Ireland's Neal Quinn believes his team can recover from a disappointing start to their FIBA EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers campaign with victory at home to Azerbaijan this evening.
Ireland fell to defeat in their opening two Group A games, 89-77 away to Luxembourg and an 88-76 home defeat to North Macedonia, two results which have put a dent in their qualification hopes.
Azerbaijan are first up for Ireland in this evening’s game at the National Basketball Arena before a return game with Luxembourg on Monday and then trips to North Macedonia and Azerbaijan in July.
Two wins from the next two games are essential to keep Irish hopes alive as they are realistically now targeting a second-placed group finish and hoping to be the best-ranked second-placed team from three first round groups to advance to the second round of qualifiers.
Centre Quinn is confident that Ireland can put together a winning run, starting with Azerbiajan and push their claim for that runners-up spot.
"I definitely believe it's within reach," he said, speaking to RTÉ Sport. "I like our chances, especially as we're continuing to improve. So, I think it's very possible [to be the top second place team].
"Azerbaijan's a beatable team, Luxembourg's a beatable team. You know, North Macedonia, for me, is still a winnable game. If we show up with good players who are ready to play, I think we can take them for sure."
While it’s Azerbaijan who are first up for Ireland, Quinn has one eye on Monday’s game with Luxembourg as he seeks revenge for the November’s opening group game where his side were beaten 89-77 away from home.
It’s a result that still rankles with Quinn, who believes his side didn’t do themselves justice on the night - something he’s hoping to put right on Monday.
Speaking of that defeat, he said: "I definitely think that one hurt a lot, especially because we beat them twice, two years ago, pretty handily at their place, and it was a closer game in the arena.
"It was a step back for us, I think. But we will continue to slingshot forward now, as we played much better against North Macedonia, and guys are starting to understand what we want to do.
"And, you know, we'll continue to improve and try to win out from here on. "
