Letterkenny basketball ace Maria Kealy set for US switch

Rising Letterkenny basketball ace Maria Kealy is set to move to the United States.

Kealy, who has just sat her Leaving Certificate at Loreto Secondary School, is to join the Quinnipiac University women's basketball team.

Kealy will move to the Bobcats for the 2023-24 campaign and will have four years of eligibility.

Quinnipiac University is located in Hamden, Connecticut and Kealy most recently lined out for Ulster University in the Irish Super-League.

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Head Coach Tricia Fabbri is delighted to welcome Kealy, who plays as a guard, to Quinnipiac.

"We enthusiastically welcome Maria Kealy to our Bobcat family," said Fabbri. "With Maria, we are gaining a seasoned basketball player with many FIBA international experiences playing for the Irish National team.

“We immediately took note of her tenacity, skill, passion for winning, and her basketball acumen with the ball in her hands. We think she is the perfect addition to an already talented first-year class."

Kealy competed for Ireland at the Under-18 European Championships in 2021 and has featured in international sides over recent years.

Kealy was a vice-captain for the 2022 Championships, where she averaged 6.9 points, 7.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.1 steals per game.

With Letterkenny Blaze, Kealy led her side to an Under-16 All-Ireland in 2019 as well as four consecutive Northwest League and Cup championships (2018-2022).

Kealy captained Loreto to glory in the All-Ireland School League Junior A final in 2019. In a thriller, Loreto overcame Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal from Blarney 49-42.