Latest news with #SeanSweeney
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Spurs Showing Interest in Mavericks Coach
Spurs Showing Interest in Mavericks Coach originally appeared on Athlon Sports. DALLAS - The New York Knicks have expressed their interest in hiring Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd to fill their void at the position after the firing of Tom Thibodeau. Advertisement It is unclear as to whether the Mavericks will grant permission for Kidd to be interviewed at this time. However, the San Antonio Spurs have also expressed interest in a member of the Mavericks coaching team to join the staff of new head coach Mitch Johnson. A national media outlet recently reported that they have interest in Sean Sweeney to fill the top assistant role under Johnson. Sweeney has long been considered as the catalyst for the defensive improvements that the Mavericks showed during their run to the Western Conference Finals in 2021 and the NBA Finals in 2024. Sweeney has come a long way from coordinating film review for the Brooklyn Nets to now being considered as the top assistant for an up-and-coming team. He also spent three season as an assistant with the Detroit Pistons, and prior to that, he spent four years as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks. Advertisement Sweeney spent his collegiate career primarily as a starting guard for the University of St. Thomas (Saint Paul). New head coach Mitch Johnson, filling the big chair now that Gregg Popovich is moving permanently to the front office, will be looking to add trusted advisors to his staff as he takes on his first stint as a head coach. in the NBA. Sweeney has served Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd for several years, and could flourish in this role, should the Spurs decide to close a deal with him in this offseason. Related: Mitch Johnson Outlines San Antonio Spurs Offseason Plans Related: San Antonio Spurs' Rival Could Steal Away Chris Paul in Free Agency This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Irish Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on infrastructure: stop making the same mistakes
The news that the official opening of the National Children's Hospital will be further delayed will not come as a surprise to anyone who has been observing the tortuous progress of this elephantine project. Completion of the hospital, a vital piece of the State's health infrastructure, has been delayed again until at least September, with patients now not expected to be treated there until June 2026 at the earliest. The facility has become emblematic of the apparent impossibility of delivering major capital projects on time and on budget. Concern is intensified by the fact that the Government is committed to the most extensive programme of infrastructure investment in the State's newly-appointed director of MetroLink, Sean Sweeney, has already said the underground rail line from Dublin Airport to the south-central city could cost 20 per cent more than its projected budget of ¤9.5 billion. Sweeney brings a welcome international perspective to the question of why large projects appear doomed to suffer cost overruns, delays or both. He has bluntly said MetroLink's planned completion date of 2035 will probably not be met and that there will be 'grievous' disruption to people's lives during its construction. READ MORE Such frankness is welcome. Stories such as that of the truncated HSS train line in the UK, the aborted high-speed rail link between Los Angeles and San Francisco or the decades it took to complete Berlin's Brandenburg airport, have all given fuel to accusations that the modern administrative state, and democratic systems generally, are mired in over-regulation, excessive litigation and a failure of public administration. Whether fair or not, these critiques carry a particular resonance in Ireland, where a combination of decades of under-investment and a sharp rise in population is already putting intolerable pressure on creaking infrastructure. It remains to be seen whether the reform of planning legislation introduced by the last government will improve the situation, although many observers are sceptical. A report on infrastructure last week from Ibec, the business lobby, had a range of sensible recommendations on speeding up delivery, as well as calling for a review to ensure the wider public good takes priority in planning. And planning is not the only issue. The chair of the new Oireachtas Committee on Infrastructure has said it will examine the practice of 'lowballing' on public capital projects, where estimates of cost are pitched low but the price escalates afterwards. With the benefit of Apple's tax payment and significant resources in the exchequer, the Government has an opportunity to make progress on transformational investments. But it can't just continue doing the same things and hoping for a different result.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Hold players accountable': Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney on Suns' coach radar
Dallas Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney has learned from Jason Kidd, is from Saint Paul, Minnesota and stands on business. Described by league sources as someone who has an unrivaled work ethic, Sweeney is one of several candidates for the Phoenix Suns head coaching vacancy. Advertisement 'He is a winner that will hold players accountable,' one league source said about Sweeney. League sources confirmed to The Arizona Republic this week the Suns list of head coaching candidates: Cleveland Cavaliers assistants Jordan Ott and Johnnie Bryant, Oklahoma City Thunder assistant Dave Bliss, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Brooklyn Nets assistant Steve Hetzel, Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn, New Orleans assistant James Borrego, Suns assistant David Fizdale and Sweeney. Sweeney joined the Mavs staff as an assistant in 2021 to mark the third time he's coached under Kidd. His first NBA job was as a video coordinator for the New Jersey Nets (2011-13). He was then moved up to assistant in 2013 when Kidd landed his first NBA head coaching job with the Brooklyn Nets. Kidd spent one season with the Nets before going to the Milwaukee Bucks in a trade. Advertisement More Suns: Michigan State ties with Suns owner, GM fuels Cavs' Jordan Ott as coach candidate Sweeney followed him to Milwaukee, where he served as an assistant under Kidd for his four seasons there. The Bucks fired Kidd during the 2017-18 season. Sweeney continued his coaching career in Detroit under Dwane Casey from 2018-21. He and Kidd reunited with the Dallas Mavericks in 2021. Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Sean Sweeney and guard Luka Doncic speak during the game vs. the Denver Nuggets at the American Airlines Center, Nov. 18, 2022 in Dallas. The Mavs reached the Western Conference finals in the 2021-22 season. They later reached the 2024 NBA Finals. Dallas had superstar Luka Doncic for those deep playoff runs. League sources added that Sweeney is a 'great leader' who has tremendous command. Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Sean Sweeney calls out in the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena, Nov. 3, 2023 in Denver. Sweeney completed his fourth season with the Mavs. This could be his last if he lands the head coaching job in Phoenix. Advertisement Before coaching in the NBA, Sweeney was a video coordinator on the collegiate level at Northern Iowa. He was the director of basketball operations at the University of Evansville. Sweeney served as an assistant at Anoka Ramsey Community College in Cambridge, Minnesota, and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Sweeney also played college basketball, spending one season at Wisconsin-Green Bay before transferring to University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, where he was a three-year starter and earned all-conference honors as a senior in 2005-06. Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@ or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin. Support local journalism: Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Hold players accountable': Mavs assistant on Suns' head coach radar
Irish Times
18-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Dublin Metro job vacancy: could this fixed-term contract become a job for life?
Fixed-term for the long-term on Metrolink media job A recently advertised media-relations job at Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) could be one of the longer-term fixed-term jobs of our time given it relates to a project mooted more than 20 years ago that has yet to secure planning permission. MetroLink's press office lead, on a salary of €104,971-€129,841, will be hired on a fixed-term contract until 'three months post commencement of passenger services' on the rail system. The job is to ensure 'effective communication with the media, employees and the public' and a key qualification is an 'ability to identify issues and develop effective solutions to keep the project on track'. The project has been attempting to get on track for quite some time, with TII in September 2022 applying for permission for the 18.8km line, running from Swords to Charlemont via Dublin Airport. A second phase of public consultation on MetroLink closed in October, and a decision on whether it proceeds is awaited from An Bord Pleanála, but nobody knows when it will come. READ MORE Swords Central Station Plaza artwork. Photograph: The person currently fielding media queries for TII probably had a busy day last Sunday after project director Sean Sweeney told the Business Post the line was unlikely to be completed by 2035, could cost 20 per cent more than its projected €9.5 billion budget and would be a source of 'grievous' disruption during its construction. Any bets on when the end of those three months 'post commencement of passenger services' might be? Padel plans. Photograph: Alain Jocard via Getty Squash club makes a racket to try save its Ballsbridge home Many observations rolled in before the deadline in a Dublin planning case where Old Belvedere Rugby Football Club is seeking to demolish the home of Old Belvedere Squash Club to build what would, presumably, become the home of Old Belvedere Padel Club. The squash club has a 100-strong membership and a large number served up a €20 fee to tell Dublin City Council of their displeasure about the RFC's proposal to raze their two courts and replace them with three courts for padel , a tennis-like game played with solid bats. Several observers argue the 'destruction of an established community sporting facility' would be contrary to the council's policy objective GI49: to protect existing and established sporting facilities. Demolishing the squash club would be 'a gross and unnecessary act' that would hurt the Leinster squash scene at a time when the game is thriving ahead of its debut at the 2028 Olympics. In its observation, the RFC says padel is one of the 'fastest-growing sports globally' but is underserved in terms of infrastructure in Dublin. There is one court nearby, with businessman Dermot Desmond, an honorary life member and near-neighbour of the RFC, having added one to his Shrewsbury Road home during relatively recent renovations. The RFC argues that padel is expected to become an Olympic sport, 'further validating its long-term growth trajectory', whereas squash, 'while historically important – is a minority sport that has seen a decline in participation numbers in recent years, both in Ireland and internationally'. It says its two squash courts have become a 'financial drain' and that its plan could see usage rates rise from 20 per cent to about 80 per cent, helping to secure Old Belvedere's 'long-term viability'. The ball is now in the council's court, with a decision expected no later than May 27th. Farewell to the 'great O'Duffy' A remarkable life that began in Dublin recently came to an end. Alan O'Duffy, a record producer and sound engineer, who worked with the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Rory Gallagher, Horslips and Eric Clapton, died last month aged 76. Born in Clontarf, O'Duffy and his family moved to London when he was nine. He took an interest in music and, according to an obituary published in the Times, started working at Pye Studios in London when he left school in 1965 after his ambition of becoming a Catholic priest was dashed. At a time when technology was limited and ingenuity was needed, O'Duffy found unique ways to deliver distinctive sounds. He had Slade record part of Cum on Feel the Noize in a concrete passageway leading to a studio lavatory. McCartney, who he collaborated with on the 1975 Venus and Mars record, previously recalled his 'fabulous time working with the great O'Duffy', saying his technical skills and 'wacky sense of humour created memories that to this day are golden'. O'Duffy later worked on scores for TV and film, including An Irish Goodbye , which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2023. A memoir, Music, Magic & Madness: Adventures Recording Music Legends, was published last year. In a post on Facebook, Horslips said O'Duffy had a 'formative' impact on their sound and was 'a pleasure and an inspiration to work with – fun, inventive, tasteful, endlessly positive'. Enoch, Enoch: who's there? Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins Two principals come and go at Wilson's school, but Enoch Burke remains A saga is defined as 'a long, involved story, account, or series of incidents'. It is unclear when it becomes an episode, but the dispute between teacher Enoch Burke and Wilson's Hospital School in Co Westmeath, ongoing since 2022, is surely in saga territory now. Burke was dismissed over a row sparked by his conduct in protesting about what he said was a requirement handed down by the then principal, Niamh McShane, to address a transgender pupil with 'they/them' pronouns. The evangelical Christian argues he was standing up for his beliefs on a matter that breached his constitutional right to religious freedom. The school, for its part, categorised the behaviour as 'gross insubordination'. If a principal's tenure is regarded as an 'era' for a school, this saga is about to enter its third, with Wilson's Hospital currently seeking a new principal successor to Frank Milling, who in November 2022 took over from McShane but is departing for the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. The job description says the successful candidate will be responsible for the 'guidance and the direction of teachers' and establishing 'an orderly, secure and healthy learning environment'. The school is seeking someone 'self-aware enough to know when to seek support, particularly when dealing with challenging situations'. Despite Burke having been jailed three times for contempt over his refusal to stay away from the school, and the High Court last month hearing some €40,000 had been seized from his bank account to enforce the payment of some of the fines imposed for same, he continues to return. Earlier this month, he recorded a video at the front gate about how Milling was planning to move on. The saga continues. Doireann Garrihy. Photograph: Andres Poveda Doireann Garrihy has listenership – and profits – to make up 'Radio is where my heart is,' said Doireann Garrihy when her return to the airwaves, taking on the drivetime slot on RTÉ 2FM, was announced earlier this year. The latest listenership (JNLR) figures, published on Thursday, show Garrihy has ground to make up if the show is to match the highs the The 2 Johnnies were hitting a year ago, with listenership down to 133,000 from the 151,000 commanded by the Tipperary duo back then. The 2FM breakfast show, which Garrihy left last May to 'pursue the projects I've been dreaming about', added 5,000 listeners. Her brief parting from RTÉ did not come without a cost. Latest accounts filed for her company, Doireann Enterprises Ltd, show a loss of €48,000 for the year to August 31st, compared with a profit of €9,000 a year earlier. Despite the loss, the company had healthy retained profits of €493,000. 2FM's listenership is considerably smaller than Radio One's, but it remains the most popular radio station for 15- to 34-year-olds. Getting back Garrihy, who turns 33 on Monday, was a good move by RTÉ as she falls into the right age bracket and target market for 2FM's advertisers.
Extra.ie
12-05-2025
- Business
- Extra.ie
How Dublin's Metrolink ‘could grievously impact homes'
Ireland's planned underground railway, the MetroLink, may go over budget by a massive €3.8 billion, and its completion date is likely not to be met. The proposed € 9.6 billion Dublin rail line is facing a 40% overrun on its budget and is expected to leave numerous homes and businesses seriously affected, the MetroLink's own programme director has now warned. Dr Sean Sweeney, the New Zealand-born project engineer, said the 2021 estimated cost of € 9.6 billion will have risen due to construction inflation and that the 2035 deadline is likely to be missed. Glasnevin North. Pic: MetroLink The director highlighted that since 2021, there has been a 20% rise in construction costs. 'So do the math. The price is going to be some result of that simple multiplication. But we're doing that work now,' he said. Dr Sweeney said the Government will have to face down 'fierce' public opposition to Dublin's MetroLink as a number of communities will be impacted by its construction. 'I deliver what I call 'nation-building projects', which make countries better,' he said. 'You leave the country better off, but that doesn't mean everyone is untouched. Some people get touched. Some people get grievously impacted. But the nation or the city is better off.' In his experience, Dr Sweeney pointed out, public opposition to major projects disappears once they are up and running. The MetroLink map. Pic: MetroLink On the most recent cost estimates, Dr Sweeney confirmed that the MetroLink budget was already likely to have grown from the € 9.5 billion conservative estimate to above € 11.5 billion. He admitted that whatever the estimate ends up being, it will be exceeded, which the Government and the public must realise. 'There's been research on major rail projects, and as a global category, they on average come in about 40% over cost, and this is across lots of projects,' he told the Business Post. 'These are just too big for human beings to see that far over the horizon… [MetroLink] is a big project, and we're going to encounter things that we didn't realise existed.' The project had been due to be completed in ten years' time, but that timeframe will not be adhered to. Griffith Park. Pic: MetroLink 'Any date I give you, until we sign up our major contractors, they are all estimates,' he said. 'Because the people that set the cost and the timeframe are your builders, and they might look at our dates and say, 'No way'. Or they might say, 'We can take a year out of that'.' Finding a construction firm in the international market that can deal with a massive project like MetroLink was the greatest challenge, Dr Sweeney said. And he pointed out that Ireland has 'nowhere near' the domestic construction capacity to build the MetroLink. He said that as a result of this, it must look to the international construction market. 'I noticed as soon as I got here, things take longer,' he said. 'I don't have a magic wand to sort that out.' 'There are € 160 billion worth of metro projects currently being carried out around the world, so that market is already crowded, and Ireland is not seen as attractive to bidders,' he said. 'The thing that's concerning me the most at the moment is getting an adequate response from the international construction market,' he said. 'Because if we don't, we're dead in the water. 'Now, at the moment, the international construction market is not sure about this project. It's been cancelled once… 'The Government looks like it's been treating this as a business-as-usual project, which it's not. So international firms look at that and ask, 'Are we going to spend money and effort chasing this or not?'' Dr Sweeney said Ireland moved much more slowly on infrastructure than the countries he has previously operated in. 'I noticed as soon as I got here, things take longer,' he admitted. 'And it's not a simple answer… It's a multitude of factors. And it costs Ireland. I don't have a magic wand to sort that out. And it's not going to be sorted out overnight. Maybe it'll never be sorted out.' First mooted in 2000, the proposed 20km line, which will partially run underground between Swords and central Dublin, has been launched three times in total, but cancelled or delayed three times by successive governments, most recently in 2011 during the recession.
