STORY OF HOOPS ACROSS THE OCEAN
What is the book about?
Hoops Across the Ocean looks at the journey of Irish international basketball in the 90s and 00s. Thanks to a policy of Irish American recruitment, Ireland rose from also rans in European basketball to a competitive basketball team. Along the way Irish players got to face off with players like Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan as a new world of basketball was explored. At the same time as Irish Americans came to help Ireland's basketball team, Irish players set sail for America with the goal of making an impact on the American game. Get the book and read about a Corkman who played for Dean Smith at North Carolina, a Tullamore lady who went to the WNBA and the 15th pick in the NBA draft who gladly pulled on the Irish jersey.
WHY THE TITLE?
Hoops Across the Ocean was originally an exchange programme between UCD Marian and some high schools in the US. It was primarily run by Pat Glover and Les Lombardi. The programme summed up the idea of Americans coming to Ireland to try and help Irish basketball and Irish people going to the States looking for something bigger in basketball. Although the programme no longer runs, hopefully the title is nod to that programme and many others like it that try and extend Iris basketball's reach overseas.