Women in Sport: Sabhbh Edwards Murphy, Limerick Celtics Basketball Club

AFTER injuring her ACL in both knees, Sabhbh Edwards Murphy, of Limerick Celtics Basketball Club, has bounced back to be one of the most dominant post players in Irish basketball.

How did you get into your chosen sport?

I went to Moyasta NS which, at the time, only had about thirty pupils so you end up playing every sport. Although the cross country running and high jump didn’t stick, I played basketball for the first time in fifth class and never looked back.

I joined a local club, Cooraclare Bluestars, before going to Limerick for Michelle Aspell’s AllStar Camps in the off-season. After being coached by Michelle and meeting some of what would be my future teammates I joined Limerick Celtics.

Who was your sporting hero growing up and your sporting hero now?

On one of the first drives home from training with Celtics, my dad informed me that Michelle Aspell was not just my coach, she was an Irish International and a Superleague legend.

Although I didn’t quite grasp the extent of her accolades, knowing someone who had achieved anything I could dream of was taking the time to coach me and make me a better player completely inspired me.

When I first joined the club, Jenny Morrison was just home from U16 Euros. I remember her walking into training with her number 11 Irish jersey on. Jenny gave me some hope that my goal of playing for Ireland one day might be real and if I worked hard enough, Celtics could get me there.

Unbeknownst to me, we would eventually be national league teammates and I've been wearing number 11 ever since.

What is the most memorable moment in your career so far?

Fortunately, I've had a lot of memorable moments with Limerick Celtics, Ireland and The University of Akron. However, one that sticks out to me at the moment is my first game back with Celtics this past season. We hosted Belfast Phoenix in a very tough and competitive game where we came out with the win.

The support from the club was unreal but what made this a standout moment for me was having my Mom and Dad in the crowd watching. I’ve had a few unfortunate seasons due to injury and with Covid my parents didn’t get to see my first few moments playing in the States so to walk over and give them a big hug after playing successfully, and being healthy, I was grateful to not be looking at their faces on a WhatsApp call this time.

What would you change in your sport today to help women?

An issue that I faced as a proud Clare woman is that rural areas lack the facilities that can often encourage young girls to stick with basketball. Being from west Clare, there was always a lapse in our ability to host home games or compete in a local venue due to courts not being regulation size or standard.

When I was in Kilrush Community School we played our home games in Ballybunion or Quin and in the Clare club scene this can push a lot of the rural West Clare talent to commute to East Clare or Limerick just to be able to play. And those who can't keep up with that regime are left behind.

If we had half the sporting encouragement of other local sports, and an increase in suitable facilities in West Clare it would undoubtedly help inclusion in basketball in the area and drive more women to stick with the sport.