IT may have looked summer-like but the dark days and nights of winter were brought to mind as the new All-Ireland Basketball season was launched in Dublin when the teams to compete over the months from October were unveiled and some new structures explained.
The expanded league has a number of new features, including a return to the Super League brand for the top tiers in the Men's and Women's National Leagues. The Men's National League Division One is also to feature two conferences.
Teams will play each other in their own conference twice during the season and will also play each team in the other conference once.
That means three extra home games and three extra away fixtures.
Tralee make a return to the Men's Super League after an absence of a few years when they were rebuilding their squad of player while Dublin side KUBS is also included.
Belfast Star, of course, return but with a change of coach for the coming season. Taking up the baton, once more, is Darren O'Neill who won the league in the past with Star and who had a pretty successful summer season as coach of the Irish U20 men's team.
It is a time of returns as back on the national court, once again, will be teams from UUJ.
Ulster University Elks will play in Conference B of Men's Division One while Ulster University Elks are also entered in the Women's Division One league.
The men's Division One will, during the coming season, be divided into A and B Conferences.
Normally, the basketball leagues didn't tip off until the first weekend in October but this season the action will get under-way on Friday, September 23 when newcomers Tralee Warriors visit last years Super League winners UCC Demons. A full list of fixtures will follow on the Saturday and Sunday of that weekend.
The teams and their home venues for the season are:
Men’s Super League
Belfast Star (Methodist College, Belfast)
Commercial.ie Eanna (Coláiste Éanna, Rathfarnham)
DCU Saints (DCU Sports Complex, Glasnevin / St. Vincent's SS, Glasnevin)
GCD Swords Thunder (ALSAA, Dublin)
KUBS BC(Carroll Arena, Greendale)
Pyrobel Killester (IWA, Clontarf)
SSE Airtricity Moycullen BC (Kingfisher NUI Galway)
Templeogue BC (Oblate Hall, Inchicore)
Tralee Warriors BC (Tralee Sports Complex)
UCC Demons (Mardyke Arena, Cork / Parochial Hall, Cork)
UCD Marian (UCD Sports Centre, Belfield)
UL Eagles (UL Sport Arena, Limerick / UL PESS Building, Limerick)
Women’s Super League
Courtyard Liffey Celtics (Leixlip Amenities)
DCU Mercy (DCU Sports Complex, Glasnevin)
Glanmire (Upper Glanmire Sports Hall)
Maxol WIT Wildcats (Mercy SS, Waterford / Waterford IT)
Meteors(Coláiste Íosagáin, Stillorgan)
NUIG Mystics (Kingfisher NUI Galway)
Portlaoise Panthers (St Mary's Hall, Portlaoise)
Pyrobel Killester (IWA, Clontarf)
Singleton's Supervalu Brunell (Parochial Hall, Cork)
Men’s National League Division One — Conference A
Fr Mathews (Coláiste Chríost Rí, Cork)
ITC Basketball (The Barrow Centre, IT Carlow)
Keane’s SuperValu Killorglin (Killorglin Sports Complex)
Kestrels (Coláiste Íosagáin, Portarlington)
BFG Neptune (Neptune Stadium, Cork)
Team Kilkenny (The Watershed, Kilkenny)
Men’s National League Division One — Conference B
Dublin Lions (Coláiste Bríde, Clondalkin)
LYIT Donegal (Letterkenny IT Sports Centre / Foyle Arena, Derry)
Maree (Calasanctius College, Oranmore)
Sligo All-Stars (Mercy College, Sligo)
Titans(Coláiste Iognáid (Jes), Galway/ Knocknacarra Community Centre)
Ulster University Elks (Ulster University, Jordanstown)
Women’s National League Division One
ITC Basketball(The Barrow Centre, IT Carlow)
Fr. Mathews (Coláiste Chríost Rí, Cork )
Marble City Hawks (O’Loughlin Gaels Hall, Kilkenny)
Oblate Dynamos (Oblate Hall, Inchicore)
UL Huskies (UL Sport Arena, Limerick / UL PESS Building, Limerick)
Team Denjoe's American Style (Castleisland Community Centre)
Ulster Rockets(Methodist College, Belfast)
Ulster University Elks (Ulster University, Jordanstown)
