Ryan Leonard
From Tralee to the senior Ireland jersey. The Cup-final MVP whose January was a month to remember.
The international in the engine room.
Kerry has sent plenty of footballers across the county line. Ryan Leonard went the other way with a basketball. The Tralee guard made his name with Garvey's Tralee Warriors, took the long road through five years of American college ball, and finished it at St Mary's University in Texas before coming back to his home club in 2023. There he picked up Lone Star Conference All-Conference and a Defensive Player of the Week nod, the kind of return that said the Kerry years away hadn't dulled anything.
When the Eagles brought him to Limerick for 2025-26, they got a 6'4" guard who already knew exactly what a packed National League arena sounds like. He repaid the move. January summed him up: Player of the Month, then days later a phone call from the Ireland senior set-up for the EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers and his senior debut at the National Basketball Arena. He capped the run as MVP of the National Cup final, where his and Carlisle's scoring saw off Drogheda Wolves. The honours run back a fair way too, Super League Young Player of the Year in 2017, All-Conference in the States, and now a green senior jersey.
Ask around the club, though, and people mention the camps first. Leonard runs the Eagles' holiday sessions alongside Alex Carlisle, working with kids from six up. The internationals get the headlines. The work he puts in with the next batch of Limerick players is the part that lasts.
“A month to remember, January Player of the Month, then a senior Ireland call-up. His consistency and impact set the standard.”
Limerick Sport Eagles, 2025-262025-26 with the Eagles
Named January Player of the Month (after finishing third in December's rankings) and called into the senior Ireland squad for the EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers. He was named MVP of the National Cup final, combining with Carlisle for 45 points in the 83–67 win over Drogheda Wolves, and added 16 points in the Division One final win over Titans BC.
Profile sources Eurobasket.com & St Mary's University (Texas) Athletics roster (height, position, college stats, honours); Radio Kerry & Basketball Ireland (Ireland senior call-up); Limerick Sport Eagles club material; Basketball Ireland (2025-26 National Cup & Division One final reports).