Ireland national team pursued two dual citizens for its roster / News - Basketnews.com

Ireland national team head coach, Mark Keenan, revealed that they inquired about the availabilities of James Metecan Birsen of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Conor Morgan of London Lions.

Credit: Dainius Lukšta Credit Dainius Lukšta

Gearing up for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Pre-Qualifiers, the Ireland national team has inquired about the additions of James Metecan Birsen of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Conor Morgan of London Lions.

Conor Morgan

MIN:25.89PTS:12.22 (55.26%)REB:5.06As:2.56ST:0.61BL:0.5TO:1.11GM:18ProfileEuroCup2023/2024

According to BallinEurope.com, Mark Keenan, the national team's head coach, revealed that he was in touch with the aforementioned players.

"I know [Birsen] has recently been part of their [Turkiye] international set-up. It was a long shot to reach out. I spoke to Conor Morgan as well, but he is still firmly involved with the Canadian national team," the coach stated.

Both players have a shot at serving the Ireland national team, with Birsen's mother being Irish and Morgan having an Irish citizenship. However, the possibility seems distant, as explained by Keenan.

In the event that Morgan would be cleared to play, he would be considered a "naturalized" player, colloquially labeled "an import." Birsen's situation is not clear: if he received his Irish passport before the age of 16, he would be considered a native player, according to the source.

At the moment, Birsen remains out with an injury as he picked up a major one towards the end of the 2022-23 season and has not appeared in a game yet this season. On the other hand, Morgan is averaging 12.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in the EuroCup.

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