Adam Moynihan spoke to St Paul's point guard Gracen Kerr ahead of the season opener against the Liffey Celtics (Saturday 4pm, Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre)

Gracen, welcome to Killarney. When did you arrive? Are you settling in okay?

Thank you. I’ve been here about a month and I’m settling in well. It’s a really cute town.

How does it compare to where you’re from?

It’s a lot smaller, I would say. I’m from Connecticut which is close to New York so it’s really busy over there. There’s less traffic here and I would say the town is a lot older and a lot cuter.

Can you tell me a bit about your background in basketball?

I started playing in 8th grade. I went to private school in Bridgeport, Connecticut and I played basketball there. I ended up playing in college at Kentucky State for three years and my head coach there helped me find an agent who set up this move to Killarney.

Did you enjoy your college career?

Yeah, it was great. We had a really good season last year so it was very enjoyable.

What have you made of the growth of the WNBA? It seems to be getting much bigger in the last few years.

I think it’s really good because it’s universal now and everyone wants to watch girls’ basketball, even outside of the WNBA. I think that new group that came in, the rookies, have really helped bring a lot of attention to women’s basketball.

Looking from the outside, there appears to be a bit more respect for WNBA players than there was before…

Yeah, for sure. I think the biggest problem is that there wasn’t anything close to equal pay. The NBA players get paid a lot more. But the more attention the WNBA teams get, the more fans they get, the more money they get, so… It’s very beneficial.

What’s the landscape like in the States for women’s sport in general now? Are things more equal than they were previously?

It’s definitely improving. Even when I was in school, I know a lot of students and fans wanted to come to our games a little more than the boys’ games. You can see the difference from 2021 to now. Our crowds got a lot bigger, we were getting a lot more attention, we were getting more support. So I would say it’s definitely getting better, in all aspects.

How have your pre-season matches gone with St Paul’s?

We’ve played four games and they went really well. We won three of them. They were close games but we’re just getting used to playing together. The Irish players are really good. Super skilled. You can tell they’ve been playing for a while. I think us coming and helping them out will work well. I’m really hopeful for our season in the Super League.

What about your coach, James Fleming? What have you made of his practice sessions so far?

You can tell he has a lot of experience. He’s a really good coach. The practice sessions are high intensity so we’re getting a lot out of them. We’re there for about two hours going over plays, what he expects, some defence, and then getting used to playing with each other.

I know you weren’t here last season so it might be difficult to judge, but how do you feel the team will adapt to the Super League?

We’re confident. I know we won Division 1 last year which is why we got moved up. We’ve played three Super League teams in recent weeks and have done pretty well. I’m honestly confident heading into the season.

What will you be bringing to the equation as the team’s point guard?

I think I’m pretty good at controlling the pace and controlling the team by calling out plays, and I’m a good passer who can make sure people are getting their points. I’ll get my shot off when I can. I mostly do a fast-pace game so I’m always looking for fast breaks.

If you had to compare yourself to an NBA or WNBA player, who would it be?

Maybe Kelsey Plum because she’s a little on the shorter side and she’s really good at facilitating and getting her team going.

What are your personal goals for the season?

I want to average about six or seven assists a game and 15 to 20 points, help the team win the cup and the league, and just contribute as much as I can.

And for the team? Do you have a collective goal?

The coach has talked about just taking it game by game instead of jumping ahead. The main goal would be to win the cup since that’s first, and then to keep progressing and see where we can get. But the ultimate goal is to win the league.

That’s great to hear. Best of luck on Saturday and for the rest of the season.

Thank you so much!