Belfast Star’s Max Richardson says the return of captain Conor Quinn can inspire them to an upset victory over Killester in Dublin on Saturday night.
Last weekend, Killester demonstrated why they are favourites to win the All-Ireland Super League title when they landed the National Cup with a ruthless victory over Cork side Demons. They also sit top of the Super League, while Star are in ninth – just one place outside the Play-Off spots.
A 2024/25 season of twists, turns and disruption has seen Star struggle to put together a consistent run.
The most recent blow was the loss of captain Quinn just before Christmas due to a knee injury. But he will be back on the Star bench in Dublin and Richardson is relishing the return of Star’s leader.
“Having Conor back this week is going to make a big difference. You can’t lose an Irish international and your captain and it not have an impact. Conor always brings intensity to training and games. He’ll give us all an extra kick up the butt,” said 29-year-old Englishman Richardson.
“As well as being a very driven and motivated guy, Conor is a true point guard, and on the court as captain, he gives us that leadership that we need when things are tough. He can calm people down, steady the ship but also drive us on when we need it.
“Along with his leadership, he is a real scoring threat and we’ve missed his points. Other guys have stepped up, of course, but it means a lot to have him back with us and it’s just at the right time before we face the best team in the League at the moment.
“I watched the Final last weekend and you could see how well they have bought into the small-ball style they have had from the start of the season.
“They don’t have a lot of your typical big men, which usually means more of an inside game. They have more guards, so they push the ball faster and go for more threes and it has paid off, and you can see just how much they’re enjoying their basketball.
“This is the biggest test at the moment for any team, and I think whatever the result, we are going to find out more about us as a team, just how cohesive we are.
“We will need to come out firing on all cylinders, and as long as everyone has bought into what we have worked on in training, then we go and get a positive result.”
Richardson, in his third season with Star, has been one of the club’s most consistent performers at both ends of the court, though he admits there is one area which has caused him and the coaching staff some frustration.
He added: “In my first two seasons, I didn’t have a problem with fouls, but this season, it has been an issue. There have been certain games when I’ve got into foul trouble and that has put the team in a difficult position, so that is one area I really need to sort out.
“The thing is I can’t quite put my finger on why it has been happening. I guess I just need to be a bit smarter.
“Sometimes when you’re trying to have an impact on the game, you can try too hard, and that becomes a problem – you overthink things.”
Despite a poor record of seven wins and eight defeats, the latest coming the previous weekend away to Vincent’s, Richardson defiantly believes Star have much more to offer this season.
He said: “Our goal is the Play-Offs, and then we’ll see what happens from there.
“We have shown that we can hang with any team in the League, but with everything that has gone on, we haven’t been able to get a consistent run.
“We need to be better in closing out games, for sure, just make the right adjustments at the right time.
“We have a very talented bunch of guys, but with our new coach Sean (Ingle) coming in and two new Americans, it has taken time to get that real chemistry that we had last year.
“It feels like we’re coming out of pre-season again. But we know with the talent we have that if we get into the Play-Offs, then we can make some noise and, who knows, maybe bring some silverware back to Star.”