Waterford basketball legend Jillian Hayes is set to be added to the Basketball Ireland Hall of Fame.
Considered by many as the outstanding Irish player of the 1990s, Hayes played for Ireland 67 times and was the driving force behind the Waterford Wildcats in that period.
She won three National Cups in her playing career, winning in 1998, 2000 & 2001, playing in nine finals in all with her first in 1991 and her last in 2009.
When she played in the post for the Wildcats, the Waterford side dominated the league winning titles in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 & 2001. In that time, she added four National Top Four Championships, combined with four league MVP awards.
Hayes represented Ireland at every age grade from U15 to senior, winning her first senior cap at just 17 years of age before she would go on to captain Ireland to a Four Countries title in the 90s.
While her playing career came to an end, Hayes has stayed involved with her home club as a coach and would take that experience on to the Irish setup where she now coaches the U20s while also working as assistant coach to the senior team.
In recent months, Hayes' Wildcats U20s secured the National U20 Cup title, backing up the title the club won in 2022 when her two daughters Sarah and Kate were on the court. Both of her girls play with the Wildcats today and they very much follow in their mother's footsteps playing for Ireland, originally at underage and now, at the senior level.
