Hey guys, this is Colin checking in again regarding our integrated basketball program here in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Well, the long awaited day is just a matter of hours away. Tomorrow morning, we will be flying over to Newark, New Jersey to begin our 15 day basketball expedition. We will spend the first ten days in Lebanon, New Hampshire, competing in summer league basketball while enjoying the outdoors and the hospitality of the generous people who have offered to house the lads.

From there, we will head down to New York for five days, running through our busy itinerary that takes us around the city and surrounding counties. Check back here for more details about our trip through out the next two weeks. We've lined up some really cool things for the guys, but I don't want to spoil them quite yet.

Until next time

- Colin

On the morning of Saturday, June 13, we brought together the Blazers, Bulldogs, and the Lisburn Basketball Club for a series of games at the Colin Youth Development Centre in Poleglass. It was an early start, with the first game scheduled for a 10:15 am tip-off.

The early wake-up call complicated our transportation plan, as Dave Tierney was forced to make multiples runs across the city to coordinate with the players who didn’t quite make it out of bed in time to arrive at our car-pool starting points. With that said, we'd really like to thanks Mrs. Guirov and Mr. Orr for ferrying some of the players over. We really appreciate it.

With only about half of the Blazers and Bulldogs, respectively, at the gym for the necessary time, we decided to seize the opportunity and have the guys play together. They will all be traveling together in America in the coming weeks, so it was almost a blessing in disguise that they could bond as teammates and really get to know each other in the way.

For the first game, the Bulldogs and Blazers both flipped their jerseys over to the black-colored side, and lined up for what would be a competitive game with an impressive Lisburn side. Lisburn’s team was comprised of a few of the better players from the St. Mary’s squad we had played a few weeks ago, so we knew we’d be playing against a talented, well-drilled squad. Our lads quickly re-familiarized themselves, and since I had been coaching the same concepts to both teams, they didn’t take too long to gel out on the court.

The first half was a fast-paced, back and forth contest. Michael Guirov did a great job leading the Full Court Peace team, and our two big guys Dan Maloney and Mark Wilkinson collaborated really well, anchoring the defense and making things very difficult on Lisburn in the paint. Sam McFadden, Dean McDonough, Arturo Aleman, and Michael McGuican were really impressive on the perimeter, especially since they had never played together before. Michael Daly, Liam Gray, and Liam McDonald contributed their typical punch off the bench, and we went into the half down by four points.

In the second half, Lisburn came out in a zone defense, something I had not prepared the guys for. We have spent most of the year building up the guys’ skill level and hoping to impart a greater understanding of the game in general, but unfortunately have not had too much time for in-game strategy. As a result, we were pretty stagnant on offense, and had a tough time keeping pace with the dynamic Lisburn attack. In the end, the joint Blazers/Bulldogs team lost by 20 points, but I thought they handled themselves quite well.

For the second game, Blazer reinforcements had arrived, and they were ready to compete as a team again. The Bulldogs were a bit undermanned as some weekend commitments kept a few of the lads from playing, but they weren’t prepared to back down. TJ refereed and Dave and I coached the teams, emphasizing the need to take care of the ball and to really focus in on team defense. The Blazers were just a bit too much for the depleted Bulldogs team, and won the game handily. All the guys competed hard, but the defensive pressure of Aaron Scates as well as Jay and Jarius Tubera along with the typical playmaking of Michael Guirov seemed to make the difference. McGuican, Aleman, and Liam Gray were solid through out, and kept the Bulldogs defense from keying in on any one player.

The Bulldogs never quit, and the late arrivals of Curtis Orr and Matthew Parker helped keep the team in the game as long as possible. The guys just didn't have the firepower on Saturday to compete with the Blazers.

It was a fun day, and a valuable learning experience out on the court for all the lads. The learning curve is steep, but the guys are coming into their own with the trips to the States just fifteen days away. I'll post up some photos from the games a little bit later.

- Colin

Hey guys, this is Colin checking in again regarding our basketball program here in Belfast, Northern Ireland

This past Saturday, June 6, we decided to get the two teams together in Belfast City Centre for a friendly. It was sort of a last minute thing, and because of pre-existing personal commitments that some of the guys had for the weekend, we knew we wouldn’t be able to get everyone down to play. Nathan Watson was traveling over to France for the D-Day commemoration, a few of the Bulldogs players were gone with their families, some Blazers players had exams to prepare for, etc. Nevertheless, we thought it would be good to get the guys together for some more game experience and give the two teams another chance to hang out a bit and get to know each other in advance of this summer’s trip to America.

In the end, it was a really good day, and a really good game. David Cullen rented out the Shaftsbury Activity Centre when the weather proved a bit too ominous to try the game outside. TJ, Dave Tierney and I raced around picking up kids from across the city, dropping them off at the gym, repeat cycle, repeat cycle. Dave Tierney continued throughout the day taking kids to and fro, delivering many of the lads from the gym to a variety of destinations and family commitments scattered across Belfast. He sacrificed coaching the guys on Saturday so to make sure everyone got where they needed to be when they needed to be there, his efforts invaluable and much appreciated by the guys. Director John Toland also lent a hand in transporting a group of the kids over. Eventually, we had everyone in the same place, and we tipped off the game.

I refereed and coached both teams along with TJ, who had to deal with some media obligations at the same time. And I must say, the quality of play was another definitive step forward. Liam Gray really stepped up for the undermanned Blazers team, taking his typically circuitous routes to the basket in creating opportunities for himself and his teammates. Aaron Scates was again a hugely disruptive force on defense, cutting off passes like a Free Safety and starting fast breaks the other way. Big Mark Wilkinson crashed the boards and battled Bulldogs big man Dan Maloney to a standstill, each player jostling for position throughout and anchoring their respective teams’ defense.

Michael Daly played much more assertively, distributing the ball offensively and knocking down his open shots. Perhaps the biggest progression for the Bulldogs was in the guard play, however. Sam McFadden and Dean McDonough were really impressive. They handled the constant pressure applied by Jarius and Jay Tubera, broke down the Blazer defense with dribble penetration, organized their teammates, and made their open looks when available. Their play, along with consistent creative ability of Joe Power, will be essential for the Bulldogs going forward.

Finally, it would be remiss not to mention the dynamic play of Jarius Tubera. Without his brother Jay Tubera for much of the game (though when Jay did arrive, his relentlessness on defense and offense were huge for the Blazers) and top scorer Michael Guirov, much of the scoring burden fell to Jarius. Nevertheless, he rose to the occasion once again, brilliantly knifing his way into the lane throughout the game, scoring himself on an assortment of pull-ups and crafty finishes while also setting up his teammates for open shots. His was a very impressive performance. After the Bulldogs came charging out of the gates in the 4th quarter and took the lead 24-22, Jarius settled down his teammates and made the big plays when necessary. This very exciting contest ended Blazers 30, Bulldogs 26.

It was a great day, and we look forward to more of the same in the future.