BASKETBALL: The Superleague finals will take place at the University of Limerick on March 25th with Limerick Lions and UL Aughinish acting as joint hosts.
With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, round 16 will go a long way to deciding who will be making the trip to Limerick.
Two teams still in contention are reigning champions St Vincent's and Belfast Star, who meet tomorrow at Jordanstown. St Vincent's occupy the coveted third spot in the northern conference, but Star trail by two points and also travel to Ballina on Sunday.
Ballina, who are level on points with Star, welcome back Ronan McGarrity this week, while coach Terry Kennedy has managed to coax Liam McHale out of retirement.
"Liam has fantastic experience and is without a doubt the best Irish player to ever play in the league. We have such a good chance of success this year that I wanted to give the team every opportunity to achieve their potential. Liam is a great leader both on and off the floor and makes my job so much easier. The younger guys really look up to him."
McHale came to national sporting prominence as part of three Mayo teams that reached the All-Ireland football finals of 1989, 1996 and 1997.
Considered one of the best fielders in the game like McGarrity, Kieran Donaghy and Micheal Quirke today, he brought the nuances of the basketball court to the wide open spaces of Croke Park.
Mayo lost all three finals (to Cork, Meath and Kerry) with McHale controversially sent off in the 1996 decider after being targeted by Meath players during a mass brawl.
Understandably, he defended himself, but, along with current Meath manager Colm Coyle, McHale was red carded.
A regular basketball pundit for RTÉ, McHale was also a Mayo selector when they returned to the All-Ireland final in 2004.
"Anybody who knows Liam will know that he never lets himself get out of shape. He will have a big say before this campaign is over," added Kennedy.
Quirke, made of similar marble to McHale, was announced this week as the southern conference player of the month for January. Several outstanding performances for the Tralee Tigers, including 29 points in the Cup semi-final victory over St Vincent's, made the decision a foregone conclusion.
Killester's Craig Walls received the northern conference award.
Ballina also have a double-header this weekend as the Hoops arrive tomorrow evening.
Killester will remain top of the northern conference if they overcome UCD Marian, the only team out of the running for the play-offs.
The south conference remains just as tight, with the Tigers looking to maintain top position with victory over Limerick tomorrow. Donaghy and Quirke remain absent due to Kerry football commitments.
The UCC Demons are just a point adrift of the Tigers, so victory in the Cork derby would end Neptune's title aspirations and keep the pressure on the Cup champions.
