by Adam Moynihan

New Scotts Lakers captain Rui Saraiva says it is a “pleasure” to lead the team as they aim for a playoff spot in the 2022/23 National League.

The 25-year-old Portuguese player signed for the Lakers at the start of last season and he has quickly made Killarney home. While fellow foreigners Godwin Boahen and Emilian Grudov have moved on to pastures new, Saraiva chose to stick it out in Kerry for one more season at least.

His loyalty has been rewarded with the figurative captain’s armband and speaking to the Killarney Advertiser this week the popular playmaker revealed that he is relishing the role – and his time in this corner of the world.

“Killarney is a beautiful town,” Saraiva said. “I felt welcome here since the moment I arrived. People are nice and we get good crowds to the games. I feel at home.

“I’ve been playing for a while now and I’ve played professionally in Portugal as well, so as soon as I came to the team I feel as though I had a leader’s mentality. I think the coach (Jarlath Lee) saw that in me and that’s why he offered me the role. I took it gladly because I’m vocal and I want to share the knowledge that I have with the young players. For me, it’s a pleasure to captain this team.

"As the team captain I’m trying to push everybody to be aggressive in practice and take everything seriously. Hopefully that will help us take the next step.”

The National League can be unsettled by nature as players – particularly international players – transfer quite frequently. The Lakers have been no different. Saraiva admits that this has been challenging but he still feels as though he and his teammates can challenge for top honours this season.

“Normally the foreign players come here and look for a good place to start – they don’t think about the long-term. It’s difficult having to rebuild again this year because we felt we had a good thing going last season, especially at the end of the season. It’s tricky now with new players. The good thing is that the local Kerry players are still here and they’re getting better and better.

“At the moment we’re just adapting to each other and making the effort to get to know each other. We’re not at full strength yet but we’re evolving every week. We have a strong team. Hopefully we can get a good spot in the playoffs and from there it’s anybody’s game. I think we have a team that can fight for every match.

“I want the kids to get better as well and maybe make the national teams. We’re trying to get everybody minutes, and if they can help us win then all the better. We need all the help we can get.”

Saturday’s home game against the Limerick Celtics (7.30pm, Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre) will give Lakers fans their first opportunity to see 6’9” Swedish centre Aron Walker. Saraiva believes he and his teammates will need to be at their best to improve on their 1-1 record.

“The Celtics have won their first three games. They have a new squad this year and I think they’re much stronger than last season. From the games that I’ve watched on Basketball Ireland TV, they’re solid and they’re aggressive. That’s what we’re expecting: an aggressive team from minute one. They do a full-court press as well so we’re gonna have to be aware of that.

“We will need to match their intensity and play our best basketball because even small distractions can kill us.

“We’re playing at home so we’re hoping that we have all the support that we need in the crowd.”