Coogan ready to hit the court at European Championships

A combination of competitiveness and love for basketball will see Lucy Coogan represent Ireland in the European Championship in Romania this summer. 

With 16 underage appearances for the nation, Coogan is now set to step up and compete in the under-20 Women’s European Championships this July.

The Kilkenny native has been named in the 12-player squad for the Championships, which will be held in Craiova, Romania between July 28 and August 6. Ireland have been grouped with Greece, Romania and Georgia, and will start with a game against the Greeks on July 28.

Inspiration

As a child Lucy Coogan fell in love with basketball. Her passion, combined with her talent and work ethic, makes for an incredible player to be watched. 

"I realised when I was about 12 years old that I had it in me to do really well in this sport, so I started working,” she said.

Coogan started her basketball career in Castlecomer at the age of eight and quickly found a love for the sport after watching a national league basketball match featuring Kilkenny Stars coach and Team Left Bank player, Puff Summers.

Summers soon became a massive influence on Coogan’s career. The Kilkenny Stars coach saw real potential in Coogan and took her and sister Ava under his wing. 

“Puff is and has always been such a big inspiration to me,” said Coogan. “He showed me what I was capable of and still drives me on to be the best I can be.”

Although Coogan is currently located in Caldwell University, New Jersey which she attends through a basketball scholarship programme, she acknowledged that coach Summers is still as supportive as ever, even from across the pond.

“He watches all of my college games and rings me afterwards with his feedback,” she said.  

Sacrifice

As a high performance athlete Coogan is no stranger to sacrifice. After finishing her Leaving Cert at the Loreto Kilkenny, she packed up her things at eighteen and made the move to Caldwell University, New Jersey, where she is studying a degree in Health Science. 

She acknowledged that this was an extremely hard thing to do, to leave all friends and family behind and move far away from home, however she maintained that her sacrifices have all paid off and she couldn’t be happier or prouder of herself. 

“It was definitely a huge sacrifice to leave all my friends and family behind but it’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” she said. 

“It’s a completely different lifestyle, but I’ve loved every second of it since I’ve arrived,” she added with full confidence. “I settled in so quickly and I’ve made friends for life this past year.”

Coogan admits that the going can get tough, and there are many sacrifices still being made everyday, but she is adamant there is no other path she would rather be on. 

“There are a lot of late nights followed by early mornings,” she said of combining sport with studies. “It does get tiring, but when you have the passion and drive, it doesn’t feel like a chore. My competitive nature and the love I have for the sport drive me on.”

Girls in green

Now with the school year behind her, Coogan has only one thing on her mind: the European Championships. Ireland’s under-20 girls in green have been training relentlessly for the last while, putting in the hours ahead of their European adventure. The days in camp leading up to their trips abroad in the coming weeks are long, with six-hour training sessions taking place three times a week. Coogan says she’s really looking forward to getting out and putting what they’ve been practising to purpose. “I’m excited, the team is excited, we’re all ready to play now,” she said eagerly. “We have a great team and are really hoping to do well and get something out of this year.”

Getting to play for your country is an honour for any sportsperson. It’s something Coogan doesn’t take for granted. Having represented Ireland at the under-18 European Championships with distinction - she put in an impressive showing, finishing as Ireland’s second leading scorer (14.4 points per game), while also chipping in with a valuable eight rebounds and two assists per game during the tournament), she is ready to step up a level.

Honour

“When I take a second to look back I start to realise that all of my dreams are coming true,” she said. “It’s an indescribable feeling.”

With 16 caps for Ireland to her name, you can hear the pride in Coogan’s voice when she speaks about the honour which comes with competing for her country. 

“It’s an amazing feeling to see that all my hard work over the years has paid off.” she said.

Coogan takes great pride in wearing the green jersey and wishes to continue to inspire the young girls of Kilkenny such as Faye McDonnell and Kaitlyn Summers who have followed in her footsteps and are now set to represent Ireland at under-16 level this summer. 

“It’s just so cool to be able to inspire other young girls and to show them anything is possible,” she said. 

The Future

As for the future, Coogan is set to return to the States at the end of August later this summer where she will continue her four year basketball scholarship and carry out her degree in Health Science. 

Grateful for every opportunity she has gotten so far, Coogan thanks  everyone who has enabled her to achieve her dreams such as her family, friends and sponsors, Coogan Auto Mercedes specialist Castlecomer and Mercbitz.ie, the talented star  can’t wait to see what the future has in store.