Foto: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO
Melia becomes the first Irish woman to play in a FIBA European club final. While she didn’t secure the gold, earning a medal has made her part of history
The player is a key figure for her team, Baxi Ferrol. In the first leg of the Eurocup semifinal, she scored 27 points and 13 in the second leg, alongside 9 rebounds and 4 assists. In her first season in Spain, she’s shown her worth in the Liga Femenina Endesa, standing out for her versatility and ability to create plays and score. She’s a big, tough player with undeniable quality.
Claire has been a standout from her early days in basketball, although it wasn’t her only sport. She played Gaelic football until the age of 16. She’s represented Ireland at every level, from the youth teams to the senior national side.
The player also took her talents across the Atlantic to play in the United States, at Saint Joseph’s Hawks University during the 2019-2020 season. Despite putting up solid numbers, she made the decision to return home to Ireland.
Among her key achievements are winning the Superleague National Cup with Glanmire in 2022 and the Superleague regular season with Killester in the 2023/24 season, both in the top tier of Irish basketball. Now, at 25 years of age, she captains the senior national team and is the driving force behind the Irish women’s side.
Claire Melia is a prime example of the progress women’s basketball is making globally. More and more, smaller countries are producing players of exceptional talent, with European and American teams increasingly drawing from not just local players but also from a wider pool of talent from around the world, beyond just the big basketball nations.
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