LONDON (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Ahead of the start of their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers campaign, Great Britain have announced Tony Garbelotto as the new man in charge of the program.

Having already worked on the coaching staff of Chris Finch in the lead-up to the 2012 Olympics in London, the 48-year-old specialist is now set to become the first British-born head coach of the national team in the modern era, when the team takes the floor against Greece and Estonia in November to tip-off the Qualifiers.

"It's an interesting time for British basketball as there seem to be a lot of things happening and there's an incredible group of young players coming through," Garbelotto spoke.

"They are a really tight group and if we can add players to this group for the World Cup Qualifiers, we can be excited about the possibilities where this team can take us."

"We should be excited about our prospects going forward. Some players are very young, especially those players involved in the junior teams this summer but more importantly, the core of this team are at the stage where they can only get better."Tony GarbelottoTony Garbelotto

The incoming head coach is taking over the keys from Joe Prunty, who guided Great Britain to two FIBA EuroBasket Final Round appearances during his four-year tenure but decided to step away after FIBA EuroBasket 2017 in Istanbul.

"You can see the discipline that this team plays with and I think we can be thankful that we've worked with such a high-level coach who took this group forward after coach Finch left the program," Garbelotto praised his predecessor Prunty for the job he has done over the last four years.

"We should be excited about our prospects going forward. Some players are very young, especially those players involved in the junior teams this summer but more importantly, the core of this team are at the stage where they can only get better."

Great Britain will be involved in Group H of the European Qualifiers, which also features European powerhouse Greece, as well as the national teams of Estonia and Israel.

The Garbelotto-coached team are set to open their campaign on November 24 against the Greeks in Leicester, often referred to as the 'mecca' of British basketball, before heading out on the road to face Estonia on November 27.

FIBA