23 points from Estudiantes forward Dan Clark led Great Britain to an 84-80 win over Bosnia in Sarajevo last night which sent the side top of their European Championship qualifying group.
Chris Finch’s men now head for Birmingham on Saturday to face Ukraine, who defeated Hungary 80-71, and although they were forced to battle right to the finish, a third victory from three ties puts them in pole position to reach next year’s finals in Lithuania.
“This was a tough game,” said Clark. “Bosnia were coming off of a loss on the road and they played well in the first half. We played tough down the stretch."
GB made life difficult for themselves when they fell 11 behind in the opening quarter. With in-form Clark converting his first eight shots, they fought back but Bosnia responded to grab a 48-41 lead at half-time.
A flurry from Nate Reinking and Clark drew the visitors level early in the third and after Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng opened up a three-point lead, their rivals quickly responded to send the tie into the fourth period deadlocked at 64-64.
However in a tight finale, Clark sank two late free throws to put GB ahead for good with a minute left and Reinking, who had 21, hit the clinching scores in the dying seconds to give GB captain Drew Sullivan a victory to go with his record-breaking 50th cap.
“It’s a heck of an achievement,” said Finch. ”Drew and Nate have been here since day one. He’s been an inspirational captain and a great leader and if you’re going to build a team, it’s around guys like him.”
Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu each finished with 16 points, with the latter pulling down 13 rebounds.
Ratko Varda led the Bosnians with 20 points, while Kenan Bajramovic had 16 and Henry Domercant 14.
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Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Pops Mensah-Bonsu joins Caja Laboral Tau, signs 2-year deal
Pops Mensah-Bonsu has signed a two-year with Spanish play-off winners, Tau Baskonia, after the Great Britain centre rejected a move to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The Londoner, who left CSKA Moscow at the end of last season, is understood to have a NBA release clause next summer. But he admitted that he is relishing a second spell in the ACB.
“This is as a good as it gets,” he said. “Especially in the ACB, you couldn’t ask for more. I wouldn’t have gone if it wasn’t an ideal situation. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s going on. It’s a great league, second only to the NBA. It suits the way I play. I’m looking forward to it.”
The former Toronto and Dallas reserve concedes he still harbours ambitions to return to the NBA, despite his failure to solidify his place in spells with four different teams in the league.
“I’m still young,” he said. “I’m not chasing it. If they want me, they can come find me. I’m someone who holds the NBA in high regard. I feel I’m a NBA player. But I have no problem coming to Europe. The quality of basketball is high. But if they want me they’ll come get me and I’ll keep playing as hard as I can.”
He joins a Caja Laboral side that is fresh off shocking FC Barcelona in the end-of-year play-offs but that has lost its long-time star, the Brazilian centre Tiago Splitter, to the San Antonio Spurs. But he believes he can maintain their status at the top of the Spanish game.
"They still have some great players,” he said. “There is pressure on them because they won the ACB play-offs last season. Hopefully we can repeat and get to the Euroleague Final Four.”
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The Londoner, who left CSKA Moscow at the end of last season, is understood to have a NBA release clause next summer. But he admitted that he is relishing a second spell in the ACB.
“This is as a good as it gets,” he said. “Especially in the ACB, you couldn’t ask for more. I wouldn’t have gone if it wasn’t an ideal situation. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s going on. It’s a great league, second only to the NBA. It suits the way I play. I’m looking forward to it.”
The former Toronto and Dallas reserve concedes he still harbours ambitions to return to the NBA, despite his failure to solidify his place in spells with four different teams in the league.
“I’m still young,” he said. “I’m not chasing it. If they want me, they can come find me. I’m someone who holds the NBA in high regard. I feel I’m a NBA player. But I have no problem coming to Europe. The quality of basketball is high. But if they want me they’ll come get me and I’ll keep playing as hard as I can.”
He joins a Caja Laboral side that is fresh off shocking FC Barcelona in the end-of-year play-offs but that has lost its long-time star, the Brazilian centre Tiago Splitter, to the San Antonio Spurs. But he believes he can maintain their status at the top of the Spanish game.
"They still have some great players,” he said. “There is pressure on them because they won the ACB play-offs last season. Hopefully we can repeat and get to the Euroleague Final Four.”
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Pops goes off as Britain steer past Macedonia
Former NBA forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu delivered 27 points and 9 rebounds as Great Britain remained unbeaten in their European Championship qualifiers with a 104-96 win over Macedonia in Newcastle.
However Chris Finch’s men were forced to hold their nerve, rallying from seven points down in the fourth quarter to force overtime before they saw off their most dangerous rivals in front of around far from capacity crowd at the venue that will be home to the Eagles next term.
It should have been much simpler after GB opened up a 15-point cushion in the first period but the visitors eased back into contention to trim the gap to 47-43 at half-time.
As in Hungary, Finch saw his players suffer from the third quarter blues and it almost proved fatal. The Macedonians maintained their push to eventually go 83-76 in front with three minutes of regulation play left but the hosts rallied back from the brink. After Mensah-Bonsu intentionally missed a free-throw, Dan Clark tipped the rebound out to Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng, who calmly stepped out and hit a three-pointer with 6 seconds left that forced an extra period at 87-87.
And after the lead changed hands four times, Mensah-Bonsu scored six points in quick succession to spark a decisive burst that killed off Macedonia for good with Finch again rewarded from another series of clutch performances from captain Andrew Sullivan and Nate Reinking.
"For most of the game, even when we were down, I felt we were controlling the game," said Finch. "We lost our discipline a bit on defence in the third quarter. There was some tiredness. We tried to change things. Our rhythm went down a bit. Sometimes, when you go 6 or 7 down, you feel you have no response but when we called time out, we felt we had a response. You have to make big plays and we were able to do that."
Deng added 23 points and 11 rebounds for GB, who visit Bosnia - who lost 74-70 in Hungary - on Wednesday but for once he was over-shadowed by his team-mate.
"I'm not here if Luol isn't the player he is," Mensah-Bonsu countered. "Most of my points came from the attention that he got and he is that good of a player to find me and make me look good. The coach's game plan was good coming in. Defensively we were told to just disrupt them and get them out of their offence. They got a lot of lay-ups but we were trying to run them off the three-point plays and force them to finish at the basket."
Hometown hero Sullivan continued his inspirational form in his new sixth man role with 17 points and some key defensive plays that included a stunning block in the closing seconds of regulation.
"He played his role to a tee," said Finch. "He's an energy guy, a high-level garbage guy. People think that's a derogatory term but you can't win without guys like him."
Naturalised American Ivica Dimcevski hit a game-high 30 points for the Macedonians.
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However Chris Finch’s men were forced to hold their nerve, rallying from seven points down in the fourth quarter to force overtime before they saw off their most dangerous rivals in front of around far from capacity crowd at the venue that will be home to the Eagles next term.
It should have been much simpler after GB opened up a 15-point cushion in the first period but the visitors eased back into contention to trim the gap to 47-43 at half-time.
As in Hungary, Finch saw his players suffer from the third quarter blues and it almost proved fatal. The Macedonians maintained their push to eventually go 83-76 in front with three minutes of regulation play left but the hosts rallied back from the brink. After Mensah-Bonsu intentionally missed a free-throw, Dan Clark tipped the rebound out to Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng, who calmly stepped out and hit a three-pointer with 6 seconds left that forced an extra period at 87-87.
And after the lead changed hands four times, Mensah-Bonsu scored six points in quick succession to spark a decisive burst that killed off Macedonia for good with Finch again rewarded from another series of clutch performances from captain Andrew Sullivan and Nate Reinking.
"For most of the game, even when we were down, I felt we were controlling the game," said Finch. "We lost our discipline a bit on defence in the third quarter. There was some tiredness. We tried to change things. Our rhythm went down a bit. Sometimes, when you go 6 or 7 down, you feel you have no response but when we called time out, we felt we had a response. You have to make big plays and we were able to do that."
Deng added 23 points and 11 rebounds for GB, who visit Bosnia - who lost 74-70 in Hungary - on Wednesday but for once he was over-shadowed by his team-mate.
"I'm not here if Luol isn't the player he is," Mensah-Bonsu countered. "Most of my points came from the attention that he got and he is that good of a player to find me and make me look good. The coach's game plan was good coming in. Defensively we were told to just disrupt them and get them out of their offence. They got a lot of lay-ups but we were trying to run them off the three-point plays and force them to finish at the basket."
Hometown hero Sullivan continued his inspirational form in his new sixth man role with 17 points and some key defensive plays that included a stunning block in the closing seconds of regulation.
"He played his role to a tee," said Finch. "He's an energy guy, a high-level garbage guy. People think that's a derogatory term but you can't win without guys like him."
Naturalised American Ivica Dimcevski hit a game-high 30 points for the Macedonians.
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Saturday, 7 August 2010
GB rivals pushed me forward, says Ogo Adegboye
Ogo Adegboye has thanked his fellow guards for steering him to a surprise place in Great Britain’s line-up, even though it has left his rivals out in the cold.
The rookie point guard, who is about to begin his senior season at St. Bonaventure University in New York, is expected to keep his starting role when GB meet Macedonia in Newcastle on Sunday in the second tie of their Eurobasket qualifying campaign.
The 22-year-old overcame early foul trouble that limited him to 18 minutes in last Monday’s 91-82 win over Hungary, holding his nerve to make four critical free throws in the closing minutes and earning praise from head coach Chris Finch for his performance in his first competitive international. And he admits that the support from within the GB backcourt ranks has smoothed his path.
“They’ve been giving me advice on how to keep pushing myself and keep on working hard,” said the Londoner. “We all bust a gut at practice but off the court, they’re like brothers. In games they advise you and keep you calm and that’s been really helpful.
“Basketball is a mental game. It translates to the physical. I’ve become tougher and got much more knowledge about the game, more than I had before. I’ve had to adjust from the American game to the European game. And the process has really pushed up my basketball IQ.”
The newcomer is part of Britain’s Brixton enclave, which also includes Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng and Adegboye’s fellow first-timer Matthew Bryan-Amaning. And the bond between the trio has provided the playmaker with a huge lift.
“It’s so great,” he declared. “They’re like my brothers. They are my brothers. It’s fun to be with them and it’s encouraged me. It’s made it easier because they have my back on and off the court.”
Meanwhile skipper Drew Sullivan, who could equal Bill McInnes’ long-standing GB caps record if he makes his 49th appearance for the national side, is hoping for a full house in the first major fixture at Northumbria University’s new 3000-seater venue.
“I’ve been telling them to come and play in Newcastle for years so it would be great if we pack it out,” he said.
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The rookie point guard, who is about to begin his senior season at St. Bonaventure University in New York, is expected to keep his starting role when GB meet Macedonia in Newcastle on Sunday in the second tie of their Eurobasket qualifying campaign.
The 22-year-old overcame early foul trouble that limited him to 18 minutes in last Monday’s 91-82 win over Hungary, holding his nerve to make four critical free throws in the closing minutes and earning praise from head coach Chris Finch for his performance in his first competitive international. And he admits that the support from within the GB backcourt ranks has smoothed his path.
“They’ve been giving me advice on how to keep pushing myself and keep on working hard,” said the Londoner. “We all bust a gut at practice but off the court, they’re like brothers. In games they advise you and keep you calm and that’s been really helpful.
“Basketball is a mental game. It translates to the physical. I’ve become tougher and got much more knowledge about the game, more than I had before. I’ve had to adjust from the American game to the European game. And the process has really pushed up my basketball IQ.”
The newcomer is part of Britain’s Brixton enclave, which also includes Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng and Adegboye’s fellow first-timer Matthew Bryan-Amaning. And the bond between the trio has provided the playmaker with a huge lift.
“It’s so great,” he declared. “They’re like my brothers. They are my brothers. It’s fun to be with them and it’s encouraged me. It’s made it easier because they have my back on and off the court.”
Meanwhile skipper Drew Sullivan, who could equal Bill McInnes’ long-standing GB caps record if he makes his 49th appearance for the national side, is hoping for a full house in the first major fixture at Northumbria University’s new 3000-seater venue.
“I’ve been telling them to come and play in Newcastle for years so it would be great if we pack it out,” he said.
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Thursday, 5 August 2010
Butler does it as GB women clinch series over Israel
Great Britain’s women scooped a morale boosting 71-59 win over Israel in Tel Aviv on Thursday night in their final warm-up game before the European Championship qualifiers.
GB - paced by 22 points from Kim Butler - built a 35-28 lead at half-time. And Tom Maher’s side kept the hosts at bay to clinch the series 2-1.
“It’s great to win a series against Israel,” said Maher. “But in truth, it was winning ugly. Nevertheless, it was rewarding for the fact that we could seek out solutions to grind out a win.”
Julie Page added 13 points and 14 rebounds for GB who begin their European campaign against Slovakia in Birmingham in nine days time.
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GB - paced by 22 points from Kim Butler - built a 35-28 lead at half-time. And Tom Maher’s side kept the hosts at bay to clinch the series 2-1.
“It’s great to win a series against Israel,” said Maher. “But in truth, it was winning ugly. Nevertheless, it was rewarding for the fact that we could seek out solutions to grind out a win.”
Julie Page added 13 points and 14 rebounds for GB who begin their European campaign against Slovakia in Birmingham in nine days time.
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Tuesday, 3 August 2010
GB go down in Israel
25 points and 9 rebounds from Julie Page couldn't prevent an 80-69 defeat for Great Britain's women against Israel in a friendly in Tel Aviv.
After the sides were level at 39-39 at half-time, the visitors took a slender lead into the final quarter but Israel went on a 25-13 tear to wrap up the win. "We put a few things on the floor and there were a lot of good things to take from the game," said GB coach Tom Maher.
The teams meet again on Wednesday evening before wrapping up the three-game series on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Australian-born guard Natalie Stafford has received her UK passport and can play in Eurobasket qualifiers, British Basketball confirmed.
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After the sides were level at 39-39 at half-time, the visitors took a slender lead into the final quarter but Israel went on a 25-13 tear to wrap up the win. "We put a few things on the floor and there were a lot of good things to take from the game," said GB coach Tom Maher.
The teams meet again on Wednesday evening before wrapping up the three-game series on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Australian-born guard Natalie Stafford has received her UK passport and can play in Eurobasket qualifiers, British Basketball confirmed.
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Monday, 2 August 2010
Great Britain survive Hungarian onslaught
Chicago Bulls star Luol Deng scored 32 points as Great Britain began their European Championship qualifying campaign with a battling 91-82 victory over Hungary in Szolnok.
And Chris Finch's men were forced to scrap to emerge on top from their opening tie after the hosts rebounded from 14 down to lead in the fourth quarter before GB produced a decisive late flurry.
The visitors had looked set for a comfortable win, Deng hitting 20 by half-time to spark his side into a 54-42 advantage. However the unfancied Hungarians - led by 20 from Adam Hanga - punished a series of lapses to eventually surge 71-67 in front.
And it was American-born guard Nate Reinking who calmed Britain's nerves when it mattered most, hitting consecutive baskets to push Finch's inconsistent line-up ahead for good with seven minutes left.
In the closing stages, the hosts were forced to foul desperately. But rookie guard Ogo Adegboye hit four clutch free throws that pulled GB clear in front of a noisy 3,000 capacity crowd.
“Every win is important especially on the road,” said Deng. “Two years ago we lost our first qualifying game and we had to climb up the hill then. But I think the experience of some of the guys from that situation brought us through here.”
Pops Mensah-Bonsu chipped in 14 points and a mammoth 18 rebounds for GB while Reinking added 16 after sitting out much of the third quarter in foul trouble.
"Getting Nate back in the game was a big advantage for us - he made some big plays," said Finch, who was in his 50th game at the helm of the national team.
"Luol's such a smart player. He's a team player and we've seen it before. It takes some time to settle down and it'll get better."
GB host Macedonia, who beat Ukraine 71-58, in Newcastle on Sunday with the coaching staff set to use the time to install more of their offensive schemes.
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And Chris Finch's men were forced to scrap to emerge on top from their opening tie after the hosts rebounded from 14 down to lead in the fourth quarter before GB produced a decisive late flurry.
The visitors had looked set for a comfortable win, Deng hitting 20 by half-time to spark his side into a 54-42 advantage. However the unfancied Hungarians - led by 20 from Adam Hanga - punished a series of lapses to eventually surge 71-67 in front.
And it was American-born guard Nate Reinking who calmed Britain's nerves when it mattered most, hitting consecutive baskets to push Finch's inconsistent line-up ahead for good with seven minutes left.
In the closing stages, the hosts were forced to foul desperately. But rookie guard Ogo Adegboye hit four clutch free throws that pulled GB clear in front of a noisy 3,000 capacity crowd.
“Every win is important especially on the road,” said Deng. “Two years ago we lost our first qualifying game and we had to climb up the hill then. But I think the experience of some of the guys from that situation brought us through here.”
Pops Mensah-Bonsu chipped in 14 points and a mammoth 18 rebounds for GB while Reinking added 16 after sitting out much of the third quarter in foul trouble.
"Getting Nate back in the game was a big advantage for us - he made some big plays," said Finch, who was in his 50th game at the helm of the national team.
"Luol's such a smart player. He's a team player and we've seen it before. It takes some time to settle down and it'll get better."
GB host Macedonia, who beat Ukraine 71-58, in Newcastle on Sunday with the coaching staff set to use the time to install more of their offensive schemes.
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Pre-Game Notes from Szolnok
- Great Britain's players emerged from their final team lunch at their hotel clutching the points of emphasis to remember during tonight's opening European qualifier against Hungary.
In the sleepy provincial outpost, there has been little alternative but to study the scouting reports and sleep since they arrived 24 hours ago. But they have already had the chance to practice twice at an arena described by one staff member as “a complete hothouse”. Their advice to the handful of GB fans? “Leave your jacket and jumpers at home or you'll fry!” Intriguingly, entrance is free.
- It is also the first competitive outing for the new-look coaching staff of Chris Finch, Nick Nurse and fresh recruit, Paul Mokeski, the one-time Philadelphia 76ers centre who is now doubling as Finch's aide de corps for the national team as well as at D-League champions, Rio Grande.
“Paul is awesome,” declared Nurse. “He is a great experienced basketball mind. Defence is his thing. When he speaks, people listen because he can say 'hey, I played in the NBA for 10-12 years'. He pushes the little things. Plus he's a great guy. How he's not on a NBA bench is beyond me. He's got a knowledge and experience that is valuable. He coaches big guys. He understands scouting. It's been excellent.”
The switches on the bench have been that Tony Garbelotto and Tim Lewis are now on scouting duties, with the lack of a British presence roundly criticised by many in the UK coaching fraternity. However Nurse, who remains the head coach the D-League's Iowa Energy, thinks the dynamic is working with the addition of extra backroom staff.
“We've really improved,” he said. “I think our preparation is better. Tony did a great job with the scouting and he's now focusing on that. Same with Tim. Our new video guy is out of this world. He comes from the Philadephia 76ers and he gives us stuff as soon as we need it. If I go to him and say 'I need to see Pops' last ten post touches', I have it in a minute and I'm done watching it in ten minutes. It's crazy. It's so smooth.”
- With several players on the GB squad unsigned, the Euro campaign will, inevitably, be a showcase for those who are hoping for a solid deal for next season. Pops Mensah-Bonsu's agent is holding talks with Maccabi Tel Aviv, a move which the Londoner confirmed would be “an attractive option.” His representatives are also understood to have received an approach from ACB play-off champions Caja Laboral Baskonia.
Kieron Achara is thought to be on the radar of both San Sebastian and Menorca as a Spanish switch for the Scot looms large. While captain Drew Sullivan has had no further contact from Newcastle Eagles, despite being linked strongly with joining Everton.
- Let's play Fantasy Coach. Given the performances, I'd expect young point guard Ogo Adegboye to start against the Hungarians in the backcourt beside Nate Reinking. Luol Deng is an obvious lock at small forward, Dan Clark will likely be utilised as a pop-out four-man, leaving Mensah-Bonsu to man the middle on defence while continuing to post up offensively. That unit would see Drew Sullivan as a sixth man off the bench with Flinder Boyd as the main back-up guard and either Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Kieron Achara or Eric Boateng spelling the frontcourt after none of the trio made a sufficiently compelling case in the build-up. As always, let's see what Finch comes up with, come gametime.
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In the sleepy provincial outpost, there has been little alternative but to study the scouting reports and sleep since they arrived 24 hours ago. But they have already had the chance to practice twice at an arena described by one staff member as “a complete hothouse”. Their advice to the handful of GB fans? “Leave your jacket and jumpers at home or you'll fry!” Intriguingly, entrance is free.
- It is also the first competitive outing for the new-look coaching staff of Chris Finch, Nick Nurse and fresh recruit, Paul Mokeski, the one-time Philadelphia 76ers centre who is now doubling as Finch's aide de corps for the national team as well as at D-League champions, Rio Grande.
“Paul is awesome,” declared Nurse. “He is a great experienced basketball mind. Defence is his thing. When he speaks, people listen because he can say 'hey, I played in the NBA for 10-12 years'. He pushes the little things. Plus he's a great guy. How he's not on a NBA bench is beyond me. He's got a knowledge and experience that is valuable. He coaches big guys. He understands scouting. It's been excellent.”
The switches on the bench have been that Tony Garbelotto and Tim Lewis are now on scouting duties, with the lack of a British presence roundly criticised by many in the UK coaching fraternity. However Nurse, who remains the head coach the D-League's Iowa Energy, thinks the dynamic is working with the addition of extra backroom staff.
“We've really improved,” he said. “I think our preparation is better. Tony did a great job with the scouting and he's now focusing on that. Same with Tim. Our new video guy is out of this world. He comes from the Philadephia 76ers and he gives us stuff as soon as we need it. If I go to him and say 'I need to see Pops' last ten post touches', I have it in a minute and I'm done watching it in ten minutes. It's crazy. It's so smooth.”
- With several players on the GB squad unsigned, the Euro campaign will, inevitably, be a showcase for those who are hoping for a solid deal for next season. Pops Mensah-Bonsu's agent is holding talks with Maccabi Tel Aviv, a move which the Londoner confirmed would be “an attractive option.” His representatives are also understood to have received an approach from ACB play-off champions Caja Laboral Baskonia.
Kieron Achara is thought to be on the radar of both San Sebastian and Menorca as a Spanish switch for the Scot looms large. While captain Drew Sullivan has had no further contact from Newcastle Eagles, despite being linked strongly with joining Everton.
- Let's play Fantasy Coach. Given the performances, I'd expect young point guard Ogo Adegboye to start against the Hungarians in the backcourt beside Nate Reinking. Luol Deng is an obvious lock at small forward, Dan Clark will likely be utilised as a pop-out four-man, leaving Mensah-Bonsu to man the middle on defence while continuing to post up offensively. That unit would see Drew Sullivan as a sixth man off the bench with Flinder Boyd as the main back-up guard and either Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Kieron Achara or Eric Boateng spelling the frontcourt after none of the trio made a sufficiently compelling case in the build-up. As always, let's see what Finch comes up with, come gametime.
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Luol Deng ready to make up for lost time as GB start Euro campaign
Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng is ready to put two years of frustration behind him and help Great Britain qualify for next summer's European Championships, according to the national team's captain Drew Sullivan.
Chris Finch's side begin their campaign tonight against Hungary in Szolnok with their most formidable asset back in the ranks after missing last summer through injury. With a number of seasoned performers suffering a similar fate this time, his return provides a massive boost to Britain's chances of featuring in the 2011 finals in Lithuania – and, in turn, persuading the sport's governing body FIBA to confirm their place in the London Olympics.
“I'm glad Luol's back,” said Sullivan. “Last summer he was around the team as much as he could and you could see how upset he was that he couldn't play at the Eurobasket finals, which is something we'd spent two years working towards. He was devastated that he'd helped us qualify and then, unfortunately, got hurt with the Bulls and didn't recover in time. From our perspective, we need him. We're a much better team with him.”
With Deng barred from featuring in any of GB's warm-up games due to an issue with his NBA-sponsored insurance, Finch has been forced to take an extended look at a number of younger faces with the Spanish-based centre Dan Clark and American collegiate prospect Matthew Bryan-Amaning seizing their opportunity to stake a claim.
“Potentially, if they do well, it will benefit us because it shows that we have depth,” Sullivan stated. “If someone decides to pull out through injury, we now have guys who can step up and take their place at short notice. And it also puts pressure on the older guys, or players who might pull out for less than legitimate reasons. They'll now know that they won't necessarily get back in.”
Regular updates on Twitter on http://twitter.com/markbritball
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Chris Finch's side begin their campaign tonight against Hungary in Szolnok with their most formidable asset back in the ranks after missing last summer through injury. With a number of seasoned performers suffering a similar fate this time, his return provides a massive boost to Britain's chances of featuring in the 2011 finals in Lithuania – and, in turn, persuading the sport's governing body FIBA to confirm their place in the London Olympics.
“I'm glad Luol's back,” said Sullivan. “Last summer he was around the team as much as he could and you could see how upset he was that he couldn't play at the Eurobasket finals, which is something we'd spent two years working towards. He was devastated that he'd helped us qualify and then, unfortunately, got hurt with the Bulls and didn't recover in time. From our perspective, we need him. We're a much better team with him.”
With Deng barred from featuring in any of GB's warm-up games due to an issue with his NBA-sponsored insurance, Finch has been forced to take an extended look at a number of younger faces with the Spanish-based centre Dan Clark and American collegiate prospect Matthew Bryan-Amaning seizing their opportunity to stake a claim.
“Potentially, if they do well, it will benefit us because it shows that we have depth,” Sullivan stated. “If someone decides to pull out through injury, we now have guys who can step up and take their place at short notice. And it also puts pressure on the older guys, or players who might pull out for less than legitimate reasons. They'll now know that they won't necessarily get back in.”
Regular updates on Twitter on http://twitter.com/markbritball
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Sunday, 1 August 2010
Chris Finch names final 12 for GB opener against Hungary
Ashley Hamilton has been confirmed as the final cut from Great Britain's European Championship team as head coach Chris Finch named a 12-strong line-up for Monday's opening qualifier against Hungary.
The GB squad arrived in Szolnok on Sunday afternoon, fresh a brief break following three friendlies in Tel Aviv last week.
"It definitely helped us to play three pretty tough teams" Finch said. "They all had different styles, which was good for us, and we managed to use a lot of the younger players. We played pretty well, and although we had mixed results, we found out a lot about ourselves and it was a really worthwhile trip."
Finch confirmed that Nate Reinking and Pops Mensah-Bonsu have recovered from minor niggles and are fit to meet the Hungarians.
Great Britain (from): Achara, Adegboye, Bailey, Boateng, Boyd, Clark, Deng, Bryan-Amaning, Mensah-Bonsu, Reinking, Robinson, Sullivan (capt.)
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The GB squad arrived in Szolnok on Sunday afternoon, fresh a brief break following three friendlies in Tel Aviv last week.
"It definitely helped us to play three pretty tough teams" Finch said. "They all had different styles, which was good for us, and we managed to use a lot of the younger players. We played pretty well, and although we had mixed results, we found out a lot about ourselves and it was a really worthwhile trip."
Finch confirmed that Nate Reinking and Pops Mensah-Bonsu have recovered from minor niggles and are fit to meet the Hungarians.
Great Britain (from): Achara, Adegboye, Bailey, Boateng, Boyd, Clark, Deng, Bryan-Amaning, Mensah-Bonsu, Reinking, Robinson, Sullivan (capt.)
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Monday, 26 July 2010
Reinking and Yanders must scrap for one place, admits Finch
Glasgow Rocks captain Rob Yanders has been handed three games to prove that he deserves a place in Great Britain’s European Championship plans by coach Chris Finch.
With just one naturalised player allowed per team, the American-born guard will have to compete with Nate Reinking for a spot in the final 12-man squad over a trio of warm-up friendlies in Tel Aviv, starting today against Belgium.
And Finch has signalled that Yanders needs to show he can make the step up from the BBL to the international stage.
“I coached Rob in Sheffield in his first year in Britain and he’s my type of guy,” said Finch. “He’s tough, he’s smart and he makes big plays. He’s a good team-mate. Unfortunately, he and Nate are battling it for the only naturalised spot.
“For Rob, his opportunities will come if he proves himself as a point guard which we need. It will be interesting because they’re both good players but we can’t play them both at the same time.”
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With just one naturalised player allowed per team, the American-born guard will have to compete with Nate Reinking for a spot in the final 12-man squad over a trio of warm-up friendlies in Tel Aviv, starting today against Belgium.
And Finch has signalled that Yanders needs to show he can make the step up from the BBL to the international stage.
“I coached Rob in Sheffield in his first year in Britain and he’s my type of guy,” said Finch. “He’s tough, he’s smart and he makes big plays. He’s a good team-mate. Unfortunately, he and Nate are battling it for the only naturalised spot.
“For Rob, his opportunities will come if he proves himself as a point guard which we need. It will be interesting because they’re both good players but we can’t play them both at the same time.”
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Sunday, 25 July 2010
Damian Jennings full of praise as GB U-20 women claim Euro crown
Great Britain's under-20 women sealed the European Championship Division B title with a thrilling 47-46 victory against Slovak Republic on Sunday evening.
Damian Jennings' side had already clinched promotion to the top flight, but their success in the final in Macedonia saw them become the first GB age group team to clinch a FIBA Europe title.
Led by 13 points and eight rebounds from Mairi Buchan plus 12 points and six boards from Mary Durojaye, the GB side led for most of the game after a strong second period put them in the driving seat.
GB didn't shoot the ball well inside the arc, managing only 28 percent of their two-point efforts, but hit half of their three point attempts and out-rebounded the Slovaks 48-35.
Kristie Sheils added nine points and five boards, with Rebecca Allison finishing with nine rebounds and three assists for a GB team that gave at least seven minutes of action to all 12 of their roster.
Slovakia were led by 16 points from Klaudia Lukacovicová and 14 from Veronika Cernáková, and will be consoled by the fact that they will join GB in Division A next season.
"I am really proud of all the players and their commitment to this result - all 12 played with class and determination," Jennings said.
"You are never going to get a one sided affair when the stakes are so high, and Portugal certainly reminded us frequently what we were all fighting for.
"The manner in which the players and staff have operated since the beginning is testimony to how seriously we take representing our country and it was incredibly pleasing to see everyone from GB staff back home, my staff team and the players rewarded for their efforts with this history-changing promotion."
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Damian Jennings' side had already clinched promotion to the top flight, but their success in the final in Macedonia saw them become the first GB age group team to clinch a FIBA Europe title.
Led by 13 points and eight rebounds from Mairi Buchan plus 12 points and six boards from Mary Durojaye, the GB side led for most of the game after a strong second period put them in the driving seat.
GB didn't shoot the ball well inside the arc, managing only 28 percent of their two-point efforts, but hit half of their three point attempts and out-rebounded the Slovaks 48-35.
Kristie Sheils added nine points and five boards, with Rebecca Allison finishing with nine rebounds and three assists for a GB team that gave at least seven minutes of action to all 12 of their roster.
Slovakia were led by 16 points from Klaudia Lukacovicová and 14 from Veronika Cernáková, and will be consoled by the fact that they will join GB in Division A next season.
"I am really proud of all the players and their commitment to this result - all 12 played with class and determination," Jennings said.
"You are never going to get a one sided affair when the stakes are so high, and Portugal certainly reminded us frequently what we were all fighting for.
"The manner in which the players and staff have operated since the beginning is testimony to how seriously we take representing our country and it was incredibly pleasing to see everyone from GB staff back home, my staff team and the players rewarded for their efforts with this history-changing promotion."
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GB women are double Dutched
Great Britain's women suffered a double Dutch defeat in Utrecht with a 78-76 reverse against the Netherlands in their latest pre-European qualifiers friendly.
Julie Page's 27 points and eight rebounds failed to make a sufficient impact with the side now returning to the UK for a brief break ahead of their next set of warm-up games, in Israel, on August 3-5.
Meanwhile, Tafari Toney has been released from the GB men's side ahead of their series of friendlies in Tel Aviv that begin on Monday.
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Julie Page's 27 points and eight rebounds failed to make a sufficient impact with the side now returning to the UK for a brief break ahead of their next set of warm-up games, in Israel, on August 3-5.
Meanwhile, Tafari Toney has been released from the GB men's side ahead of their series of friendlies in Tel Aviv that begin on Monday.
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Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Freeland and Gordon out of Euro qualifiers
Joel Freeland and Ben Gordon have both been ruled out of Great Britain's squad for this summer's Eurobasket qualifiers through injury, joining a lengthy list of absentees which already includes Robert Archibald and Andy Betts.
Aldershot-born Freeland requires rehab on an injury with his club team Unicaja Malaga as they progressed through the ACB play-offs, before eventually going out at the semi-final stage. The 23-year-old forward has been an integral part of the GB set up which recently topped the EuroBasket Qualifying group in 2008 and competed at last year’s EuroBasket Finals. The British medical team has assessed the NBA first-round draft pick and will provide support to him throughout the summer.
In addition to Freeland, Detroit Pistons guard Gordon is struggling to overcome the effects of a post-season ankle operation that took place in early May to remove fragments of bone. It is the third successive year that the London-born NBA player has pulled out of the GB line-up, increasing doubts that he will ever play for the country of his birth.
“I am really disappointed that my injury will not be fully healed in time for me to join GB," said Gordon. "The British medical staff and management have been in touch with the Pistons over the past few weeks. Every effort has been made – unfortunately, I just won’t be ready to play come August. I am really looking forward to playing next year and will follow the team’s success this summer. It would have been great to play with Luol this summer – it will just have to wait until next year.”
GB Head Coach, Chris Finch, has recalled Sheffield Sharks forward Tafari Toney who was originally left out of his training camp roster. And the American, who is set to link up with his side ahead of their opening friendly against Canada next week, remains optimistic that the team can achieve its objectives of reaching its second consecutive EuroBasket Final.
“This is undoubtedly a blow to the team as they would have both been key players in what is going to be a challenging summer with four EuroBasket qualifying games home and away," Finch said.
“However, it will be a great opportunity for some of the younger players to step up to the mark and stake a claim for a regular place. Players like Justin Robinson, Matthew Bryan Amaning and Ashley Hamilton all performed well for the GB Futures, so we should be positive about what the younger players can offer.”
Great Britain's training camp will be held in Cobham in Surrey and Finch is looking forward to getting the players on court.
“We have a shorter period in camp than usual, so it is going to be a case of getting the guys up to speed as quickly as possible. We have some tough test games before the EuroBasket fixtures get underway on August 2 away to Hungary. Like the last campaign the home games are going to be very important to the team and getting four wins will stand us in good stead come the final game against Ukraine on August 29.”
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Aldershot-born Freeland requires rehab on an injury with his club team Unicaja Malaga as they progressed through the ACB play-offs, before eventually going out at the semi-final stage. The 23-year-old forward has been an integral part of the GB set up which recently topped the EuroBasket Qualifying group in 2008 and competed at last year’s EuroBasket Finals. The British medical team has assessed the NBA first-round draft pick and will provide support to him throughout the summer.
In addition to Freeland, Detroit Pistons guard Gordon is struggling to overcome the effects of a post-season ankle operation that took place in early May to remove fragments of bone. It is the third successive year that the London-born NBA player has pulled out of the GB line-up, increasing doubts that he will ever play for the country of his birth.
“I am really disappointed that my injury will not be fully healed in time for me to join GB," said Gordon. "The British medical staff and management have been in touch with the Pistons over the past few weeks. Every effort has been made – unfortunately, I just won’t be ready to play come August. I am really looking forward to playing next year and will follow the team’s success this summer. It would have been great to play with Luol this summer – it will just have to wait until next year.”
GB Head Coach, Chris Finch, has recalled Sheffield Sharks forward Tafari Toney who was originally left out of his training camp roster. And the American, who is set to link up with his side ahead of their opening friendly against Canada next week, remains optimistic that the team can achieve its objectives of reaching its second consecutive EuroBasket Final.
“This is undoubtedly a blow to the team as they would have both been key players in what is going to be a challenging summer with four EuroBasket qualifying games home and away," Finch said.
“However, it will be a great opportunity for some of the younger players to step up to the mark and stake a claim for a regular place. Players like Justin Robinson, Matthew Bryan Amaning and Ashley Hamilton all performed well for the GB Futures, so we should be positive about what the younger players can offer.”
Great Britain's training camp will be held in Cobham in Surrey and Finch is looking forward to getting the players on court.
“We have a shorter period in camp than usual, so it is going to be a case of getting the guys up to speed as quickly as possible. We have some tough test games before the EuroBasket fixtures get underway on August 2 away to Hungary. Like the last campaign the home games are going to be very important to the team and getting four wins will stand us in good stead come the final game against Ukraine on August 29.”
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Thursday, 24 June 2010
Great Britain’s women remain a work in progress, admits Tom Maher
With four weeks of hard graft behind them, Great Britain’s women have left their training camp in Stirling and headed for Bulgaria for the start of an extensive schedule of warm-up games ahead of their Eurobasket qualifiers.
Tom Maher’s status update? “We’ve made a lot of progress,” the Australian declared.
But there is still much to do between now and GB’s competitive opener against Slovakia on August 14. More good habits to instil, he says. More details to fine tune. And further gears to find to compete at a level that might give the side an opportunity to surprise their group rivals and earn the kind of respectability required to put their Olympic Games place beyond question.
The carrot of being in London 2012 – as much as Lithuania 2011 – looms large for a group that was relegated to Division B earlier this year before earning a surprise reprieve to remain in Europe’s top level.
“We want to prove that we belong there,” states centre Sarah McKay. “Some people in FIBA might agree with us which we why we’re still there but we want to prove that we deserve it.
“We have to show everyone that we belong as a team. We got lucky by re-instated into Division A and we realise that’s a blessing. And so we need to use that our advantage and step up a notch.”
Maher, along with assistants Ken Shields and Vanessa Ellis, have spent a lot of time on the basics during their two-a-day practices. More, in truth, than any of the trio would have liked.
The varying backgrounds of a squad drawn from everywhere from the USA to the EBL has meant that the integration process has been slow. The Australian, both on and off the court, pulls few punches. Britain is starting from a few steps behind its international counterparts. It will take more than a month to catch up.
“It’s ongoing,” he confirmed. “Why Australia kicked up from the middle of the pack to the top four was that legacy from one camp to another. They put a few years together and kept building. And the new players who came in learnt from the ones who were there before. It’s a quicker way of teaching that than just coaching it, where the players teach each other informally.
“We’re not a team who can consider ourselves an All Star team that just comes together. We have to establish a skillset that is ingrained as a habit. And if you do it as a national team, you hope that the clubs and coaches below will adopt that as a style or technique. And the coaches will borrow from it so you can maximise your growth under the national side. In that way, the younger kids who come up, their basketball IQ progresses because of better teaching.”
Britain’s squad is overwhelmingly youthful. And that inexperience won’t be easy to overcome, even for a coach who has two Olympic medals in his drawer as well as the knowledge gained from stints with China, New Zealand and the WNBA. The players are adjusting, slowly. “Last summer was a short programme, just three weeks,” Mackay points out.
“So we only got a small feel for him. We didn’t have any serious competitive games as a senior team. The university team had a few games but it’s nice to feel him out properly as a coach and see what he wants from his system.”
Maher demands a lot. And his charges are keen to impress. So far Mackay, Kim Butler and Azania Stewart look the front-runners to form the frontcourt with Rose Anderson and Johanna Leedham as the starting guards. Two more cuts will be made before the qualifiers. Injuries may yet factor in but the rotation is far from set.
“The thing is that I think we can put a good starting five out who can compete,” Maher appraises. “But there are a couple of defensive holes in that. That’s a real worry. The easy fix is to say ‘we won’t start this person because we’ve got a better defender on the bench’. But we don’t.
“So we’re not anywhere near a stage where we can lock up a team or where we know we can have a great day by scoring 90 points because we know we can hold the other team under 70. Certainly against the top ten teams in the world, we’d be in trouble.”
For the optimists, it is a rude reality check. “But that’s where we are,” he adds. “We have to take time to develop. But we can’t leak points early. We have to make them graft and make them work hard in the first quarter.”
Three games against the Bulgarians this weekend in Pravets will see where GB stands. In truth, the hard work for Maher and his team starts now.
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Tom Maher’s status update? “We’ve made a lot of progress,” the Australian declared.
But there is still much to do between now and GB’s competitive opener against Slovakia on August 14. More good habits to instil, he says. More details to fine tune. And further gears to find to compete at a level that might give the side an opportunity to surprise their group rivals and earn the kind of respectability required to put their Olympic Games place beyond question.
The carrot of being in London 2012 – as much as Lithuania 2011 – looms large for a group that was relegated to Division B earlier this year before earning a surprise reprieve to remain in Europe’s top level.
“We want to prove that we belong there,” states centre Sarah McKay. “Some people in FIBA might agree with us which we why we’re still there but we want to prove that we deserve it.
“We have to show everyone that we belong as a team. We got lucky by re-instated into Division A and we realise that’s a blessing. And so we need to use that our advantage and step up a notch.”
Maher, along with assistants Ken Shields and Vanessa Ellis, have spent a lot of time on the basics during their two-a-day practices. More, in truth, than any of the trio would have liked.
The varying backgrounds of a squad drawn from everywhere from the USA to the EBL has meant that the integration process has been slow. The Australian, both on and off the court, pulls few punches. Britain is starting from a few steps behind its international counterparts. It will take more than a month to catch up.
“It’s ongoing,” he confirmed. “Why Australia kicked up from the middle of the pack to the top four was that legacy from one camp to another. They put a few years together and kept building. And the new players who came in learnt from the ones who were there before. It’s a quicker way of teaching that than just coaching it, where the players teach each other informally.
“We’re not a team who can consider ourselves an All Star team that just comes together. We have to establish a skillset that is ingrained as a habit. And if you do it as a national team, you hope that the clubs and coaches below will adopt that as a style or technique. And the coaches will borrow from it so you can maximise your growth under the national side. In that way, the younger kids who come up, their basketball IQ progresses because of better teaching.”
Britain’s squad is overwhelmingly youthful. And that inexperience won’t be easy to overcome, even for a coach who has two Olympic medals in his drawer as well as the knowledge gained from stints with China, New Zealand and the WNBA. The players are adjusting, slowly. “Last summer was a short programme, just three weeks,” Mackay points out.
“So we only got a small feel for him. We didn’t have any serious competitive games as a senior team. The university team had a few games but it’s nice to feel him out properly as a coach and see what he wants from his system.”
Maher demands a lot. And his charges are keen to impress. So far Mackay, Kim Butler and Azania Stewart look the front-runners to form the frontcourt with Rose Anderson and Johanna Leedham as the starting guards. Two more cuts will be made before the qualifiers. Injuries may yet factor in but the rotation is far from set.
“The thing is that I think we can put a good starting five out who can compete,” Maher appraises. “But there are a couple of defensive holes in that. That’s a real worry. The easy fix is to say ‘we won’t start this person because we’ve got a better defender on the bench’. But we don’t.
“So we’re not anywhere near a stage where we can lock up a team or where we know we can have a great day by scoring 90 points because we know we can hold the other team under 70. Certainly against the top ten teams in the world, we’d be in trouble.”
For the optimists, it is a rude reality check. “But that’s where we are,” he adds. “We have to take time to develop. But we can’t leak points early. We have to make them graft and make them work hard in the first quarter.”
Three games against the Bulgarians this weekend in Pravets will see where GB stands. In truth, the hard work for Maher and his team starts now.
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Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Great Britain coach Tom Maher trims squad to 14
Great Britain’s women coach Tom Maher has trimmed his squad to 14, just days before wrapping up the team’s training camp in Stirling.
Jo Wood, Kate Butters and Lauren Thomas-Johnson have all been released after three weeks of twice-daily practices.
“They’ve all been honest soldiers,” said Maher. “Of the three, Kate has the best chance of getting back in but they all worked hard.”
The Australian will now put his remaining players through two more days of workouts before GB travel to Bulgaria for their first warm-up tournament ahead of the European Championship qualifiers.
Kim Butler, who is set to move to the Israeli League next season, has recovered from injury.
Meanwhile it has been confirmed that Nick George will not play for Great Britain's men this summer. The Italian-based forward has withdrawn citing "personal reasons" but his loss is another blow to coach Chris Finch.
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Jo Wood, Kate Butters and Lauren Thomas-Johnson have all been released after three weeks of twice-daily practices.
“They’ve all been honest soldiers,” said Maher. “Of the three, Kate has the best chance of getting back in but they all worked hard.”
The Australian will now put his remaining players through two more days of workouts before GB travel to Bulgaria for their first warm-up tournament ahead of the European Championship qualifiers.
Kim Butler, who is set to move to the Israeli League next season, has recovered from injury.
Meanwhile it has been confirmed that Nick George will not play for Great Britain's men this summer. The Italian-based forward has withdrawn citing "personal reasons" but his loss is another blow to coach Chris Finch.
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Friday, 18 June 2010
Robert Archibald likely to skip Euro qualifiers
Robert Archibald is set to sit out Great Britain’s European qualifying campaign this summer after telling team chiefs he needs time off to recover from injury.
The Paisley-born centre missed several games this season for his Spanish club, Unicaja Malaga, due to ongoing back problems. And although Britain need to qualify for Eurobasket 2011 to guarantee a place in the London Olympics, GB coach Chris Finch admits he may have to do without the former NBA player.
“He requested some time after the season to decide on whether to come or not,” Finch revealed. “Right now, he’s on the fence. I can see him sitting out. He’s had a long season and the way he plays the game puts a lot on strain on his body. But we’ll keep a spot open for him as late as possible”
Archibald, currently in Chicago, has insisted that he hasn’t yet made a final decision over his plans following discussions this week with British
Basketball’s technical director Ron Wuotila.
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The Paisley-born centre missed several games this season for his Spanish club, Unicaja Malaga, due to ongoing back problems. And although Britain need to qualify for Eurobasket 2011 to guarantee a place in the London Olympics, GB coach Chris Finch admits he may have to do without the former NBA player.
“He requested some time after the season to decide on whether to come or not,” Finch revealed. “Right now, he’s on the fence. I can see him sitting out. He’s had a long season and the way he plays the game puts a lot on strain on his body. But we’ll keep a spot open for him as late as possible”
Archibald, currently in Chicago, has insisted that he hasn’t yet made a final decision over his plans following discussions this week with British
Basketball’s technical director Ron Wuotila.
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Thursday, 17 June 2010
GB coach Chris Finch looks to Futures as senior shake-up begins
Great Britain Chris Finch will set his young guns the target of winning a spot in his senior squad when he takes charge of his new Futures squad for the first time on Friday in a friendly against France in Lille.
With injury concerns hanging over several first-choice players for this summer’s Eurobasket qualifiers, the American admits that there are some places up for grabs.
And he will look to the Under-23 ranks for fill any gaps that arise when he puts the group through its paces over three games this weekend.
“There are three things I’m looking for,” he said. “This is a chance to work with some guys I haven’t worked with before so I want to see if I can improve them. I also want to see if there are people we can bring into the senior camp.
“And I’d like us to start getting some success at an age-group level which we haven’t really had with either Scotland, England or GB.”
Finch will hand the reigns to point guard Justin Robinson, the only Futures squad member with a full cap to his name. “We want to keep pushing him to grow into a point guard with the confidence and assurance we need at the highest level,” he added.
The reigning NBA D-League Coach of the Year has already begun the process of trimming his senior squad to 16 with BJA British Player of the Year, Tafari Toney of Sheffield Sharks, suffering the axe.
“We have a lot of depth and experience at his position,” he confirmed. “Tafari just isn’t projected to get into the final 12.”
Finch also confirmed that he will have a shorter bench staff this summer with Nick Nurse and Paul Mokesky as his only two assistants. Everton’s Tony Garbelotto and Essex’s Tim Lewis, who were previously assistants, have been assigned scouting roles to spy on GB’s qualifying opponents.
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With injury concerns hanging over several first-choice players for this summer’s Eurobasket qualifiers, the American admits that there are some places up for grabs.
And he will look to the Under-23 ranks for fill any gaps that arise when he puts the group through its paces over three games this weekend.
“There are three things I’m looking for,” he said. “This is a chance to work with some guys I haven’t worked with before so I want to see if I can improve them. I also want to see if there are people we can bring into the senior camp.
“And I’d like us to start getting some success at an age-group level which we haven’t really had with either Scotland, England or GB.”
Finch will hand the reigns to point guard Justin Robinson, the only Futures squad member with a full cap to his name. “We want to keep pushing him to grow into a point guard with the confidence and assurance we need at the highest level,” he added.
The reigning NBA D-League Coach of the Year has already begun the process of trimming his senior squad to 16 with BJA British Player of the Year, Tafari Toney of Sheffield Sharks, suffering the axe.
“We have a lot of depth and experience at his position,” he confirmed. “Tafari just isn’t projected to get into the final 12.”
Finch also confirmed that he will have a shorter bench staff this summer with Nick Nurse and Paul Mokesky as his only two assistants. Everton’s Tony Garbelotto and Essex’s Tim Lewis, who were previously assistants, have been assigned scouting roles to spy on GB’s qualifying opponents.
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Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Inside Camp GB: Tom Maher predicts progress for Britain's women
Great Britain women’s coach Tom Maher has admitted one major injury during his team’s month-long training camp in Stirling could derail their hopes of reaching the next Olympic Games.
The hugely-respected Australian, who led his homeland to a silver medal in Sydney in 2000, has pledged to push his 18-strong squad to the limit to fully prepare them for this summer’s European Championship qualifiers.
The GB side, including recent WNBA Draftee Jo Leedham, is still battling to earn a spot at London 2012 after narrowly escaping relegation to Division B last season. And although there is so much at stake, Maher is wary of losing anyone in the build-up to their quest to reach the finals in Poland next year.
“We don’t need injury problems,” he said. “Our depth isn’t great and that’s an issue for us. But I’m very confident we’ll be a respected team and that people will watch out for us.
“The players have a really professional attitude. Not many of them have played in big college programmes or big money teams but they’re mindful of who they’re representing. Hopefully, we can win some games as well but I’m sure we’ll be a respectable basketball team.”
Stalwart Kim Butler is carrying a minor knock that sidelined her earlier this week but is expected to recover. Maher is also spending a lot of time on basic drills in the first week to try and integrate his new players into his plans.
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The hugely-respected Australian, who led his homeland to a silver medal in Sydney in 2000, has pledged to push his 18-strong squad to the limit to fully prepare them for this summer’s European Championship qualifiers.
The GB side, including recent WNBA Draftee Jo Leedham, is still battling to earn a spot at London 2012 after narrowly escaping relegation to Division B last season. And although there is so much at stake, Maher is wary of losing anyone in the build-up to their quest to reach the finals in Poland next year.
“We don’t need injury problems,” he said. “Our depth isn’t great and that’s an issue for us. But I’m very confident we’ll be a respected team and that people will watch out for us.
“The players have a really professional attitude. Not many of them have played in big college programmes or big money teams but they’re mindful of who they’re representing. Hopefully, we can win some games as well but I’m sure we’ll be a respectable basketball team.”
Stalwart Kim Butler is carrying a minor knock that sidelined her earlier this week but is expected to recover. Maher is also spending a lot of time on basic drills in the first week to try and integrate his new players into his plans.
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Saturday, 16 January 2010
Eurobasket 2011 qualifying draws - LIVE
The Eurobasket 2011 qualifying and 2010 European Championships draw from Munich - live Blog on the fate of Great Britain, England, Scotland and Wales.
Great Britain's men's coach Chris Finch on the campaign
"We may have been seeded in the second pot for the draw but that didn't mean we took anything for granted. Make no mistake Division A is tough and perhaps last time we took people by surprise because we were a relatively unknown quantity, but now, we have been exposed to more top-level European basketball.
"Last year everyone said we were drawn in the group of death at the Europeans and yes, it was tough, but particularly against Spain we stepped up and raised our game. And that's what we will have to do this summer.
"With everyone available and the ability to prepare for this campaign correctly, I see no reason why we can't be one of the main contenders for qualifying."
GB women's Head coach Tom Maher on his team's chances
"At this level every team is tough, that is the nature of the competition. Britain played six of the 18 teams in the draw in the last round of qualifying so we know what to expect.
Slovak Republic, Ukraine and Germany will provide us with stiff opposition but I am encouraged by how the group of players I had last summer got on, both in training in Manchester and then at the World University Games, where we surprised a few people.
"I'm confident that with another good camp this year, and a fully fit roster available, we will be in a good position to challenge these three/four countries, and that's exactly what we need to do to stay on track for London 2012."
16:15 Group B: GREAT BRITAIN, Macedonia, Bosnia, Hungary and Ukraine.
It was never going to be an easy route to the finals in Lithuania 2011 for Chris Finch's men but - pending Luol Deng's availability - it's an achieveable feat, having avoided Italy and Montenegro. Lots of air miles though. Those qualifiers on a home and away basis in August.
Remember, Finch's side will take on the Bosnians for the second successive Eurobasket qualifying campaign. In 2008 GB won at the NIA in Birmingham, although they lost the return fixture in Bosnia. The team also took on Macedonia last summer in a friendly, where despite a roster stripped of their key players due to injury and illness, they only lost 78-67.
The draw in full:
Group A: Latvia, Israel, Finland, Italy, Montenegro
Group B: Macedonia, Great Britain, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Hungary, Ukraine
Group C: Poland, Bulgaria, Belgium, Portugal, Georgia
(Group winners and best two runners-up qualify for finals)
16:05 Eurobasket 2011 qualifiers Senior Women. Division A. Group D: GREAT BRITAIN, Slovakia, Germany and Ukraine. Yup, it's the Germans again for Tom Maher's side who, lest we forget, needed a special exemption to stay in Division A. One of the tougher draws too.
In the last Eurobasket qualifying campaign, GB recorded their only win of the summer against Germany when Johannah Leedham's winning basket sealed a 61-59 victory, but they agonising lost in Cardiff 74-72 in the return fixture. That same campaign the GB basketball team almost got their campaign off to a great start with a win over Ukraine but lost narrowly 59-54 and were there defeated 80-73 in Cardiff.
The draw in full:
Group A: Italy, Lithuania, Croatia, Belgium, Netherlands
Group B: Latvia, Israel, Serbia, Romania
Group C: Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland, Montenegro
Group D: Slovak Republic, Ukraine, Germany, Great Britain
(Top two in each group qualify for finals)
15:50 A far-too-long commercial break before the senior draws. In the meantime, we can tell you that Worcester Wolves have signed 6'10" Lithuanian centre Giedrius Knysas. Petroslav Zafirov has been released. The Bulgarian now with more clubs than Tiger Woods behind him.
FIBA Europe President George Vassilakopoulos has addressed the assembled masses with a plea for sanity going forward.
"I can say that today we no longer have distinct Eastern and Western Federations as in the past," he said. "Today we have European Federations, of course with important differences at the sports of financial level, but with, more and more, the same mentality, the same approach to the principals and values of our sport!
"To close my comments today, I would like to point out that as of the first of December of last year the new treaty on the European Union has entered into force. This treaty contains specific reference to sport, that I do hope, will allow the sports movement to finally obtain, after many years of efforts, the official recognition of the specificity of sport, and the special link between sport and society."
15:35 It's Men, Division C. Group A: WALES, Andorra, Moldova and Gibraltar. Group B: SCOTLAND, Malta, Denmark and San Marino.
Scotland came third last time out in Edinburgh in 2008. Wales were in the bottom two and saved by the judges from elimination.
15:33 Eurobasket women, Division C. Group B: SCOTLAND, WALES, Malta, Azerbaijan. That's in Yerevan, Armenia from June 28-July 3.
15:29 Eurobasket Under-16 Women, Division C. SCOTLAND, Malta and Monaco in the first round. An entire continent exhales.
15:25 My bad. How could we have forgotten the Under-16, Division C draws? Shame on us, especially as the Welsh are involved here. On the men's side, Group A has SCOTLAND, WALES, Andorra and Monaco. All off to Andorra and every one of them grateful to have avoided San Marino in the first round.
15:15 Anyone got draw fatigue yet? Just the senior draw and the mighty Division C to come. GB in Division A for men and women. Fixtures to be played on an home and away basis this summer for the right to qualify for Eurobasket 2011. Lest anyone is wondering where Ireland are - they've yanked their senior programme due to budgetary restrictions. A lot of unhappy folk over that decision.
15:10 Under-20 Men, Division B. Group C: GREAT BRITAIN, Belgium, Austria and Denmark. Tim Lewis will be happy with that one. This tournament's in Gissing and Oberwart, Austria from July 14-24.
15:05 Under-20 Women, Div B. GREAT BRITAIN, Macedonia, Belgium, Hungary, Czech Republic. Tough one this for GB. They're off to Kavadarsi, in Macedonia, July 15-25.
15:02 The Under-20 men draw coming up. Who will Tim Lewis and Damian Jennings be plotting against, this summer?
So that's the home countries sorted. Now for Great Britain following a short break at the Marriott Munchen.
14:40 Under-18 Men. ENGLAND, Romania, Denmark, Belarus, Israel in one group. SCOTLAND, Belgium, Portugal, Bosnia, Hungary in another. July 22- August 1 in Tel Aviv for your diary.
14:40 They're onto the Under-16 Men. Div B. ENGLAND get Ireland, Belarus, Czech Republic and Slovakia in their group. That's in Tallinn, Estonia, 5-14 August.
14:30 Under-18 Women. A corker this... ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, Finland, Estonia and Bulgaria, bound for Timisoara, Romania, 28 July - 8 August. Instant reaction from Scotland head coach, Donnie Finnie. "Ouch."
14:15 local time They're starting with Under-16 Women. Division B. ENGLAND, Macedonia, Romania and Slovakia all going to Skopje, 12-22 August.
14:00 Formalities first in Munich. There's a total of 285 teams in 20 FIBA Europe competitions will enter the draw, apparently. No frozen balls here.
.
Great Britain's men's coach Chris Finch on the campaign
"We may have been seeded in the second pot for the draw but that didn't mean we took anything for granted. Make no mistake Division A is tough and perhaps last time we took people by surprise because we were a relatively unknown quantity, but now, we have been exposed to more top-level European basketball.
"Last year everyone said we were drawn in the group of death at the Europeans and yes, it was tough, but particularly against Spain we stepped up and raised our game. And that's what we will have to do this summer.
"With everyone available and the ability to prepare for this campaign correctly, I see no reason why we can't be one of the main contenders for qualifying."
GB women's Head coach Tom Maher on his team's chances
"At this level every team is tough, that is the nature of the competition. Britain played six of the 18 teams in the draw in the last round of qualifying so we know what to expect.
Slovak Republic, Ukraine and Germany will provide us with stiff opposition but I am encouraged by how the group of players I had last summer got on, both in training in Manchester and then at the World University Games, where we surprised a few people.
"I'm confident that with another good camp this year, and a fully fit roster available, we will be in a good position to challenge these three/four countries, and that's exactly what we need to do to stay on track for London 2012."
16:15 Group B: GREAT BRITAIN, Macedonia, Bosnia, Hungary and Ukraine.
It was never going to be an easy route to the finals in Lithuania 2011 for Chris Finch's men but - pending Luol Deng's availability - it's an achieveable feat, having avoided Italy and Montenegro. Lots of air miles though. Those qualifiers on a home and away basis in August.
Remember, Finch's side will take on the Bosnians for the second successive Eurobasket qualifying campaign. In 2008 GB won at the NIA in Birmingham, although they lost the return fixture in Bosnia. The team also took on Macedonia last summer in a friendly, where despite a roster stripped of their key players due to injury and illness, they only lost 78-67.
The draw in full:
Group A: Latvia, Israel, Finland, Italy, Montenegro
Group B: Macedonia, Great Britain, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Hungary, Ukraine
Group C: Poland, Bulgaria, Belgium, Portugal, Georgia
(Group winners and best two runners-up qualify for finals)
16:05 Eurobasket 2011 qualifiers Senior Women. Division A. Group D: GREAT BRITAIN, Slovakia, Germany and Ukraine. Yup, it's the Germans again for Tom Maher's side who, lest we forget, needed a special exemption to stay in Division A. One of the tougher draws too.
In the last Eurobasket qualifying campaign, GB recorded their only win of the summer against Germany when Johannah Leedham's winning basket sealed a 61-59 victory, but they agonising lost in Cardiff 74-72 in the return fixture. That same campaign the GB basketball team almost got their campaign off to a great start with a win over Ukraine but lost narrowly 59-54 and were there defeated 80-73 in Cardiff.
The draw in full:
Group A: Italy, Lithuania, Croatia, Belgium, Netherlands
Group B: Latvia, Israel, Serbia, Romania
Group C: Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland, Montenegro
Group D: Slovak Republic, Ukraine, Germany, Great Britain
(Top two in each group qualify for finals)
15:50 A far-too-long commercial break before the senior draws. In the meantime, we can tell you that Worcester Wolves have signed 6'10" Lithuanian centre Giedrius Knysas. Petroslav Zafirov has been released. The Bulgarian now with more clubs than Tiger Woods behind him.
FIBA Europe President George Vassilakopoulos has addressed the assembled masses with a plea for sanity going forward.
"I can say that today we no longer have distinct Eastern and Western Federations as in the past," he said. "Today we have European Federations, of course with important differences at the sports of financial level, but with, more and more, the same mentality, the same approach to the principals and values of our sport!
"To close my comments today, I would like to point out that as of the first of December of last year the new treaty on the European Union has entered into force. This treaty contains specific reference to sport, that I do hope, will allow the sports movement to finally obtain, after many years of efforts, the official recognition of the specificity of sport, and the special link between sport and society."
15:35 It's Men, Division C. Group A: WALES, Andorra, Moldova and Gibraltar. Group B: SCOTLAND, Malta, Denmark and San Marino.
Scotland came third last time out in Edinburgh in 2008. Wales were in the bottom two and saved by the judges from elimination.
15:33 Eurobasket women, Division C. Group B: SCOTLAND, WALES, Malta, Azerbaijan. That's in Yerevan, Armenia from June 28-July 3.
15:29 Eurobasket Under-16 Women, Division C. SCOTLAND, Malta and Monaco in the first round. An entire continent exhales.
15:25 My bad. How could we have forgotten the Under-16, Division C draws? Shame on us, especially as the Welsh are involved here. On the men's side, Group A has SCOTLAND, WALES, Andorra and Monaco. All off to Andorra and every one of them grateful to have avoided San Marino in the first round.
15:15 Anyone got draw fatigue yet? Just the senior draw and the mighty Division C to come. GB in Division A for men and women. Fixtures to be played on an home and away basis this summer for the right to qualify for Eurobasket 2011. Lest anyone is wondering where Ireland are - they've yanked their senior programme due to budgetary restrictions. A lot of unhappy folk over that decision.
15:10 Under-20 Men, Division B. Group C: GREAT BRITAIN, Belgium, Austria and Denmark. Tim Lewis will be happy with that one. This tournament's in Gissing and Oberwart, Austria from July 14-24.
15:05 Under-20 Women, Div B. GREAT BRITAIN, Macedonia, Belgium, Hungary, Czech Republic. Tough one this for GB. They're off to Kavadarsi, in Macedonia, July 15-25.
15:02 The Under-20 men draw coming up. Who will Tim Lewis and Damian Jennings be plotting against, this summer?
So that's the home countries sorted. Now for Great Britain following a short break at the Marriott Munchen.
14:40 Under-18 Men. ENGLAND, Romania, Denmark, Belarus, Israel in one group. SCOTLAND, Belgium, Portugal, Bosnia, Hungary in another. July 22- August 1 in Tel Aviv for your diary.
14:40 They're onto the Under-16 Men. Div B. ENGLAND get Ireland, Belarus, Czech Republic and Slovakia in their group. That's in Tallinn, Estonia, 5-14 August.
14:30 Under-18 Women. A corker this... ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, Finland, Estonia and Bulgaria, bound for Timisoara, Romania, 28 July - 8 August. Instant reaction from Scotland head coach, Donnie Finnie. "Ouch."
14:15 local time They're starting with Under-16 Women. Division B. ENGLAND, Macedonia, Romania and Slovakia all going to Skopje, 12-22 August.
14:00 Formalities first in Munich. There's a total of 285 teams in 20 FIBA Europe competitions will enter the draw, apparently. No frozen balls here.
.
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