He still gets a thrill starring for the Hoops – but Liam Scales admits he’s not much cop at shooting them, writes Craig Swan in the USA.
The Celtic ace is relishing being back in pre-season training this summer as part of the squad’s American tour. The Irishman has done the hard yards on the pitch but is also making the most of the down time in the States with sight seeing trips on a scooter around Washington DC – and games of basketball with his team mates at the team’s George Mason University HQ in nearby West Virginia.
Scales and co gained an incredible VIP invite to the White House but the other game was less than a slam dunk. He said: “How was the basketball? Terrible! Absolutely terrible. We are training over at the university and there are amazing facilities. There are basketball courts, baseball diamonds, American football fields. It’s really cool.
“We picked up a few basketballs and had a few shots. The pictures made us look better than we are! We looked like we knew what we were doing. It’s not really something I every played as a kid – it was Gaelic football for me. I’m more comfortable with my feet, and it shows.
“I know Cameron Carter-Vickers’ dad played basketball so he might be decent but, believe it or not, Mikey Johnston is up there. He’s pretty good and he backs himself – maybe more than he should!”
Celtic might have their own Magic Johnston but Scales admitted it’s been a pretty incredible few years. The Hoops have been to Australia and Japan in recent times – and managed to meet the Pope at the Vatican when they were in Rome to face Lazio last season.
It’s been a hectic jaunt to the States with tough shifts in training in the morning and plenty to do in the afternoons and evenings. The squad have
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Liam Scales