Branagan heading into Four Nations action for Ireland Under-14s

EVAN Branagan will be the latest Portlaoise Panthers player to take to the international stage for Ireland when he lines out in this weekend’s Under-14 Boys Four Nations tournament in East Kilbride, Scotland.

The competition will see Ireland open up their campaign against England on Friday before facing off against Wales and Scotland the following day.

Semi-finals, a 3rd/4th place playoff and a final will then be staged on Sunday afternoon, meaning teams will play five games over the course of the weekend.

Ireland head coach, Keith Daly has assembled an impressive squad and is very pleased to have Portlaoise star, Branagan in his roster, telling the *****Laois Nationalist*****: “Evan has earned his place on the Irish Under 14 team through hard work and consistent performance with Portlaoise Panthers.

“His excellent footwork makes him a reliable finisher around the basket, and he's a tenacious on-ball defender.

“Evan’s ability to attack the basket with confidence brings real value to our squad and we're excited to see him contribute at the Four Nations tournament in Scotland this month,” he added.

Branagan has played an intrinsic part in the most successful season ever for Portlaoise Panthers’ Under-14 team, captaining the side to no less than eight titles.

Indeed, Peter O’Sullivan and David Glynn’s team captured everything that was available to them in Midlands, Kilkenny and North Munster competition.

The team also recorded a tremendous run in the AIG All-Ireland Club Championship back in April, reaching the Under-14 Division A final, where they were eventually pipped 49-42 by Éanna.

Again, Branagan played a significant part in that campaign, scoring heavily as they chalked up impressive victories over the likes of Letterkenny Blaze, Limerick Celtics and Oblates enroute to the decider.

For Glynn, Branagan’s inclusion in the Ireland Under-14 squad for the upcoming Four Nations comes as little surprise given his dedication to the sport and the massive progress he has made over recent seasons.

“Evan is exceptionally talented,” remarked the Portlaoise coach. “He was always there or thereabouts, but over the past three years, he's gone from strength and strength and easily become the strongest player on the team.

“He's just an exceptional kid. His attitude and willingness to learn is second to none. He's the most coachable kid I've worked with and I’m sure Peter will tell you the same.

“He just loves the game of basketball. He adores it. He trains so hard, just constantly wanting to get better and he’s such a nice kid off the court, which is probably the biggest compliment I can give him.

“But he's very driven. He knows he has a potential career in the sport of basketball and it’s evident that he's willing to put in the work.

“This year was definitely one of the most successful seasons for a Portlaoise Under 14 team, and Evan was pretty much the backbone of all that success.

“He's a leader and he's always willing to help and teach younger kids and the less experienced players on the team,” he said.

Lining out for Ireland in the Under-14 Four Nations does mean that Branagan will miss out on his Portlaoise team’s trip to Barcelona for a Euro Cup competition that same weekend, but Glynn insists that representing his country was always going to come first for the Panthers star.

“I don’t think that was ever in doubt” he said. “I think he knew he was in with a good shot (of making the team) and he was always going to put Ireland ahead of the trip to Barcelona from day one. He's hugely committed,” he told the *****Laois Nationalist*****.

The Under 14 Four Nations comes just a fortnight after both the Ireland Under-15 Boys and Girls teams finished runners-up to hosts, England in their respective Home Nations tournament in Manchester.

Panthers were not short on representation in that competition either with Mia Delaney helping the girls national squad to success against Wales and Scotland, while Prince Iheme was among the most impressive performers for the Ireland boys, emerging their top scorer against Wales on 16 points before chalking up a double double of 13 points and 15 rebounds against the Scots.

And it does not stop this weekend either for Panthers, who will see a further two players, Jayden Umeh and Desmond Ogedegbe take to the Four Nations stage for the Ireland Under-17 Men’s squad in Cardiff on 28 and 29 June.

And later in August, Katie Rose Harrison will line out for Ireland at the FIBA Under-16 Women's Youth EuroBasket 2025 in Istanbul, hoping to help her team surmount Group A opponents Austria, Iceland, Switzerland and hosts, Turkey in their bid to progress through to the last eight of the tournament.