From a hasty exit out of Ukraine to a final in Dublin, Troy Simons is aiming to cap a fast start at Killester

Troy Simons hasn't been on Irish soil very long but the American is already going to be playing in a national basketball league decider.

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native joined Pyrobel Killester in late January and on Sunday, will be part of their team in the InsuranceMyVan.ie Super League final against Griffith College Éanna.

It's a huge day for Killester with the Dublin club's women's team also in league final action earlier that afternoon on what could end up being a day of double celebrations.

As for Simons, the 27-year-old has been much-travelled prior to his arrival on these shores. And while the indoor nature of his sport means he's not often at the mercy of our recent inclement weather, he's finding everything else about his new city much to his liking.

"Dublin is lovely. I definitely like it here, the people are nice and everything's lovely here," he says.

"Back home it's obviously bigger, because I grew up in the city, so I'm used to being in the city a lot. So once I'm in Dublin, I feel more comfortable because I'm around a lot of people and I can explore and see some new stuff so I can get used to it easily once I'm in the city."

While basketball would certainly fall under the rubric of a minority sport here behind the likes of GAA, soccer and rugby, in his short time in Ireland, Simons feels the culture for the sport is stronger than casual observers realise.

"Basketball culture, most people would probably say it's not all that but I'd have to disagree with that," he says.

"Because the basketball coaches here, it's tough for real, because any team can win on any day, every team plays to win, every team is tough, they play tough, it's physical and hopefully we can show everybody that on Sunday."

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