Great Britain National Team

[FilWelsh]

Deng included in strong GB squad

Deng has been a force for the Bulls in the play-offs
Chicago Bulls star Luol Deng is one of three NBA players called up by Great Britain coach Chris Finch for the team's summer programme.
Pops Mensah-Bonsu of Dallas and Golden State's Kelenna Azubuike are the other NBA-based players in the 24-man squad.

The squad assembles in Florida in July to prepare for four crucial European qualifiers in August and September.

Finch has recalled 11 of last summer's team to a squad that is probably the strongest ever assembled in Britain.

"Definitely the loyalty factor was at work there," said Finch. "All 11 of them won't be on the final squad, but those guys made the commitment last year.

"We have to build commitment into the programme."

Finch describes the squad's potential as "a tantalising thought - we have some top talent. It's important that talent turns up, though."

Azubuike, 23, was born in London and indicated to Finch only last weekend that he wished to be included.

The Golden State player was visited two weeks ago by GB assistant coach Tony Garbelotto in a bid to secure his involvement.

Azubuike has yet to acquire a British passport, but has been selected as a wild card by Finch on the assumption that he will have one by the time the qualifiers begin.

Deng starred on Monday as the Bulls secured a 4-0 whitewash over reigning NBA champions Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference first-round series.

Four of the players, including captain Andrew Sullivan, play in Spain's ACB League, rated the best in Europe.

Only six members of the squad played in the BBL last season.

Finch will bring the squad back from Florida in early August for a series of seven warm-up internationals in France, Croatia and London before the opening qualifier against Slovakia in Newcastle on 21 August.

Great Britain will probably need to win all four of their matches in order to qualify from Group B for a two-leg promotion play-off tie in mid-September.

In all, the team are scheduled to play 13 internationals including the other qualifying ties against Netherland, Albania and Belarus.

Great Britain squad

Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls) 6'7" F
Kelenna Azubuike (Golden State Warriors) 6'5" GF
Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Dallas Mavericks) 6'9" F
Kieron Achara (Duquesne Uni, USA) 6'10" FC
Robert Archibald (Badalona, Spain) 6'11" CF
Andrew Betts (Badalona, Spain) 7'1" C
Andrew Sullivan (Badalona, Spain) 6'8" F
Mike Bernard (Teramo, Italy) 6'9" C
Eric Boateng (Arizona State Uni, USA) 6'10" C
Flinder Boyd (Rosalia, Spain) 5'11" G
Jermayne Forbes (Dombovar, Hungary) 6'1" G
Joel Freeland (Gran Canaria, Spain) 6'10" F
Nick George (Imola, Italy) 6'6" F
Steven Hansell (Evreux, France) 6'4" G
Chris Haslam (Kunin, Czech Rep) 6'10" C
Roger Huggins (Charleroi, Belgium) 6'7" F
Tarick Johnson (London United) 6'4" G
Julius Joseph (Scottish Rocks) 6'4" F
Michael Martin (Guildford) 6'7" F
Richard Midgley (unattached)
Nate Reinking (Bree, Belgium) 6'0" G
Chris Sanders (Penne, Italy)
Alto Virgil (Chester) 6'2" G
Yorick Williams (Leicester) 6'4" G

[rikhardur]

http://forums.interbasket.net/showth...highlight=deng

Anyway, welcome aboard

[HIGHLANDER]

A Welshman, welcome.
Thats looks like a strong squad. Maybe a bit late though to convince the FIBA that they are good enough for the Olympics. I see 2 Scotsman in there.
Don't see any Welsh though. What do you think about that Filwelsh.
By the way u are not Phil who played for the national team for many years are u

[jramoyo]

ok, so they don't send teams as england, wales, scottland, ireland like in football?

[FilWelsh]

Historically, Home nations such as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland send separate teams in international sports competitions. However, basketball is not such a big thing in UK as in other countries. To make it more appealing, more representative and more stronger for the British public forming a unified team is paramount.

In 2005 after winning the 2012 Olympic bid, England Basketball, the sport's governing body in England along with basketballscotland and their counterparts in Wales combined forces to form the Great Britain national basketball team or Team GB, with the target goal to field a competitive team capable of winning medals at the London 2012 summer Olympics.

[alermac]

Don't British nations always compete as GB in the Olympics?

[HIGHLANDER]

Yes they do compete in the Olympics. However i would prefer they competed as Scotland, England, N.Ireland and Wales separately. I think with the population of England being around 55 million and for example Scotland 5.5 million, well that is not hard to figure out who will have the most athletes competing..

[donmar]

Originally Posted by FilWelsh

Historically, Home nations such as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland send separate teams in international sports competitions. However, basketball is not such a big thing in UK as in other countries. To make it more appealing, more representative and more stronger for the British public forming a unified team is paramount.

In 2005 after winning the 2012 Olympic bid, England Basketball, the sport's governing body in England along with basketballscotland and their counterparts in Wales combined forces to form the Great Britain national basketball team or Team GB, with the target goal to field a competitive team capable of winning medals at the London 2012 summer Olympics.

The same goes with football (soccer)... in 2012 Olympics... Britain will field a unified football team

[HIGHLANDER]

Article from Edinburgh Newspaper..

Crunch tie sees stars line up at Meadowbank

MEADOWBANK (Edinburgh) ticket office has opened for bookings for one of the most important basketball games to take place there since the centre opened in 1970.

Chicago Bulls superstar Luol Deng and Scotland's first NBA star Robert Archibald are just two of the likely Great Britain team to meet Albania in a game which could decide whether the host nation plays in the London 2012 Olympics.
Advert for The Scotsman Digital Archive

GB coach Chris Finch has named London-reared Deng, Archibald and Scot Kieron Achara in a 24-strong squad for the remaining half of the European B Championship from which the GB side must gain promotion to clinch their 2012 place.

Deng was inspirational for the Bulls in their 4-0 thrashing of the defending NBA champions Miami Heat in the first round last month and some are tipping him as the next Michael Jordan.

Archibald, after two years in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies, has been starring in the ACB, the top Spanish pro league, for DKV Juventut Badalona, along with two more of the likely GB side for Meadowbank, Andy Betts, the 7ft English centre, and Drew Sullivan, the GB captain and former Newcastle Eagles star.

[Juan Carlos Nadal]

Originally Posted by FilWelsh

...combined forces to form the Great Britain national basketball team or Team GB, with the target goal to field a competitive team capable of winning medals at the London 2012 summer Olympics.

I have read and heard so many..., allow me to say, naive statements like the above from the British media about the 2012 Olympics. The media trully believe that team GB can build (within 5 years) competitive, medal-candidate, teams in basketball, handball, volleyball and waterpolo (just to give 4 examples) when virtually GB does not exist in these sports right now. I seriously doubt that team GB can build teams decent enough to even prevent being anihillated in these events. With the inclusion of certain Dengs and Gordons the basketball team may just about lift itself from where it is now, but talking about medals is extremely far-fetched. I don't wanna sound harsh, but that's true. I would love to see a strong GB in these sports but it won't happen. 5 years are just not enough.

[HIGHLANDER]

I don't believe they would win a medal but if they have all the players available to them they could compete and put in some respectable performances..
That squad they have is decent and i think they have a good coach in Chris Finch plus being the home team..
Carlos Nadal, where have been hiding?

[joel23]

How about Ben Gordon is Great Britain right??

[HIGHLANDER]

I think there was talk of Gordon but nothing seemed to happen after that..

[FilWelsh]

GB SQUAD ANNOUNCED
Head Coach Chris Finch has announced a 20-man roster for the Florida Training Camp due to start today (20th July).


The squad, featuring players from the NBA, NCAA and Spain's ACB league, is without question the finest collection of British Basketball talent ever assembled and will meet up in Florida this weekend to begin preparations for next month's EuroBasket campaign - arguably the most important series of games in Great Britain's history.


Coach Finch said that he couldn't wait to start work with Britain's 'largest collection of basketball talent'.


''The effort to bring us to this point has been monumental. Over the past 10 months we were able to put into play many lessons learned from our inaugural campaign and I am confident in saying that the British player will never have experienced such professionalism during their national team duties. Placing the programme on this level is something that we are very proud of and I personally would like to thank all those who have worked so hard and contributed so significantly, including those individuals at England Basketball and Basketball Scotland who were instrumental in giving us life last summer,'' he added.


The full roster is:-


Achara, Kieron SCO Duquense - USA

Archibald, Robert SCO Azovmash - Ukraine

Bernard, Mike ENG Teramo - Italy

Betts, Andy ENG Badalona - Spain

Boateng, Eric ENG Arizona State - USA

Boyd, Flinder ENG Rosalia - Spain

Deng, Luol ENG Chicago - USA

Freeland, Joel ENG Gran Canaria - Spain

George, Nick ENG Treviso - Italy

Hansell, Steve ENG unattached

Haslam, Chris ENG Novy Jicin - Czech Rep

Huggins, Roger ENG Liege - Belgium

Johnson, Tarick ENG Hospitalet - Spain

Joseph, Julius ENG Scottish Rocks

Lenzly, Mike ENG Apoel - Cyprus

Mensah-Bonsu, Pops ENG Dallas - USA

Midgley, Richard ENG unattached

Reinking, Nate ENG Mons - Belgium

Sanders, Chris ENG Penne - Italy

Sullivan, Andrew ENG Badalona - Spain


GB Replica Jerseys and other official merchandise can be found on the sportserve website - http://www.sportserve.co.uk/cat.php?cat=101

[penzias]

Originally Posted by joel23

How about Ben Gordon is Great Britain right??

Ben Gordon played for USA in 2003.
http://www.usabasketball.com/biosmen...ordon_bio.html
* Member of the 2003 USA Men's Pan American Games Team that finished with a 2-3 record and in fourth place, playing against internationally experienced senior national teams from North, South and Central America, in the Dominican Republic; averaged 5.6 ppg.
* Scored a tournament high 12 points against Puerto Rico in the bronze medal game.

[penzias]

I read that Northern Ireland federation didn´t joined GB NT. Is it true?
As far as i know Wales, Scotland and England keep playing separate for U-18, U-16 and U-14 competitions.

[penzias]

What about the 7'7" Neil Fingleton?

[FilWelsh]

Fingleton's game is very sluggish. He is more of a liaibility than an asset for Team GB. . .

[FilWelsh]

Eurobasket 2009 Qualifying
Group B

Team Pts Pld W L PF PA Diff

Netherlands 7 4 3 1 278 242 +36
Belarus 7 4 3 1 290 274 +16
Great Britain 6 4 2 2 265 250 +15
Slovakia 6 4 2 2 296 303 -7
Albania 4 4 0 4 285 345 -60

First Round

September 2, 2006 Slovakia 73–62 Great Britain

September 9, 2006 Great Britain 63–39 Netherlands

September 13, 2006 Albania 69–72 Great Britain

September 16, 2006 Great Britain 68–69 Belarus


Second Round


August 21, 2007 Great Britain – Slovakia

August 29, 2007 Netherlands – Great Britain

September 1, 2007 Great Britain – Albania

September 5, 2007 Belarus – Great Britain

[penzias]

Originally Posted by FilWelsh

Fingleton's game is very sluggish. He is more of a liaibility than an asset for Team GB. . .

Yeah i know. I watched him trying to do something similar to play basketball some time ago. I just was kidding.