Ireland U18 MNT head coach announces squad of 29 for 2025/26 season

Ireland U18 MNT head coach Niall Berry has selected a squad of 29 players ahead of the forthcoming international season, which will culminate with FIBA Youth EuroBasket in the Summer of 2026. The squad includes eight previously uncapped players. 

Six players - Adam McCarthy, Aivaras Buzas, Kieran Quinn, Nathan Gbinigie, Shareef Elmahi and Mark Burns - return from the squad which finished in 20th place at this season's tournament in Romania, while a further 10 players make the step up from the very successful U16 squad of 2025. 

There is representation from eight counties in the extended squad - Antrim, Cork, Dublin, Laois, Kerry, Limerick, Galway, Tipperary. Oblates Basketball Club from Inchicore in Dublin have the largest number of players inlcuded at three, while Belfast Star (2), Neptune BC (2), Eanna BC (2), Tolka Rovers (2), Dublin Lions (2), Titans BC (2), Portlaoise Panthers (2), Killester BC (1), South Tipp Titans (1), St. Declan’s BC (1), Limerick Lions (1) and Templeogue BC (1) are also represented.

Eight players who currently play in countries such as the USA, Germany and Spain also make the grade.

Speaking after announcing his squad, head coach Niall Berry said: 

“On behalf of our coaching staff I’m delighted to announce this preliminary squad of 29 players who will compete for places in the final U18 men’s EuroBasket squad as the program progresses. The growth and development of the U17 Academy program coupled with the success of the U16 team last year made this a very difficult initial selection process. 

There are so many talented kids in this country and so many young players earning opportunities to play abroad. We’ve selected 8 players who are abroad and other players who we will consider for tryouts at our Christmas camp. The dedication and commitment levels of these young man are outstanding and the work it takes to progress to a standard that puts you above that of your peers should not be taken lightly. 

We have so many very talented kids who won’t be moving forward in the program and we want to say a thank you to them for the work they have done to be part of the selection process. We hope that this will serve as motivation to come back stronger in the future.

It’s always a great honor to represent your country and to put on the shirt and we believe the players selected all have what it takes to do so. It is now up to them in the coming months to compete to separate themselves from the pack and earn that place in the final roster.”

Ireland squad: 

Adam McCarthy (Eanna BC), Aidan McGrath (Thayer Academy / Expressions Elite), Aivaras Buzas (NABA), Bentoy Monshengwo (Dublin Lions), Collins Ejike (Killester BC), Declan Ehigie (Westtown School, PA), Desmond Ogedegbe (Portlaoise Panthers), Etinosa Ehioghae (Rasta Vechta, Germany), Elliot Kristiansen (Declans BC), Fryderyk Klimas (Limerick Lions), Harry Lynch (Eanna BC), Joaquin Patrick Pahinag (Oblates BC), Jayden Umeh (Portlaoise Panthers), John Murphy (Templeogue BC), Kieran O'Shaughnessy (St. Ignatius College Prep, San Francisco), Kieran Quinn (Bergen Catholic, Oradell NJ), Layden O'Neill (Belfast Star), Lewis Adjinakou (Oblates BC), Lorcan Bailey Morrow (St Andrews High School, Rhode Island), Mark Burns (Belfast Star), Michael Cunningham Smyth (Titans BC), Michael Kenny (Oblates BC), Nathan Gbinigie (Titans BC), Oliver Ensko (Neptune BC), Patrick Omotade (Tolka Rovers), Patrick O'Keeffe (South Tipp Titans), Ruben Fraunfelter (Tolka Rovers), Sean Noonan (Neptune BC), Shareef Elmahi (Dublin Lions).