Portlaoise ladies looking to deliver again for Ireland when they head to Greece

PORTLAOISE Panthers will account for no less than a third of the Ireland F45 team set to compete at the 2026 FIBA Masters Open in Greece from 4 to 12 July.

Catherine Ashe, Ann Marie Troy and sisters, Deirdre and Grainne Tomlinson have all been included in Sergio Fernandez’s 12-strong panel for this inaugural tournament, which will see Ireland face off against very tough opposition from Mexico, Australia and Italy in their group.

What’s more, former Portlaoise player, Pam Grogan, now representing Naas Serpents, will take her place in the Ireland F50 squad for this tournament.

Ashe, Troy and the Tomlinson sisters were all part of the Ireland F45 squad that, last, year, captured silver at the FIMBA Maxibasketball World Championships in Ticino, Switzerland, and Ashe, who co-captained that team along with Ellie Curran of St. Vincent’s, is hopeful they can draw confidence from that stunning feat when they head to Greece.

“I suppose you kind of back yourself that bit more going into these tournaments” Ashe told the Laois Nationalist.

“When we went to Italy (for the European Masters Championships in 2024), it was absolutely the unknown, but then when we saw that we could compete in Italy and compete well with the biggest teams, we went to the World Championships the following year with that bit more confidence.

“We also picked up a few extra players last year, which made a massive difference, so then you’re going out with not as much fear.

“But, with these tournaments, because there’s always different teams in it, different combinations of teams, and the fact that masters basketball is building so much, you just don’t know what you’re going to be facing.

“There’s a bit of intrigue there as well, I suppose, which is nice in that you’re not going back to the same thing all the time.

“We’re in a massively tough group. With Mexico, the South American teams tend to be that bit smaller, but they’re always fast.

“And then the Australians have so many professional players in over the years, so they’re sure to be very strong, and the Italy team reached the semi-finals last year and they were really good,” she pointed out.

Included in this season’s Ireland F45 squad are three new players Agnieszka Lukasiewicz, Sinead Hughes and Niamh Smyth, which, coupled with the experience already in the ranks, will make last year’s World Championship runners-up a difficult proposition for any side in Greece.

Certainly Ann Marie Troy believes they have the potential to deliver another great run, telling the Laois Nationalist “I think we will be very competitive in Greece this year, building on our great success in the FIMBA Championship in Ticino last year in bringing home silver.

“We’ve retained nine of the 12 players along with our amazing coach Sergio from last year. This will stand to us, with great experience in the squad and new additions bringing further strength to our game.

“We face Italy who were semi-finalists last year, so this will be all to play for. They will have height on us, but we have learnt not to let this alter our game.

“The weather here at the moment is helping to acclimatise us to what we can expect, so hopefully it won’t be too much of an adaption for us,” she said.

Looking forward to pulling the Ireland bib again this year, Troy added “as always it’s an honour to tog out in the Irish jersey. Especially as the years go by, you want to make the most of it for you and your team.

“It’s amazing to be lining out once again with such dedicated players who have now become life-long friends though this great sport,” she said.

Now gearing up for her third masters international, Ashe is hoping she can build on another strong domestic season with Portlaoise, remarking “We had a really good run in the Midlands League again this year.

“We combined with some of the younger girls and I felt like that gave me an extra bit of a lift as an older player.

“We need that fresh blood in the squad, but I still managed to keep my place on the team and I still played big minutes throughout the year, which I was thrilled with, because that time is limited and any season that you get where you can still have an impact is great.

“And while that can be hard on the body, it does help set you up then for the likes of these tournaments,” she stressed.

Former Portlaoise player, Pam Grogan is also set to make a return to the international basketball stage having last represented Ireland in the World Championships in Finland back in 2019.

Since then she has competed for Triathlon Ireland at the European Olympic Distance Duathlon Championships in Poland where she finished fifth in her age group.

And, while she qualified again this year having won the National Championship in 2025, she opted to return to basketball and will now be heading to Greece where her F50 team will face off against Italy, Mongolia and Australia in Group A.

“It’s always an honour to be selected,” said Grogan. “The opportunity to put on an Irish jersey never loses its significance.

“It’s a very tough group that we’re in. The standard is high, but we’re excited for the challenge.”