Brits with plenty of options in 24-man squad
LONDON (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - Great Britain have named a 24-strong squad ahead of their FIBA EuroBasket 2017 campaign in Istanbul.
Andrew Lawrence, Dan Clark and Gabe Olaseni, the team's three leading scorers in last year's qualifying campaign, are among those included, as is former NBA star Ben Gordon, who made his national team bow in the qualifying games in 2016.
Great Britain squad ahead of FIBA EuroBasket 2017 | ||||
Kieron Achara | Fahro Alihodzic | Kavell Bigby-Williams | Eric Boateng | Chris Caird |
Jesse Chuku | Dan Clark | Jules Dang Akodo | Ben Gordon | Myles Hesson |
Kyle Johnson | Kofi Josephs | Jermel Kennedy | Sacha Killeya-Jones | Andrew Lawrence |
Ben Mockford | Gareth Murray | Luke Nelson | Teddy Okereafor | Gabe Olaseni |
Justin Sears | Ovie Soko | Conner Washington | Carl Wheatle |
Some bright young talents coming out of the American college game are in the mix like Luke Nelson, who just wrapped up his career at the University of California-Irvine, and Kavell Bigby-Williams of Oregon, a team that reached the NCAA Final Four.
There are also Jules Dang Akodo - a former Deng Academy #1 ranked player - Birmingham-born Kofi Josephs of Hertener Loewen in Germany and Carl Wheatle, who is currently playing for Great Britain at the U20 European Championship Division B in Romania.
"Selecting the squad has become increasingly difficult each year," Great Britain coach Joe Prunty said.
"This is a testament to the players who have continually committed to the program, but also reflects the talent that is emerging and the overall growth of basketball in the UK. It will be extremely competitive for the final 12 spots which should help prepare us for FIBA EuroBasket."
Olaseni provides points and grabs rebounds for the Brits
British Basketball Performance Director Mark Clark is also excited to see the list of players contending for spots on the EuroBasket roster.
"I am pleased to see this national team squad, which has great experience mixed with exciting young talent," he said.
"The culture of this group under the leadership of Coach Prunty gives confidence that we will perform in Turkey."
In Istanbul, the Brits will play in Group D against Serbia, Russia, Belgium, Latvia and Turkey.
They will launch their preparations on July 31 in Manchester.
FIBA