistant coach(es) Ioannis Liapakis Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 26 June 2018

2021 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished1st among 5 teams^[30]

Ireland men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age –Date of birth Height Club Ctr. G 4 Adrian O'Sullivan 28 –(1993-07-21)21 July 1993 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Carbajosa PG 5 CJ Fulton 19 –(2002-06-24)24 June 2002 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Lafayette College G 6 Lorcan Murphy 26 –(1994-12-08)8 December 1994 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Templeogue G 7 Sean Flood 24 –(1996-09-10)10 September 1996 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Karlsruhe PG 8 Kyle Hosford 32 –(1989-06-27)27 June 1989 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) UCC Demons F 9 Eoin Quigley 29 –(1991-09-18)18 September 1991 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Tralee Warriors PG 10 Ciaran Roe 28 –(1993-06-21)21 June 1993 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Killester F 11 Neil Randolph 29 –(1992-02-29)29 February 1992 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Templeogue C 12 Will Hanley 31 –(1990-03-12)12 March 1990 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Hebraica Macabi F 13 Jordan Blount 24 –(1997-01-05)5 January 1997 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Carbajosa F 14 John Carroll 26 –(1995-03-16)16 March 1995 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Zamora C 15 Jason Killeen (C) 36 –(1985-01-22)22 January 1985 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) Templeogue	Head coach Mark Keenan Assistant coach(es) Adrian Fulton Puff Summers Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 10 August 2021

• 2013–2016Macron^[31]
• 2016–2024Kappa^[32][33]
• 2024–presentNike^[34]

• Sport in Ireland
• Ireland women's national basketball team
• Ireland men's national under-20 basketball team
• Ireland men's national under-18 basketball team
• Ireland men's national under-16 basketball team
• Ireland men's national 3x3 team
• Super League

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• Official website
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• Ireland National Team – Men at Eurobasket.com

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• Basketball teams established in 1948
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