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Scotts Lakers v Neptune: Five things to watch out for

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THE LAKERS host Cork kingpins Neptune at 7.30pm this evening in Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre and there’s plenty to keep an eye on.

1. Can the Lakers keep the momentum going?

It has been the perfect start to the season for the Scotts Lakers who followed up their dramatic opening night win over the Dublin Lions with an emphatic comeback victory against LIT last weekend.

The Lakers will be hoping to continue their unbeaten run with another win on home court.

2. A home debut for Antuan Bootle

Having missed the first game through injury, 6’8” forward Antuan Bootle played five minutes in Limerick and is expected to feature heavily against Neptune on Saturday night.

Local stars Andrew Fitzgerald and Pádraig Lucey have undoubtedly done well in his absence but Lakers coach Vojkan Bencic will be hoping that Houston native Bootle will be able to come in and make his sizeable presence felt at both ends of the floor.

3. How will the Lakers line out?

League rules stipulate that teams can only have one American on the floor at any one time so the Lakers will have to rotate Bootle with Justin Tuason, who has been their top scorer in both of the first two games.

Tuason, originally from the Bay Area, has been electric thus far but Bootle’s return could potentially mean fewer minutes for him going forward, while either Lucey or Fitzgerald (if not both) are also likely to feature less prominently.

It will probably take Coach Bencic a few games before he gets an idea of his most effective rotation.

4. Neptune will surely provide the biggest test yet

Historically one of the most successful sides in Irish basketball, Neptune of Cork will also be hoping to maintain their perfect start to the season when they come to town on Saturday evening.

So far they have comfortably defeated IT Carlow (99-61), LYIT Donegal (113-80) and Sligo (89-52) – that’s an average winning margin of 36 points - and they will undoubtedly expect to come to Killarney and turn over the league’s newest team.

The reigning President’s Cup champions have a squad stacked with talent including one player who’ll be no stranger to local basketball fans: veteran Ger Noonan lined out for St Paul’s with great distinction back when the club last played at this level.

5. Another sell-out expected at The Auracle.

After a shaky start, the home support really found their voice by the end of the Dublin Lions game and the Lakers will be hoping for more of the same on Saturday. There’s a fantastic buzz around the club at the moment and fans are certain to turn out in great numbers to see Killarney’s new favourite team in action.

Neptune are bound to be very tricky opponents but, with a boisterous home crowd behind them, the Lakers will be gunning for an upset.
 


 
Above: Scotts Lakers St Paul's Killarney Basketball team members Mark Greene, Andrew Fitzgerald, Antuan Bootle and Philip O'Connor, Captain, in full flight at the launch of their new national league season campaign by the lake shore at Lough Leane, Killarney. Picture: Eamonn Keogh

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s


World renowned Paralympian and world record holder Jason Smyth paid a visit to St Brendan’s College on Wednesday afternoon as part of a high profile visit to Killarney.


The six time Paralympic gold medallist spoke to second year students from St Brendan’s College, alongside students from neighbouring schools St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School and Killarney Community College.
The interactive talk and interview took place ahead of World Sight Day, with the legendary sprinter sharing his personal journey with Stargardt disease, a genetic eye condition that left him legally blind at eight years old.
The Derry native, who holds the world record as the fastest Paralympian on earth over 100 metres, offered inspiring insights into overcoming physical adversity and achieving success at the highest level of world sport.
The school visit formed the opening leg of his Killarney schedule before he took centre stage later on Wednesday evening at The Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa.
Smyth headlined An Evening with Paralympian Jason Smyth, an event organised by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce as part of its winter schedule, sponsored by AIB.

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Deerpark Retail Park placed on market for fifteen million euro

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Deerpark Retail Park in Killarney has officially been placed on the market with a guide price in excess of 15.4 million euro, excluding VAT.

International real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed as the sole sales agent to handle the high-profile commercial property sale on behalf of its current owner, Investcorp.

Investcorp, a global investment management firm headquartered in Bahrain, had previously acquired the prominent shopping complex.


The sale represents one of the largest commercial property offerings to launch in County Kerry this year.

Located roughly 1.3 kilometres west of Killarney town centre, the scheme enjoys strong regional connectivity and sits adjacent to independently owned operations including a Tesco Extra store, a Tesco petrol filling station, JYSK, and Aldi.


Constructed in 2006, the development extends across approximately 10,482 square metres, or 112,835 square feet.

The scheme comprises a mix of modern retail warehouse units and a complementary neighbourhood centre, offering 13 individual units in total with Part Open and Part Bulky Use planning permission.

The units range in size from 94.6 square metres up to 1,994.9 square metres. Visitors have access to approximately 248 customer parking spaces across the commercial grounds.

The park is currently 100 per cent occupied by a strong line-up of established national and international brands.

Key retail tenants include Marks & Spencer, Boots, DID Electrical, Maxi Zoo, and Mountain Warehouse.

The neighbourhood centre element accommodates service and convenience operators such as Costa Coffee, Card Factory, and Salon B.

The first-floor accommodation is fully let to Peak Performance Academy, which provides additional rental diversification.

Additionally, the scheme benefits from an agreement with Tesla to operate eight electric vehicle charging bays within the customer car park.


Commercial figures show that the property generates a total current rental income of 1,326,458 euro per annum, with a weighted average unexpired lease term of 4.45 years to break options and 6.46 years to lease expiry.

Cushman & Wakefield noted that the quoted guide price of 15.4 million euro reflects a net initial yield of 7.83 per cent, assuming standard purchaser costs of 9.96 per cent.

The selling agents highlighted that the fully occupied asset offers investors an attractive income profile alongside scope for additional income generation through parking commercialisation.

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