Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Michael Turnbull

Irish Basketball mourns passing of Garreth Blount

The Irish Basketball community is in mourning following the passing of youngster Garreth Blount.

The 22-year old passed away after a brave battle against cancer and will be fondly remembered by teammates, friends and family.

Garreth is the younger brother of Basketball star Jordan who plays for Neptune and Ireland. Their father Gary Sr was a respected coach and referee and passed away in 2020.

READ MORE: Anthony Yarde and Artur Beterbiev set for firecracker fight where both will hit canvas

Despite his illness Blount was still involved in Basketball right up to his passing. He was present as part of the Glanmire BC that played in the Intermediate Cup final last weekend.

Basketball Ireland confirmed the youngsters passing on Friday. A statement read,

"Everyone at Basketball Ireland would like to extend our deepest condolences to Jordan and the Blount family on the passing of Garreth Blount. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis."

Garreth Blount played underage with Ballincollig and was also a teacher and coach. He had also worked in England and Spain. Blount was always generous with his time and he regularly ran camps for disadvantaged people and coaching in schools.

Upon the onset of Blount's diagnosis his family set up a GoFundMe page in November 2022 in an attempt to prolong Garreth's life. In a december interview with the Irish Examiner his brother Jordan said,

"Possibly the only regret I have in my life or career is that I wasn’t there by my dad’s side when he passed away two years ago. When Garreth was diagnosed, it was about creating a situation whereby I could still do everything I wanted to on a basketball floor yet also be there for my family.”

The GoFundMe link can be found here.

READ NEXT:

Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.