In the United States this weekend the invitations come out for the NCAA college basketball tournament, the fabled "March Madness" media-driven hoops frenzy which will take pre-eminence over the NBA this year, given the rancour caused by the protracted labour dispute in that league.
St Joseph's women's team in Philadelphia booked their 10th trip to the NCAA's on Monday night, with an 85-73 win over a hotly-fancied Xavier side in the Atlantic 10 conference tournament final.
Offaly wunder-kind Susan Moran, who flew to Philadelphia on scholarship last autumn, hit 15 of her 25 points in a pulsating second half and was flawless from the free-throw line through-out.
The day after, the papers carried stills of an elated Moran embracing senior star Jana Lichnerova. But, in reality, it was little more than another night as the office for the Tullamore woman. Moran, who expected to spend much of her freshman year acclimatising on the bench, instead claimed a starting role in pre-season and stealthily went about making minor history. She is the first freshman to lead her team in both scoring (14 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg), the first to earn a spot on the All-Conference second team and, just for kicks, she was awarded Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year last week. So, can she play? "She has done incredibly well," says Reggi Grennan, assistant coach at St Joseph's. "She is a great kid off-court and extremely competitive about her game. It's why she has thrived. Not too many coaches talk about other players during the season, those opinions generally come out at the end of the tournament. But I know Susan has caused quite a stir." Not so long ago, the notion of an Irish basketball player involved in the March Madness tournament would have been too outlandish for contemplation. Although the underage standard here has spiralled rapidly in recent years, the American college game is white hot in terms of athleticism and skill. Moran's impact is unprecedented. "Well, she has a future in this game," comments Grennan.
"Naturally, a lot depends on herself, her willingness to work. But it's not far-fetched to say that she has the potential to make a professional career out of basketball, be it here or in Europe." That's all by the by for now, though. Come next week, Moran will fly to one of the 16 NCAA destinations for her first real spell in the dream zone, a flashy pageant which venerates the aura of musty tradition and annually throws up a blizzard of fantastic basketball.
If St Joe's make it as far as the Sweet Sixteen, they will travel on to San Jose in California, where the real razzmatazz starts.
Not bad for a girl who five years ago wandered into her local court in Tullamore wondering if she might make the school team.
