Darragh Sheehan, a young Kilkenny student, is on the verge of joining the prestigious college basketball circuit in the United States.
The 17 year old Cuffesgrange youth has recently returned from a whirlwind two week tour of the east coast states of North Carolina and Pennsylvania where he was watched by more than 300 college coaches. The net result of the tour is that Darragh has been offered the choice of two sports scholarships provided he reaches the necessary academic standard in next year’s Leaving Certificate.
It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks for the young Kilkenny CBS student after he was plucked from obscurity to show his talents before some of the most prominent basketball colleges in the USA.
The pleasant 6’4” giant from Churchill, Cuffesgrange, was spotted playing with Club Kilkenny against Portlaoise by Joe Davis who has a world wide scouting organisation.
The American-based basketball scout spoke to Darragh after the Portlaose game.
“I talked with Joe after the match. I didn’t know who he was, but a couple of weeks later I got an email inviting me to travel to the US for college trials. I couldn’t believe it.”
Joe was in Cork on another scouting mission when Darragh came up in conversation.
“Joe was down in Cork checking out another player, Graham McFaul and my name was mentioned to him a couple of times so he decided to watch me playing a game in Portlaoise. I was lucky to play well that night scoring 20 points. Then the two of us, Graham and myself were invited to the trials in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. We were the only players from Ireland amongst the 900 that showcased their talents on the tour.”
It was an unbelievable experience as the young Kilkenny man was coached and mentored by some of the top coaching staff in the region. They also gave him a training programme to develop his game.
“I was given a full training and development programme, involving proper diet, gym and weight training. I need to bulk up a bit to compete with the bigger and older players that I’m likely to play against.”
Darragh is also a fine hurling prospect, playing centre-half- back and midfield for his club, Danesfort. He has been part of the Kilkenny underage development squads for the past four years.
“Hurling is my first love and I hope to keep playing it until I have to sign a contract. The next couple of months will be dedicated to trying to win the minor league and championship with Danesfort. But once I head back to school in September it will be pretty much all study and basketball. Club Kilkenny have joined the southern section of the National Basketball League for this coming season. That means we will be playing all the big clubs like Killester and UCD. It’s a big step up but it should benefit me. Of course I have to get the points in the Leaving Cert. Otherwise there’s no scholarship. A good season with Club Kilkenny and a good Leaving Cert. could also open the door to a sports scholarship in Ireland or America,” the young sportsman enthused.
Darragh’s destiny is in his own hands.
