Basketball: Deora Marsh, American born but Ballina by heart, received the ultimate honour from basketball’s governing body in Ireland on Saturday night when he was inducted into the Basketball Ireland Hall of Fame.
Deora, who arrived in Ireland in 1982 and later made his home on the banks of the Moy, is recognised as one of the finest players to have ever played in Irish domestic basketball. He was one of four people to be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony which took place at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dublin.
A native of Ashtabula County, Ohio and who played Division 1 NCAA basketball with the Southern Mississippi Eagles, guided North Monastery Cork to promotion to the top flight in his rookie season here, and was then signed by Ballina who he would also inspire to promotion and help establish as one of the most charismatic and followed and groundbreaking teams in national league history.
In the 1990s they would win two National Cups (1991 and 1996) and the league itself (1992). No other side from Connacht had ever won top-flight national honours and those remained Connacht’s only titles until Maree delivered the National Cup in 2023.
Marsh starred and top-scored in all three finals, netting 30, 31 and 32 points respectively and being named MVP on each occasion.
To this day he has coached and inspired hundreds of underage Mayo basketball players and has even dabbled in GAA coaching, including with the Mayo senior footballers.
He joins his old teammate Liam McHale in the Basketball Ireland Hall of Fame and the award sits alongside his Hall of Fame from his alma mater in Ashtabula County.
This year’s other Hall of Fame recipients were Jillian Hayes, who won six Super League titles and four National Top Four championships with Waterford Wildcats, former international player and administrator Sheila Gillick, and Tony Burke, who played with Corinthians and Killester before making his mark as a referee.
