Fred Klimas has played his third FIBA Youth EuroBasket, and the Ireland squad list still says Limerick Lions beside his name. The Under-18s finished 17th of the 22 teams in Croatia, three places better than last year.
Last August the club was watching him at the U16 EuroBasket in Skopje. This time it was the Under-18s in Rijeka and Opatija, and Ireland finished with three wins and four defeats from the seven games.
Fred, 17, put up 9.6 points and 3.7 assists a game. He was named in the Ireland Under-18 Final 12 back in April, and twice he has gone into these EuroBaskets a year young. Last season brought his senior debut with the Eagles.
Ireland's wins came against Cyprus, 80–60, Great Britain, 70–63, and Portugal, 82–60 in the 17th-place game on the final day.
It was not all wins. Ireland lost to Finland by two points, 76–78, and were well beaten by Belgium, 63–88, and the Netherlands, 67–89. The closest call came in the classification round: an overtime loss to Sweden by a single point, 105–106.
There was a second Lions presence in Croatia: club chairman Trevor Moore was part of the Ireland staff as an assistant coach, a job he also did at the Under-18 Europeans in Portugal in 2023.
Young players at the club can trace it for themselves: Skopje last August, Croatia this August, a senior Eagles debut in between. Well done, Fred.
Sources: Basketball Ireland; FIBA (August 2026).