New Panthers boss Kiveney relishing tough opening day test against old club Titans

CIARAN Kiveney is relishing the prospect of leading Portlaoise Panthers to Galway for their 2026/27 Domino’s Men’s National League Division One opener against his former club, Titans this coming Saturday night.

The new Portlaoise boss, who took over the team from Jack Scully earlier this summer, believes this weekend’s trip to Ballinfoile Community Centre will offer him and his players a strong early test against a Titans team that made it as far as last season’s league play-off final where they were eventually undone by Limerick Sport Eagles.

Kiveney, himself, coached Titans back in 2024/25, leading them to the National League quarter-finals where they were edged out by Moy Tolka Rovers, and the new Panthers boss is hopeful his insight into the Galway side will help Portlaoise get off the mark early this Saturday.

“Titans is a club very similar to Portlaoise, with a lot of work done underage,” remarked Kiveney. “Bar their pro, the whole team is pretty much similar to the team I would have coached two years ago.

“They're still a young side, and I think, for ourselves and for Titans, it's a great game to gauge as to where we are ahead of the rest of the season, because both sides will be considered teams that are going to be hard to beat in the league. It'll be a great measure as to where we are and what needs to be worked on.

“For myself, going back, I'm looking forward to it. The scouting report for me is a lot easier, seen as though I coached them all, and even last season I watched a lot of their games.

“Erin Bracken is in her second year [as Titans head coach], which for us, is going to be a problem, because they're going to have continuity from last season. The same team, the same coach, and they're going to be very much looking to move on.

“They made the final last year, so it's not a case that they're pushing on from mid-table. They were there or thereabouts, so it’s going to be a great test for both teams” he told the Laois Nationalist.

Kiveney, who is no stranger to Portlaoise having been assistant coach to Scully several seasons ago, has not sought to make any radical changes to the Panthers squad from last season, with mainstays, the likes of Davin McEvoy, Dylan Dunne and Trevor Swaine remaining on.

Forward, Rich Ashu has been resigned after having made a full recovery from the season-ending patella tendon tear he suffered last November, while both Cillian O’Connell and Cormac Howson have returned to the Panthers set-up after a year playing basketball in the US, and the much-experienced Kevin Donohoe is also back for the coming season.

What’s more, Kiveney also intends to continue nurturing the huge wave of young talent that has been breaking through in the club over recent seasons, with the likes of Jayden Umeh and Justice Iheme, among others, starting to make their presence felt in National League basketball.

The Portlaoise boss has also secured some valuable additions to the panel with American, Tommy DiRienzo joining from Team NorthWest while Mykyta Hural, an 18-year-old from Dublin Lions will also bring much-needed height at both ends of the floor for the Laois side.

These valuable signings will go a long way to offsetting the loss of another highly-experienced guard, Xabi Arriaga, who made the move to Tipp Talons.

“When I was assistant to Jack, three seasons ago now, a lot of the players would have been there, so I know them very well” said Kiveney.

“Coaching style-wise, myself and Jack are very similar, so it wouldn't have made sense to try and overhaul the team, especially with all the work that's been done in previous years, and with the underage programme, a lot of which is done by Jack himself.

“I think the club itself is very well set up. The players coming through are very good, so I don't see a massive need to try and bring in extra players. It's more about helping those players move on and progress. That's what my aim is for this season because we already have a very good base there.

“Rich and Tommy bring a wealth of experience into the squad, and we also have Kevin Donohoe. When you talk about veterans in the league, he’s been around for a long time. And the great thing about Kevin is, that he still plays like he's only been around two or three years.

“He's still fit, and he's still more than capable of playing nearly a full game for us, which is fantastic. He's also very good at passing on his knowledge and giving advice to younger players, and that's exactly what we need” he said.

Competition with other sports, has presented its own difficulties as Kiveney has attempted to develop his team throughout pre-season, but the new Portlaoise head coach has rolled with the punches and insists his side will be primed and ready for the their opening day test in Galway.

“We have players who were playing other sports, which has itself created its own issues in trying to get that continuity in training” he admitted.

“But, as I always say, it's not like they're sitting at home doing nothing. They're coming back, they're super fit and they're ready to go.

“It's just a case of getting them incorporated into the team, so I'm not too worried about that. Come Saturday we're definitely going to be ready to go by the time we tip-off in Galway,” he insisted.