International

Jun 03 2025

McGovern appointed as Ireland men's 3x3 coach ahead of FIBA Europe Cup Qualifier

Ireland 3x3 men’s head coach Darren McGovern ‘honoured’ to step into the role, as he prepares his team for FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup qualifying this weekend.

Albania and Cyprus will be our opponents in Group ‘A’ of the qualifying event in Kosovo, with a place in the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup finals in Denmark this September on the line. The Domino’s Super League winning coach with Griffith College Éanna has included four Irish senior internationals in his squad - Taiwo Badmus, Jordan Blount, Sean Flood and Matt Treacy.

Blount and Treacy featured as Ireland reached the semi-finals in this event last year, beating Malta, Luxembourg, Andorra and Albania before losing out to eventual winners Azerbaijan. Flood was last a part of the 3x3 programme in 2023, suffering an agonising defeat against hosts Cyprus in the final. He joins up with the squad fresh from reaching the finals of the Estonian league with Tartu, picking up a silver medal in the process.

 Taiwo Badmus in line for first appearance in Ireland 3x3 squad.

Prishtina will be a debut for Ireland in the 3x3 format for Taiwo Badmus – who continued his excellent club career in Iceland this season, adding the Icelandic National Cup to a long list of accolades for the 31-year-old.

“We have selected a very competitive side and I'm extremely excited to see how we can adapt each game,” said McGovern. “Our opponents in the group (Albania and Cyprus) have changed rosters from last year, so that will bring unknowns to us. But the 3x3 game is all about adapting each game at a time and I believe we have the group to go a few steps further than last year. I'd also like to thank Colin O’Reilly for his support and guidance over the last number of years.”

McGovern’s charges begin against Albania at 18:00 on Saturday evening, before taking on Cyprus three hours later at 21:10. The top two teams will advance to the final four the following afternoon, with the overall winner booking their ticket to Copenhagen.