Melia's road from Monasterevin to an historic European final

“She came to me when she was 10 and the minute she had the ball in her hand, I knew there was potential there,” said Louise Foster, Melia’s first coach at Kestrels in Portarlington.

“Claire was a quick learner. Her height at under 12 was a massive factor but she learned how best to use it to her advantage. We trained out of a small hall in Killenard and she never missed a session.” 

The early success quickly led to her making it onto regional select teams in the Midlands, where she balanced basketball with Gaelic football for Monasteverin.

“Claire stood out from the age of 13. She was already the outstanding player in the Midlands, probably the whole country. I remember we played two games in Belfast on a Saturday at a tournament,” said Martin Conroy, who also coached Melia to bronze at the European U20 championships.

“Her dad [Ger] drove her back to Monastervin to play a football match. Then he drove her back to Belfast to play two more games with us on the Sunday. That man has driven so many roads in Ireland for her, her whole family helps her so much.” 

Conroy reckons he has coached against Melia more times than anyone else and he admires her greatly, not just as a player but as a person.

“I got a bypass in 2021 and the night before I was driving around town just stressed out of my mind. I arrived home to find Claire and Gary Morrissey, her cousin, sitting in front of me with a Chinese takeaway. That settled me down for a few hours when I needed it.” 

Melia first started to take the national spotlight in 2017 when she was the captain and star player for the Irish U18 team. That squad took silver in Dublin, becoming the first Irish side to ever earn promotion to a European A Division.

“She was very receptive, she took everything on board. Claire was way ahead of many other players but she realised it was a team game,” said Tommy O’Mahony, her coach on that Irish team.

“Her calmness stood out. Whenever the game was in the melting pot, she led by example. That Poland game, the semi-final, it was very tense in the final two or three minutes. Claire took the ball and she could do it. It wasn’t easy in front of those big crowds but the pressure never got to her.” 

On a day to day level, it was with Portlaoise Panthers that she had the most of her development. With her two sisters already playing for the senior side, it was a natural fit.

“When she arrived playing underage, it was inevitable she’d step into the national league side quickly,” said Peter O’Sullivan.

Melia quickly made the senior side and added to her trophy haul. A brief stint in college in the US was followed by a move to Glanmire ahead of the 2021/22 season.

That summer however also brought tragedy as Melia’s mother, Shirley, passed away. For Mark Scannell, the Glanmire coach, it was extraordinary to see how she handled the stress.

“We were up in Carlow in pre-season. She came down to watch the game. I told her to do whatever she had to. A week later, she came to training. It was obviously a vulnerable time for her,” he said.

“As a basketball player, I couldn’t believe the resolve she showed to produce like that at what must have been the most horrific time of her life.” Melia won the treble with Glanmire that season but made a big choice that summer to join Trinity Meteors in Dublin. Niall Berry, her coach at Meteors, jokes about how he’s the only coach to not win a trophy with her but also feels he made her better as a coach.

“Claire was always a winner and doesn’t allow people around her to fall short, including her coaches. I had to adapt as a coach as a result. 

“She has the potential to be one of the best bigs in Europe if she keeps going.” 

Melia had one last hurrah in the Super League before joining Ferrol. Mark Grennell of Killester was thrilled at the chance to work with her.

“I’ve never met someone so driven to work for their team. It almost took having someone at her level to show us the way. There were times where we just didn’t have it on the day. Out of a timeout she’d say ‘here we go’ and score 17 points,” he said.

“As a coach, the challenge is figuring out how best to use her. Once we did that, everything got going.” 

Killester ended a 40-year drought to win the Super League with Melia but, at 25, she’s now aiming for an even greater crown. Grennell and her former teammates are keeping a close eye on her.

“The girls are great at bringing tablets to training. The first 45 minutes of our sessions tend to be spent following her games,” says James Weldon, the national team coach who has been working directly with Melia since 2019. He has been thrilled by her development in Spain.

“She has been challenged by playing more often at that higher level. In Spain, she has to do that two or three times a week. The Eurocup is amazing but the most important thing for her career has been getting that experience in the Spanish league,” he said.

“It’s incredible, she puts so much pressure on the opposition. Her IQ is probably her biggest asset. When she’s getting double or triple-teamed, she’s very smart and makes good decisions. Claire has a pass-first mentality, which automatically means her teammates love her.” 

Weldon believes Melia’s success will have a knock-on impact on the game in Ireland.

“It will encourage more players to give it a go. We already have other players well capable of getting a good contract in Europe. This will have a huge ripple effect on the game. It’s a national story, not just a basketball story.” 

There has already been one visible impact of Claire Melia’s feats for Ferrol and Ireland. Monasterevin didn’t have a basketball court when she started playing. It does now.