LONDON (EuroBasket 2007) - British sports authorities must pull out all stops and help Luol Deng obtain his passport so the Chicago Bulls star can play for the new Team GB this year, according to English veteran Steve Bucknall (pictured).

Britain have recently appointed Chris Finch as the coach of Great Britain and now they need to get their top players involved, and the Sudan-born but British-raised Deng has expressed the desire to play for the country this summer. Deng moved to London as a boy but the 21-year-old has not yet received his British passport.

"They (British Basketball) have to get behind their better players and if he is available I would suggest they move quickly," Bucknall said to PA Sport. "It's vital, and I would suggest whoever is in charge of that sort of stuff makes it number one on their list."

Great Britain will begin their qualification campaign against Slovakia on September 9, and Bucknall knows Finch would love to have the versatile Deng, who averaged 14.3 points per game this season for the Bulls and helped them make them play-offs. Bucknall does believe that Britain got it right when they handed the reins to Finch.

"I have high regard for Chris Finch and his appointment is a good one as far as I'm concerned," Bucknall said. "It's just a case of how fast he can get his point across to the players and yes, I would like to be a part of the coaching set-up.

"I think he is a good coach and the best choice out of all the other candidates, who I believe were Nick Nurse, Karl Brown, who I hear didn't get an interview, which is disappointing, and two other guys from Europe."

Finch, who was born in Ohio, is 36 years old. He has been coaching in Belgium for the last two seasons with Euphony Bree, whom he led to the title last year and to the play-off semi-finals this campaign.
 
A former player with Sheffield Sharks, Finch began his coaching career with Sheffield in 1997 and was named coach of the year in 1999 after leading them to the BBL Trophy and Cup. His European coaching experience is what Bucknall feels will stand him in good stead for his new post.

"His teams always play good offensive basketball and he will be better prepared for the job after his success in Belgium," Bucknall said. "He is used to European basketball after his spell over there and that should help his knowledge about players and how certain teams play.

"He will only have a limited amount of time with the players and if they believe in him and what he's doing then they will be successful.

"I don't question his appointment and believe in his ability to coach, he's been down to my summer camps a few times to work with the kids and his work has always been good."

By Soriebah Kajue, PA Sport Exclusively for FIBA