This week Adam Moynihan caught up with new Scotts Lakers Head Coach Ron Howard ahead of the new National League season, which gets underway on October 5

Welcome to Killarney, Ron. What are your first impressions of the town?

The town is amazing. Last week I went to Ross Castle to see the sights there and get in the lake. And I actually stayed in for a while, even though it was cold! It was a good day. Everyone is so welcoming and I'm grateful to be around good, genuine people.

It’s not your first time living abroad…

No, I played professionally for 13 years so I’ve lived my whole adult life overseas. I was in China, Mexico, Germany for seven and a half years, Bulgaria, Romania… I was able to experience all types of different places and learn that people are just the same, no matter where they’re from.

Can you tell me about your background in basketball, going back to when you were growing up in the States?

I was born in California and growing up I played all of my basketball there. In high school I led the state in scoring in 2002. From there, I went on and had a really good collegiate career. I bounced around a lot of different colleges, but finally landed at a school called Maple State North Dakota. I'm in the Hall of Fame there and was able to win Conference Championships and play in a National Championship game.

From there I started my pro career in the NBA Development League (now called the G League), and I played there for a little stint. But then I knew that if I wanted to truly start playing some pro ball, I gotta take myself overseas. So I went to China and signed for the Zhejiang Cyclones. It was amazing over there. The basketball is at a super high level, and now it's grown even more.

What is your role with St Paul’s? Because it extends beyond the senior men’s team, doesn’t it?

Yes, I'm the senior men's Head Coach and I'm also the Director of Youth Development. So that means I’m in charge of the whole development of the youth programme. When I was looking for a team, I only wanted to go somewhere I would have control over the entire programme so we're not only building that senior team up, we’re also having a big impact on the youth. That's where it's at. The youth is always the future and that’s where we need to be focussing in on.

What have you made of the standard of talent here?

I understand that basketball isn't the first sport here in Ireland and I know it's not the second or third neither, but it's at a level that they want to grow. I would compare the Super League here to Germany's Regionalliga, their fourth tier. The Super League is highly competitive and they do get Americans at a high standard, but the level isn't as good as I would have expected it to be.

But, again, it's a growing country when it comes to basketball, and they've been showing that the last four years.

I see you on Instagram working with the club’s new international players, male and female. What can you tell me about them? What are they going to bring to the table?

With Patrick Lanipekun, we got a local guy. A guy that was born here, left and then came back. So that’s a community guy. He won a championship with the Irish U18 team and he’s a great player. He’s going to be my point guard and the leader of the team. Mikah Blackwell is a funny guy, a guy that you're going to love. He came from a school called Arizona Christian, so he has a good dynamic background with morals and values that he believes in. That, for me, is awesome. He's a two-time Defensive Player of the Year so that means he brings defence automatically, and an energy that is not going to be matched.

As for the girls, we got Megan Ormiston who is also from California so it’s cool that we’ve got that connection. She played at the University of Santa Barbara and then played her graduate year at the University of Nevada, Reno. She's about 6’2” or 6’3” and is a good back-to-the-basket player. And then Gracen Kerr at point guard, I love her game. It’s nice to be able to work with them all four days a week, to tune up their skills and show them some more things to put in their toolbox. I think they're going to be great.

What are your expectations for the Lakers this season?

I want to be promoted. I want us to win the league. I feel that what we have will be able to do that. I've watched so much film on our team, before I even accepted the job, and I just felt that last year things went through the Americans and the Americans didn't give us anything. They might have put a lot of points on the board but they didn't give us anything on the defensive end and they didn't make our Irish players feel part of the team. For me, playing defence is non-negotiable.

This team I have is a whole new team. The style of play is going to be very different to what you’ve seen in the past here. We're going to run a lot, we're going to play real physical. We're going to show that this town, Killarney, is to be respected, and that this is a place for basketball.

How will you blend the foreign and local players into your starting lineup?

I'm comfortable and I'm confident with my local guys because I believe that I’ve got some of the best local guys in the country. They just haven't been pushed, and they haven't been given that confidence to be able to play.

Will there be at least two local starters?

Oh yeah. We're going to run off with Rui Saraiva as my big man and right now I'm in the midst of deciding who else do I want to come out there and start. I love Eoin Carroll, I love Jack O’Sullivan, and I love Jamie O’Sullivan’s game right now. Jamie's getting in unbelievable shape. I'm confident in my young guys.

Are you excited for next weekend’s big tip-off away to the Waterford Vikings?

I am, man. I'm more than excited. I'm anxious to see my guys get after it. We’re preparing by playing Tralee and Killorglin this week. I wanted to play Super League teams to get that feel of how it is at that top level because I want our guys to bring that level every night.

Do you have a message for the local Lakers supporters?

This is a different team, it will be a different type of basketball, and a different level of coaching. This is something that you will want to be a part of.

Best of luck for the season, Ron, and thanks for your time.

Thanks Adam. I appreciate you.