The Big Interview - Emma and Ellie Glavin

We chatted with Ireland U18 players Emma and Ellie Glavin, as they prepare for their FIBA European Challengers campaign. The twins from Tullamore BC will represent Ireland at the competition in Czech Republic, along with their teammates and coaches. Ireland are seeded in Group B of the tournament, along with Lithuania, hosts Czech Republic, Hungary, Turkey and Serbia. Read more about the tournament here.

The Big Interview - Emma and Ellie Glavin

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So Emma, how did you find out about you both making the squad and what was your reaction when you found out? 

Emma: I actually found out before Ellie did so then I ran into the room and the two of us kind of just screamed for a second! 

Ellie: Obviously it was really good for us both to make the team, we were hoping, that was everyone's hope, that there would be two names on the list and not just one of them, so yeah we were really happy.

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And what was the family's reaction?

Ellie: Tears, lots of tears! (laughs)

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Without competitive basketball over the last 18 months in Ireland, how exciting has it been to be back actually playing and training with a team again?

Emma: Well we are actually really fortunate, an awful lot of people in Ireland aren't getting to play basketball at the moment. So you can tell when we're here, everyone is happy to be here, happy to be playing, and just trying to stay together as best we can

Ellie: Yeah and obviously we were really lucky, like I could train with Emma over the course of the lockdown, so we weren't completely by ourselves, we had that going for us so it was good.

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With the tournament so close, how have you found the preparations?

Ellie: Preparations have been good, like obviously we haven't had much time to prepare with Covid, but we've all been working hard when we've been on the court, and Raff has done really good work with us off the court as well with strength and conditioning, so we're all in good shape.

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And what's the atmosphere in the team like as the tournament draws ever closer?

Emma: Everyone's ready, we've had a lot of time thinking when our next game is gonna be, it's been a long time coming, so everyone's feeling up for the challenge.

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So you'll be coming up against some pretty tough opponents; you have Lithuania, Turkey, Czech Republic, Serbia and Hungary. Are there any games in particular that you're looking forward to the most?

Ellie: Obviously we're looking forward to all the games, it's been a really long time since we've been out on the court and we haven't really played properly together. We're looking forward to [the first] game against Lithuania, and after that we're just gonna take each game as it comes, and hopefully we can adapt as our opponents change. 

Emma: We are just hoping to get into a bit of a flow as the games go on, obviously the first game is important, but there's gonna be nerves, so hopefully as the week goes on the nerves will calm down a bit and we will get to where we want to be.

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So what's it like playing together and now for your country?

Emma: We're lucky honestly, we're lucky to have each other and to be here. We're just happy that we get to play together an awful lot of the time. A lot of sisters or siblings never get the chance to play together so we are just happy that we can.

Ellie: We are really excited now, it's a new experience for both of us, so we're just ready to do it.

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So is it more competitive being a twin when you're growing up and playing sport?

Ellie: It definitely is, but we're lucky in the way that growing up Emma and I have always done pretty much everything the same, especially playing basketball, and we're able to push each other. We have that other person to be able to train with and work with together and tell us what to improve on and all that kind of stuff, so it's really good to have at the same time.

Emma: And I suppose if you're doing the exact same thing as someone all the time, then you're obviously going to start a few competitions here and there so it's nice to have someone to pit yourself against and see how you match up against them.

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And finally, what are your basketball goals moving forward?

Emma: Mainly just to keep playing, see how this year goes, obviously with Leaving Cert. Keep it going, try out for teams, maybe push for Super League, and just play through college and school.

Ellie: Yeah we know Karl would love to see us coming to Killester! (Both laugh) So we'll have to wait and see what the future holds for us, but yeah we're excited.