- Limerick Lions
Infobox Basketball club
color1 = White
color2 = Blue
name = Limerick Lions
imagesize =
leagues = Nivea for Men Superleague
conference = Southern Conference
arena = University Arena
location =Limerick
founded =
colors = Blue, White, Red
president = John King
coach = Sasa Punosevac
championships = 2002 National Cup Champions
website = http://www.limericklions.com
h_body = #6666FF
h_pattern_b =_thinwhitesides
h_shorts = #6666FF
h_pattern_s =
a_body =FFFFFF
a_pattern_b =_thinbluesides
a_shorts =FFFFFF
a_pattern_s =The Limerick Lions are abasketball club based inLimerick ,Ireland . They play in the Basketball Ireland Superleague, Irelands equivalent to Americas NBA. The Limerick Lions play their home matches at the University Arena, considered the best arena in the league, the University Arena can hold a capacity of 2,500 spectators.As well as the senior team the club also has an underage programme with teams competing on a national level from under 8's right through to under 18's level.
History
The Limerick Lions have a short but colourful history. The club was previously known as Limerick Marathon and later BurgerKing Limerick before taking the name Limerick Lions during the 2004/2005 season. The Superleague team has reached the National Cup Finals 3 times and has gotten to the National Cup Finals Weekend (which is broadcast on RTÉ TV) a total of four times. The team were crowned the National Cup Champions in 2002 after being the runners up the year before. [ [http://www.rte.ie/sport/basketball/2002/0127/basketball.html] , RTE report on 2002 National Cup Win] Former coach Tom Hehir was named the Nivea for Men Coach of the Month on two occasions between 2005 and 2007. While a number of Limerick Lions players, including Chris Jefferies and Jonathon Stevens, have been named Southern Conference Player of the Month.
Mascot
Larry the Lion is the mascot of the Limerick Lions. Larry the Lion entertains the fans at home matches while sporting his own custom made Lions jersey. Larry is also known to make appearances across Limerick City, most notably he marches in the city's St. Patrick’s Day parade annually. Larry is introduced before the team and comes running out to his theme song 'Stop the Rock'. He is considered the most entertaining and active mascot in Irish basketball.
During the 2006/2007 season while Larry was throwing free t-shirts into the crowd he accidentally knocked a woman off her chair and onto the ground behind her. The 'T-shirt Throwaway' is a regular feature of Limerick Lions home games, however on this occasion he was throwing a new type of sponsored t-shirt into the crowd, unknowingly it had cardboard backing and when he launched it into the crowd it had enough power to knock her off her chair. Luckily she suffered no injuries and kept the t-shirt for her son.
Home Arena
The University Arena is an indoor sports arena located on the beautiful sporting campus of the university of Limerick. The Arena is not only home to the Limerick Lions but also to the University of Limericks men and ladies teams (the UL Ladies team plays in the women’s SuperLeague). The arena can hold a capacity of 2,500 fans and was the host (in conjunction with the Limerick Lions) to the Superleague Finals Weekend 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons. Other than hosting top national basketball matches the arena facilities include Irelands first 50 metre pool, 4 basketball courts, the National Strength and Conditioning Centre and a top Cardio-Fitness Centre.
Team
The Limerick Lions senior men’s basketball team for the 2007-08 season is: Neil Campbell, Stephen King, Robert Lynch, Paul O’Sullivan, Mike Dowd, Aidan Holden, Mark Considine,Renars Uzraugs, Damian Lenkiewizc, Kiah Thomas, Thomas Davis, Aidan O’Brien, Matt Hall
External links
* Official Lions Website - [http://www.limericklions.com]
* BI Superleague Website - [http://www.superleagueball.ie]
* Basketball Ireland - [http://www.basketballireland.ie]
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