Women In Sport: Lucy Devoy poised to ‘tip off’ a great career in basketball

Young basketball star Lucy Devoy is only 17-years-old and lives in Corbally with her parents, Tom and Phyllis, and her younger sister, Zoe. Lucy attends Ardscoil Mhuire secondary school and is heading into sixth year in September.

When did you start playing your sport?
I began taking basketball seriously at 11 years -old, having participated in primary school basketball since Junior Infants. I first joined Limerick Celtics Basketball Club as an underage player at u12, where my team has been successful down through the years at winning Cork League, Cork Cup, North Munster League and North Munster Cup. I first started expanding my basketball profile at age 13, representing North Munster u15 (over a 2 year period) in the All Ireland Regional Tournaments. From there I also became a member of the u15 Southwest Team (over a 2 year period) where we won the Tom Collins All Ireland u15 Tournament in 2018 and were runner ups in 2019. As my skills developed, I became part of the u14 South Basketball Academy which resulted in my selection for the u16 Irish squad in 2019 to which I was one of the last 17 squad members training for the 2020 FIBA European championship before Covid hit in March 2020 . I am now currently on the Irish U18 Women's team where I am continuing to develop my basketball skills further.

What has been your most memorable moment in your sport?
There have been numerous memorable and proud moments to count; one of these key moments has definitely been being selected to play for my country. Being able to wear the Ireland jersey and stand proud for the National Anthem is such an honour. Our recent u18 FIBA European Championships saw my u18 Irish Team win 5 out of our 7 games which resulted in our 9th place overall in our grouping. I would also consider my club, Limerick Celtics winning the u18 Girls National Cup in March 2022 as one of the memorable highlights this year. Our u18 team along with our coach Jordan Hehir, showed tremendous commitment in putting in hours of training that resulted in this super win for our Club.

What is the best advice a coach has given you?
The best advice a coach has given me is to 'work hard and the results will show' and I have always stood by this. Hard work will always beat talent, this drives me to put in the extra training to focus on my game.

Where would you like to see women in sports in 10 years time?
I would like to see women in sports in 10 years time to be at the top of their game to compete equally with men. Women in sport has come a long way, there is more recognition nationally for what women have achieved in different sports like athletics, football, hockey, basketball etc. and I would like to see this continue to grow.

What is an important lesson you have learned in your sport?
Being part of a basketball team requires commitment, teamwork, discipline, resiliency, and respect, which are key life skills that are developed over time and can be transferred to all aspects of life, school, college, work etc.
I have definitely learned that whatever you put into something you will eventually get something out of it whether that be a sport, school , job etc. ‘ Trusting the process’ is key in life, not everything can be achieved without true discipline and hard work.

What advice would you offer to any females looking to start sports?
Pick a sport that you know you will enjoy, while also having fun. The worst that can happen is that you don’t enjoy it and then you can move on to try something new. A lot of teenage girls drop out of sports due to exams, losing interest, taking up a part-time job etc, stick with your sport and who knows you could be representing your country one day.