Graced with Irish accent

BASKETBALL: The story of former Lions and Irish winger Tom Grace being followed onto the international stage by his son is not a rugby tale.

On hearing Conor Grace stands at 6ft 9ins you begin to understand why basketball became his first love.

Grace is part of the sport's next wave. Irish basketball threatened to self-destruct last week before reviving itself at the 11th hour in one of the most exhilarating encounters ever seen at the National Arena in Tallaght.

Here's the short version of what unfolded.

A surprise defeat to Switzerland a week ago left Ireland needing a 13-point victory against the Slovak Republic last Saturday.

At the end of the first quarter they trailed by five points. Then everything changed. Grace came in for the start of the second and played his part by shooting a neat three-pointer that sparked two similar efforts from captain Jay Larranaga.

Led by Phoenix Suns centre Pat Burke, Ireland went on a scoring spree to lead by 22 points going into the final quarter and held off a late Slovak rally to win by 14. The result sets up a two-legged play-off with Denmark starting this Saturday, back in Tallaght, with the winners progressing to the elite tier of European basketball.

At 24 years old, and more significantly Irish-born, Grace plays an integral part on this team. The presence of Irish-Americans like Larranaga, Marty Conlon, Jim Moran and Burke (although the NBA star was born in Dublin) means it is going to take a few seasons in the European leagues before he becomes a starter.

"I just have to work hard and keep the head down. I do know what your saying. It is always a surprise to see a player playing for an Irish team with an Irish accent but it's great that these guys are willing to come over. Give up their time, their summers really, to come and do this.

"Myself and Michael Bree, by having the Irish accent, hopefully makes a difference to some people."

This coming season will be his first year out of Davidson University but a two-year deal with Reggio Calabria in Italy has already been signed after a recommendation from Larranaga and plenty of video footage.

The career path thus far shows a young man of resilient character. It started with the Lansdowne under-eights rugby team. He moved on to soccer with Granada and Mount Merrion football clubs before revisiting rugby, where he played junior cup rugby for St Andrew's College - at fullback. When attracted into basketball by his sister and a friend he adapted immediately. His father encouraged such natural impulses.

"We had a hoop in the back garden and Dad would be out shooting with us. I don't think he really minded when I gave up rugby. He was more pleased that I was doing what I wanted to do. He certainly didn't mind sitting indoors, as opposed to standing on the sidelines during the winter."

Eventually through former Irish under-18 coach John O'Connor he was put in touch with the famous south Dublin club Marian. International underage honours followed before he looked towards a scholarship Stateside. Despite the undisputed talent, this did not come easy.

"I went and played summer basketball with a team in Portland, Oregon. After that I was put in contact with a prep school through Southern Utah University in case someone dropped out.

"The prep school was in a town in Maine of 400 people. The school had 180 boys. It snowed for six months, until May. You focused on basketball. You went to class. There was nothing much else to do. I was there for a year and then I went to Davidson so I have been in America for five years."

A respectable college career followed. He reached the NCAA tournament in his freshman season and led the league in rebounds in his sophomore year. The journey continues with a move into the professional ranks once Denmark are out of the way.

"The town is on the very toe of Italy. It has about 180,000 and all the people come up to you smiling, making you feel welcome. I just got to go learn Italian now."

Considering what he has achieved to date, expect a near-fluent Conor Grace when next he arrives home to Stillorgan.

FIXTURES: Saturday: Senior Women: Ireland v Sweden, 1.30pm. Senior Men: Ireland v Denmark, 5pm (Live on RTÉ).