![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/us-students-get-first-taste-of-gaa-sports-in-belfast/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/130707837_taniah.jpg&description=Image caption, Taniah Marshall is part a group of university students visiting Northern Ireland for the first time Could top basketball stars like LeBron James or Steph Curry have the skills to be top Gaelic football players? Taniah Marshall from Kentucky thinks the sports are similar after trying her first Gaelic football hand pass. "It's really easy to catch and use my hands because that's what I do in basketball so that's been easy to pick up," she tells BBC News NI. She is one of more than 20 students from three US states who are playing Gaelic sports for the first time. They took to the pitch at St Mary's University College in west Belfast for an intense coaching session in football, camogie and hurling. Coaches from St Mary's and players from the Antrim Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) development squad were on hand to help. Taniah is not the only one to try to find a reference point in other more familiar sports. For Lilli Evans, also from Kentucky, experience of playing volleyball helped. "I played volleyball for a lot of years," she says. Image caption, Hand passes are no problem for experienced volleyball player Lilli "The passes are a lot similar to the serves we have in America, and the hand eye co-ordination is a huge part of American sports and Gaelic sports as well. "It's interesting to see how it's similar to a lot of sports we have in the States so I feel like that's part of the reason why we've been able to pick it up quickly." Within 10 minutes of being thrown a ball, Lilli and Taniah are running and passing off both hands. Elsewhere on the pitch, Connor Carlisle from Virginia and Brandon Melhorn from Pennsylvania are also paired up and passing well. "I've watched Australian football," says Conor. "When the pandemic hit that was the only thing on so some of the rules transfer over, like the hand hitting but it's been a lot of fun playing it so far." Image caption, Connor is trying out Gaelic football for the first time and sees similarities with){kind=link}
Could top basketball stars like LeBron James or Steph Curry have the skills to be top Gaelic football players?
Taniah Marshall from Kentucky thinks the sports are similar after trying her first Gaelic football hand pass.
“It’s really easy to catch and use my hands because that’s what I do in basketball so that’s been easy to pick up,” she tells BBC News NI.
She is one of more than 20 students from three US states who are playing Gaelic sports for the first time.
They took to the pitch at St Mary’s University College in west Belfast for an intense coaching session in football, camogie and hurling.