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NewsPage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Sep 29, 2017, 6:33 pm A squad of 18 players have been selected to take the next steps in the preparations for the FIBA Division C European Championships 2018.
The squad will be led by Head Coach Simon Fisher who has previously taken England U16s to 5 European B division championships gaining 3 top 4 finishes, with a bronze in 2009 and culminating in a silver medal and promotion from FIBA Division B in 2011. He will provide the squad with a vast amount of knowledge and experience and is looking to develop this squad into a group that will be competitive at the tournament.
Coach Fisher said "It has been an immense pleasure to select this squad. I would like to thank all the players, clubs and coaches that have committed to the process, it has enable my staff and I to select a balanced group of 18 players. We have looked to select for both next years tournament, but also for the longer term, as the main drive for this group will be to relentlessly improve, I believe then the results will be a by-product of that development.
I would like to thank the other members of my staff. Nick O'Leary has brought immense experience, coupled with his knowledge within the technical development of the players, enabling us to develop a coaching games for understanding approach. Stefan is a young coach who brings his expertise in video analysis, as well as his coaching skills to enhance the joint approach I have instilled into the group. The core of the group however is Jon Bunyan, he leads the planning and organisation to ensure that the squad has the best chance possible to improve.
I look forward to the journey, all the sessions and camps are open for club coaches to attend, as we all help to enhance the opportunities for this group of players"
Head Coach: Simon Fisher
Asst Coach: Nick O'Leary
Asst Coach: Stefan Rosier
Team Manager: Jon Bunyan
Jun 14, 2017, 8:20 pm
It was a difficult task for the Senior Men as they faced off with Ireland and Scotland in Edinburgh for Celtic Cup bragging rights.
It was truly a David and Goliath encounter, Ireland have recently appointed US Coach Pete Strickland and are aiming for FIBA Small countries glory in 2018. Meanwhile Scotland have been awarded £250,000 of funding by Sport Scotland to prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Australia next year.
So how did it go…?
Wales v Ireland On Friday evening Scotland cruised to an 82-58 win over Ireland, our first opponents on Saturday afternoon.
It was clearly a nervy start for Wales as we failed to convert several good opportunities and Ireland punished us by taking a 10-point cushion. We fought back behind hot shooting from James Dawe but a sloppy 7-0 run before halftime gave Ireland a comfortable 18-point lead. We couldn’t generate the stops or scoring to claw back into the game and Ireland ran out winners 85-55.
Wales v Scotland On Sunday, the young side attempted to regroup but faced a mammoth task against a Scotland side led by GB captain Kieron Achara. Despite this we started the game in a much more assertive fashion even taking a small lead 5-2…it would be short lived, as Scotland landed a barrage of threes. Despite continued good play Scotland led 28-17 after the first quarter. The game slipped away in similar fashion to Ireland with the hosts punishing sloppy play and pull out a 50-25 halftime advantage. With the game out of sight, both coaches rotated their benches and Scotland ran out impressive victors 108-44.
We created an awful lot of open shots, but with many of the guys so hyped up we couldn’t knock them down. I take a lot of confidence in this group for the long term from how we responded in the first 15 minutes against Scotland. The players were much calmer and more professional pre-game, saving more of their physical and mental energy for the tip off. This showed their ability to learn from our experiences and make adjustments.
In that first period, we played some excellent offensive basketball but it was tough to be in Scotland’s gym where their players know the rims and the officials know the players. So, despite what I felt was a really strong performance we still found ourselves down 27-17. We held on nicely until 5 minutes into the second period when our own error led to a 5-point swing and we don’t yet have the mental skills to remain calm and focused and stick to our game plan.
As the wheels came off the performance levels did drop and the score got away from us in the second half. I would again take away the positives of the first 15 minutes and the knowledge that if we tighten up our rotations on defence and sustain the focus and confidence we brought during that period we will become a good international side.
Reflections from the Head Coach
Firstly, I want to thank the players for being committed to the National Team program in the build up to this tournament. They have helped secure a future for the senior men program with their commitment, hard work and willingness to grow. They have self-funded the program which has a £750 budget for the year and I am extremely proud of the team and program we have run.
These performances and results must be viewed as our first steps, our yardstick for where we are now. When you have seven players from the U23s making their international debut nerves were always going to be a factor, and despite feeling we had the talent level to compete with Ireland, anytime you dig yourselves a 10-point hole to start a game it’s always going to be tough. However, despite the result I intend to take away the positives as we move forward.
Jamie Rodwell after a tough start absolutely showed me that he is an international class player right now. Anytime you can record 16 points and 12 rebounds in a game you are doing well. James Dawe also knocked down some tough shots under pressure and is now also well established at international level.
Mathew Broderick was excellent versus GB level competition he had 6 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes on court, and at 19 years old and 6’9 he gives us another nice piece to build around. Gareth Williams was also impressive despite being undersized at the 4. He is a real bull and had the ability to knock down shots so that gives us a solid frontline with Rodwell to build around. We also had flashes of good play from all three of our young PGs they all have areas of their game they need to work on and need to gain more experience but over the next 2 seasons I believe all 3 can develop into strong contributors. We also have Nico Pele Wilson and Asa Waite who as he gets more comfortable with what we are asking him to do is going to be a real handful for most teams.
On a personal level
This weekend was also useful from my personal perspective, I’ve been beating the drum that we need to play international tests so we can properly evaluate where we are now.
I must put my hands up and say that we weren’t prepared to the level I would have liked especially if this tournament is viewed as our competitive focus. I have seen some criticism on social media sites and I can understand, given the results, that we have to accept this but I would ask people to understand the upside to our squad in terms of its training age and the difference in resources between us and the programs in Scotland and Ireland.
I totally believe in this young group of men that they can compete and do something special for Welsh basketball but they needed more time on court together both on the practice floor and in warm up games. Within the squad I think we have a good understanding that this was our first step and we will now meet as a group and come up with some goals and evaluate how we try to get to the performance level we want to be at over the coming year. We have a camp planned for next month and we are in the process of finalising a trip to play another FIBA Small Countries team which should give us a chance to grow on the road and hopefully be more competitive.
Finally, I want to thank our hosts at Basketball Scotland who were fantastic throughout and very generous in their support of our involvement also Basketball Ireland for sending their squad to the tournament. We met some very nice people and we hope the Celtic Clash can be a regular fixture in the calendar.
If any companies or individuals would like to support the Senior Men National program please email walthom3@aol.com
Jun 6, 2017, 9:45 pm
British Basketball, Basketball Scotland and Basketball Wales Announce Partnership with Sports Hydration Experts iPro Sport
In a first of its kind commercial relationship for basketball in Britain, three of the sports National Governing Bodies have pooled their efforts and secured a new hydration and sports drink partnership with iPro Sport.
British Basketball, Basketball Scotland and Basketball Wales have come together to team up with one of the most innovative suppliers of hydration products to help improve athlete and team performance.
iPro Sport has been chosen as the Preferred Hydration Drinks Partner to all three basketball organisations and their elite players.
The partnership will be underpinned by product support, gifting of equipment and resources together with hydration and nutritional messaging targeted at grassroots development through to podium competition within each of the three partnering basketball communities in the UK.
British Basketball Chief Executive, Lisa Wainwright, commented;
“We are delighted to welcome iPro Sport to our family of commercial partners. They are such an innovative company, who have sport and athletes at the heart of what they do. It is a ground-breaking relationship for basketball, as it’s the first time the BBF along with multiple Home Country Associations have pooled our efforts and commercial properties. It is a tangible example of the closer working relationship across basketball in Britain, being driven by our Transforming Basketball in Britain strategy.”
Already the preferred hydration drink of countless professional clubs, sporting organisations and international athletes, club nutritionists and sports performance coaches from across the globe are offering testimony to iPro Sport's ability to deliver great hydration and aid recovery. iPro Sport stands out from its competitors with its naturally sweetened hydrating isotonic drink that contains absolutely no artificial flavours, colours or sweeteners.
“We feel that this collaborative partnership agreement with British Basketball, Basketball Scotland and Basketball Wales really demonstrates the commercial growth of the sport in the UK. We look forward to playing our role in the future development of the sport and further cementing our long term commitment to Basketball worldwide.” said Sophie Christy, Commercial Director at iPro Sport.
Barry Lang, Head of Basketball at basketballscotland added;
“basketballscotland are delighted to welcome iPro Sport as a key partner for SBC Finals events and Scotland National Teams for the next four years. This four year partnership will provide Scotland’s top athletes with the hydration they require during competition and we are excited about the opportunity to work with iPro Sport who already have an excellent reputation within the sports hydration industry across the UK.”
Gavin Williams, CEO of Basketball Wales added;
"Basketball Wales are pleased to announce iPro Sport as a new commercial partner and the preferred Hydration drink for all our National Team athletes. Basketball Wales looks forward to working with iPro Sport for the next four years which will benefit our athletes at all our major annual events and national team training sessions." May 25, 2017, 7:18 am British Basketball is pleased to announce the list of players nominated by the Home Countries to participate in the initial training camps for the GB National U16 & U18 Squads, ahead of the various FIBA European Championships 2017.
British Basketball Chief Executive, Lisa Wainwright, commented “This is such an exciting announcement to make. For the first time, the Under 16 and Under 18 teams will be competing in European Championships under a GB banner and flying the Union flag. The Home Countries have done their own talent identification processes and have nominated a wonderful bunch of young athletes to take part in the initial training camps. Thanks to Basketball England for managing the programme for these squads. Good luck to everyone over the next few months.”
Vladan Dragosovac, Technical and Performance Manager at Basketball England, who is overseeing the GB camps, said “It is great to be involved in bringing together talented young basketball players from across the home nations. The programme we are delivering through the upcoming camps is designed to further prepare our young athletes for competition at the highest level.”
A full list of all nominated players is outlined below:
GB Under 18 Men Name Home Country Club Adria Amabilino-Perez England Derby Trailblazers Brian Amabilino-Perez England Derby Trailblazers Ryan Armour Scotland City of Edinburgh Ashley Barrett-Briggs England Team Solent Kestrels Nelson Boachie Yiadom England Loomis Chaffee (USA) Kaiyem Cleary England Manchester Magic Joshua Edwards England London Thunder Alexander Ferguson Scotland City of Edinburgh Caleb Fuller England Ipswich Kayne Henry-McCalla England London Westside Kieran Horrigan Wales Leicester Riders / Charnwood College Hosana Kitenge England Worthing Thunder Callan Low Scotland basketballpaisley Pierce Maslen England Barking Abbey Joshua Ogundele England Barking Abbey Nathan Robinson England Las Lomas, Walnut Creek (USA) Jacob Round England Fuenlabrada (ESP) Sesan Russell England Loughborough Student Riders Micah Savery-Richards England Leeds Force Romario Spence England Charnwood College Peter Strigas England Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) Zion Tordoff England Lancashire Spinners Luke Webster-Smith Wales Trent College Knights
GB Under 18 Women Name Home Country Club Ruth Allison Scotland CDB Zaragoza (ESP) Jade Blackburn England Sevenoaks Suns Teresa Da Silva England Barking Abbey Flora Durgerian England Sevenoaks Suns Charlotte Ellmore England Barking Abbey Sophie Evans Wales Leicester Riders / Charnwood College Tia Freeman England Oaklands Wolves Shauna Harrison England Lancashire Spinners Alix Henderson Scotland Highland Bears / Edinburgh University Ebony Horton England Leicester Riders Megan Jones Scotland Ayr Storm Milly Knowles England Lancashire Spinners Daniela Lozzi England Sevenoaks Suns Hansine Marshall Scotland Edinburgh University / Caledonia Pride Shawnisay Millar Scotland Boroughmuir Blaze / Caledonia Pride Sophie Owen England Hawthorn (AUS) Ire Ozzy-Momodu England Southwark Pride Sian Phillips Scotland Boroughmuir Blaze Maya Price England Ipswich Cheyenne Scott England Southwark Pride Macy Spinks England Oaklands Wolves Leah Stewart Scotland CDB Zaragoza (ESP) Emily Stradling Wales Cardiff Met Archers Loie Webb England Logan Basketball (AUS) Zoe Willis England Barking Abbey Holly Winterburn England Leicester Riders
GB Under 16 Men Name Home Country Club Timothy Adetukasi England Brentwood Fire Joseph Barrett England Bradford Dragons Harrison Bell England Doncaster Danum Eagles Charlie Brown England Derby Trailblazers David Chive England London Greenhouse Pioneers Veron Eze England Ipswich Christopher Feeney Scotland basketballpaisley Alex Gager England Surrey Goldhawks Theo Hughes England Brentwood Fire Kemari Kennley Bailey England Sussex Bears Lewis McGlasson Scotland CB Terra L’Alfas del Pi (ESP) Chester Morrell England Shoreham Spartans Eljay Morris England London Thunder - Lewisham Louis Norton-Cuffy England Peckham Pride Mate Okros England Kent Crusaders Vasja Pandza England Leeds Force Kareem Queeley England Real Madrid (ESP) Oluwasegun Shodunke England Kent Crusaders Tomiwa Sulaiman England London Greenhouse Pioneers Cai Thomas Wales Bristol Flyers
GB Under 16 Women Name Home Country Club Lilly Annim England Southend Swifts Alexandra Baker England Sevenoaks Suns Katie Bennett England Southend Swifts Loren Christie England Oaklands Wolves Laura Collins Scotland basketballpaisley Carla Crowther Scotland Lady Rocks Shanice Flitton England GCA Haringey Angels Jade Guidolin-Duncan England London Greenhouse Pioneers Rebecca Harwood-Bellis England Tameside Basketball Club Ashana Hinds England Manchester Mystics Katrina Kirsop Scotland Stirling Knights Khia Lee England Manchester Mystics Esther Little England Ipswich Georgia McCabe Scotland Tayside Musketeers Mairi McGill Scotland Sony Centre Fury Brahe Opal Ashton England Nottingham Wildcats Valentina Palli Scotland Lady Rocks Ashante Richards England Sheffield Hatters Lauren Saa England West Bromwich Albion Mia Sarkodee-Adoo England Oaklands Wolves Jess Southwell England Sheffield Hatters Pollyanna Storie Scotland City of Edinburgh Sarah Wooldridge England Redstar Belgrade (SRB) May 16, 2017, 8:25 am
British Basketball announce the coaching and management staff for the GB national youth squads for the FIBA European Championships 2017
British Basketball is pleased to announce the confirmation of all coaching and team management roles for the GB National Youth Squads, ahead of the various FIBA European Championships 2017.
With 2017 being the first year that Under 16 and Under 18 teams will be competing as Great Britain, rather than the Home Countries, there is great excitement within the basketball community for opportunities facing the squads.
British Basketball Chief Executive, Lisa Wainwright, commented “We are delighted to name such strong coaching and management teams to all of the GB National Youth Squads. Using the experience and talent within the Home Countries, we’ve been able to appoint high quality coaches and excellent team support personnel to all squads. Flying the flag for GB for the first time for the younger age groups adds a new dimension for the coaches, management and players. Thanks to all the Home Countries for their assistance in appointing the staff and Basketball England for managing the Under 16 and Under 18 squads. Another example of collaborative working being driven by our Transforming Basketball in Britain strategy.”
A full list of all staff is listed below:
GB Under 20 Men Name Position Andreas Kapoulas Head Coach Lloyd Gardner Assistant Coach Josh Merrington Assistant Coach Mark Lloyd Team Manager Mark Dayson Physio Ross Knevett Sports Therapist
GB Under 20 Women Name Position Jose Buceta Head Coach Chris Bunten Assistant Coach Rachael Vanderwal Assistant Coach Beverley Kettlety Team Manager Darren Finnegan Physio
GB Under 18 Men Name Position Alan Keane Head Coach Ian Macleod Assistant Coach Pete Daines Team Manager Peter Berenyi Performance Analyst Patrick Waplington S&C Coach Ellen Scott Sports Therapist
GB Under 18 Women Name Position Vanessa Ellis Head Coach James Dawe Assistant Coach Sadie Mason Team Manager Barney Blake Performance Analyst Sam Heathcote S&C Coach James McCormack Physio
GB Under 16 Men Name Position James Vear Head Coach Craig Nicol Assistant Coach Howard Leighton Team Manager Ieuan Alex Jones Performance Analyst Hani Assi S&C Coach Mark Dayson Physio
GB Under 16 Women Name Position Matthew Harber Head Coach Kenrick Liburd Assistant Coach Olga Cornish Team Manager Adam Davies Performance Analyst Antonis Kesisoglou S&C Coach Brad Scanes Physio May 14, 2017, 10:01 am
Wales National Team Head Coach James Bamfield has named his squad for the Celtic Cup which will be held in Scotland at the National Performance Centre on 9 -11 June 2017. Scotland play Ireland on Friday, before Wales face Ireland on Saturday and Scotland on the Sunday. It is expected both sides will field strong line ups with Scotland still hoping to make a case for a place at 2018 Commonwealth games and set to feature GB players Gareth Murray and Kieran Achara.
The Welsh squad has clearly been selected with a view to the future and features 8 players who earlier this year represented Wales at U23.
Coach Bamfield said, “We have made tremendous progress since September adding significantly to the talent levels and identifying some excellent veterans to help lead the program forward. We now have 25 players attending the next camp on the 3June, before we work with the squad for Scotland. We will continue to work tirelessly to identify young talent and involve them in either the Senior or U23 program. In terms of the Celtic Cup clash in June everyone involved is very excited to dip our toes into true International competition”.
The squad has an average age of 23 and for most of the squad this will be their first senior international so it’s very exciting to see these players taking this first step and help them to discover what sort of international players they might be.
Coach Bamfield was pleased by the success many of these players had at U23 level forcing over 30 turnovers and landing 40 fast break points in their win over Scotland. Obviously, the performance levels and results will be different at senior level.
He added “We need to be realistic about expectations and give this group a chance to grow as they can have a very bright future”.
We have also been very lucky to have some superb veteran talent commit to the program and it gives me great pleasure to name James Dawe, Asa Waite and Jamie Rodwell as team co-captains as we move forward.
James Dawe one of the three named co-captains said: “Coming off the back of a tough FIBA campaign last summer it's been great to start training with Wales again. I have been lucky enough to go to the past two FIBA Small Countries tournaments and have really enjoyed the challenge of playing at that level. The competition style and the build-up are always an opportunity to learn and improve. Although we are no longer entering that competition the prospect of playing for Wales is still a big draw for the guys. Several of us play for Cardiff Archers and we have enjoyed a competitive season in the National League D3 this year narrowing missing out on playoffs. Hopefully we can take some of that momentum into the summer with Wales.
Coach Bamfield really has the guys buying into the way he wants Wales to play and the vision for the future, you can tell by the atmosphere at the camps.
We have a lot of young players who are hungry to improve and prove they deserve a spot in the senior team. This makes training competitive and, coupled with the fast style of basketball the coaches are implementing, it's fun to be involved. There's a positive atmosphere and an understanding of where we are at now and where we want to be. Hopefully as we continue to train hard as a group, and away from camps individually, we will start to see things come together on court.
The Celtic Cup will be our first real opportunity to play together. Both Scotland and Ireland have great set ups and talented players so they will be a very tough test for us. The guys are looking forward to the chance to play against that kind of competition”.
Sqaud to represent Wales in the Celtic Cup
The following players have been invited to join the training camp
Coaching Team
May 5, 2017, 9:55 am
On Saturday 13 May Basketball Wales, Cardiff Met Archers, Tribal Basketball, and Sport Cardiff will be giving 8 to 11-year-olds from Cardiff the opportunity to gain themselves the Basketball Wales Mini Basketball Bronze Award!
The event will be held in the brand-new Archers' Arena on Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus, the home of Wales' only elite-level basketball squad, the Cardiff Met Archers WBBL (Women's British Basketball League) team! The event is completely free and is a great introduction to basketball.
Not only will participants earn their Bronze Awards and learn loads of new skills; they will also get to see the FIBA EuroBasket Trophy as it stops at Cardiff Met on its grand tour before this year's EuroBasket Tournament!
EuroBasket Finals (the European Basketball Tournament) is Europe's top international competition. Taking place every two years, it sees 24 European nations battling it out on the courts to find Europe's basketball champions! And this year we can follow the GB men’s team, they have qualified for the finals and will play Belgium, Turkey, Latvia, Serbia and Russia. The tournament starts on 31 August and ends in Istanbul on 17 September 2017.
The event is open to all primary school children in years 4, 5 and 6 and will run from 12 - 3pm. The Archers' Arena is on Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus, Cyncoed Road, CF23 6XD.
For more information and book a place please email bwminibasketball@tribalbasketball.net
Apr 21, 2017, 9:17 am  The Great Britain Senior Men’s Basketball team will take on Greece, ranked number 13 in the world, on Saturday 19 August at the Copper Box Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in London.
The match will be part of both teams’ preparations for the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Finals, which start on 31st August.
GB Senior Men’s Head Coach, Joe Prunty, said “Greece is not only one of the top teams in Europe, but one of the top teams in the world. Through the years they have had tremendous talent and have been well coached. Having finished in the top 5 in 11 of the last 15 EuroBasket’s shows their consistency. As always the team will be excited to be back in London playing in front of the home crowd. This will be a great game in preparation for EuroBasket and Group D which has 3 of the top 10 teams in the world.”
British Basketball Chief Executive, Lisa Wainwright, commented “We are delighted to be able to announce such an attractive game as part of the build-up to EuroBasket for our Senior Men. We look forward to welcoming basketball fans from around the country, and hopefully visitors from Greece, to the Copper Box Arena in August, which is a terrific venue for fans to get close to the action.”
Great Britain is in Group D of EuroBasket 2017, playing in Istanbul against Turkey, Belgium, Latvia, Russia and Serbia. Greece is in Group A, playing in Helsinki against Finland, France, Iceland, Poland and Slovenia. The tournament starts on 31st August and runs until 17th September. For further details on EuroBasket 2017, go to www.fiba.com/eurobasket/2017.
Tickets for the game are expected to be on sale the week of 24 April. More details will follow. Check the British Basketball website for further details - http://www.gbbasketball.com/
Great Britain vs. Greece – Senior Men’s Basketball International |
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