By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Great Britain became one of the last teams to announce their roster for the upcoming Eurobasket.
Per the press release: Ahead of an eagerly anticipated FIBA EuroBasket 2022 that will see some of the world’s best basketball talent compete for supremacy, Great Britain Men’s Head Coach Nate Reinking has confirmed the 24-man roster in contention for a place in the GB squad at the showpiece September tournament.
GB’s Men will travel to Milan for the Pool Stages of EuroBasket 2022 – set to take place from September 2 to September 8 – where they will face Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Italy and Ukraine for a place in the knockout stages, which will be contested in Berlin.
This will be the Men’s team’s first major tournament outing since the 2017 EuroBasket, and the 24-man roster contains several GB stars who not only have experience on the biggest stages in basketball, but who have also shown impeccable commitment to GB in recent years, developing the chemistry and playing identity that has brought about recent success.
The 24-man roster will also be in contention for selection at the upcoming FIBA 2023 World Cup Qualifiers against Belgium (August 25) and Latvia (August 28, 6pm), which will act as vital preparation for the National Team in the run up to EuroBasket. Tickets are still available for the Latvia fixture, which will be GB’s last on home soil before flying out to EuroBasket, at Newcastle’s Vertu Motors Arena.
Currently ranked 45th in the world, the GB Men’s team have shown that they can compete with some of the best sides in Europe as they’ve toppled the likes of France, Germany, Greece and Montenegro in recent outings, but will face some stern challenges at EuroBasket as the majority of their Group B opponents have at least two NBA players on their preliminary rosters.
Following confirmation of the 24-man roster, GB Men’s Captain Dan Clark (photo) said: “We’re extremely excited about the journey we have together over the next few weeks. Getting our best squad together again is a great feeling and I’m really looking forward to it!
“A lot of people see EuroBasket as a reward for the great performances in the qualifying rounds, but I see it as another opportunity to prove that we belong at this level amongst Europe’s elite. Making five of the last six EuroBaskets proves that we have solidified ourselves at this level, but it’s time to take the next step and prove that we can compete and beat anyone on the EuroBasket stage.”
Co-captain Myles Hesson added: “We’ve all worked so hard to make sure GB is represented at the highest level of basketball possible, so to be going into what is sure to be one of the most competitive EuroBasket tournament’s in history is very exciting for all of us. We can’t wait to get together and get to work on what we need to do to be successful in the competition.
“Before then, we’ve got two huge World Cup Qualifiers against great teams in the form of Belgium and Latvia. Bringing Latvia back to Newcastle for the second game is very exciting for us. We’ve always had a fantastic welcome there from everybody involved in the club and the fans that pack out the stands and we hope we can put on a show for them before heading to Milan for EuroBasket.”
If named in Reinking’s final 12-man roster for the tournament, Clark will be the only player to have been selected for all five of Great Britain’s FIBA EuroBasket appearances (2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2022). Clark is joined by Hesson, Kyle Johnson, Devon van Oostrum, Ben Mockford, Luke Nelson, Teddy Okereafor, and Gabe Olaseni as players who have competed at previous EuroBaskets for GB.
Head Coach Reinking will have been involved in all five of Great Britain’s FIBA EuroBasket appearances, too, making two outings as a player (2009 & 2011), two as an Assistant Coach (2013 & 2017), and looking ahead to his first as Head Coach (2022).
Should Hesson, Mockford, Olaseni and van Oostrum be selected for EuroBasket, they would all be on track to earn their 50th international caps during the competition. Clark (112 caps) is now just five games away from surpassing Eric Boateng’s record 116 caps and becoming the GB Men’s National Team’s all-time International Cap winner.
Great Britain have never advanced beyond the group stage of FIBA EuroBasket, but with their unprecedented form over recent years and an established group of top tier talent with closeknit chemistry, Reinking’s side will be in confident mood that they can look to break that duck and make history in September.
| Name | Position | Age | Height | Club (2021/22) | Caps* |
| Amin Adamu | G | 24 | 6’5″ | Montana State University (USA) | 0 |
| Jamell Anderson | F | 32 | 6’7″ | Manchester Giants (GBR) | 6 |
| Kavell Bigby-Williams | F/C | 26 | 6’11” | Indios de San Francisco (DOM) | 10 |
| Dan Clark | F/C | 33 | 6’11” | Manchester Giants (GBR) | 112 |
| Ashley Hamilton | F/C | 33 | 6’7″ | Montreal Alliance (CAN) | 30 |
| Myles Hesson | F/C | 33 | 6’6″ | Saga Ballooners (JPN) | 47 |
| Kyle Johnson | G | 33 | 6’5″ | Hamilton Honey Badgers (CAN) | 85 |
| Sacha Killeya-Jones | F/C | 23 | 6’11” | Hapoel Gilboa Galil (ISR) | 8 |
| Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye | G | 26 | 6’3″ | Heroes Den Bosch (NED) | 12 |
| Callum Lawson | F | 26 | 6’6″ | Valur (ISL) | 2 |
| Ben Mockford | G | 32 | 6’2″ | Lyon (FRA) | 45 |
| Luke Nelson | G | 27 | 6’3″ | ESSM Le Portel (FRA) | 26 |
| Teddy Okereafor | G | 29 | 6’4″ | Cheshire Phoenix (GBR) | 51 |
| Gabe Olaseni | C | 30 | 6’10” | Darussafaka (TUR) | 44 |
| Tarik Phillip | G | 28 | 6’3″ | San Pablo Burgos (ESP) | 12 |
| Kareem Queeley | G | 21 | 6’3″ | San Pablo Burgos (ESP) | 1 |
| Jacob Round | G | 22 | 6’4″ | CB Zamora (ESP) | 5 |
| Ovie Soko | F | 31 | 6’7″ | Shiga Lakestars (JPN) | 12 |
| Mo Soluade | G/F | 27 | 6’5″ | CB Coruna (ESP) | 6 |
| Devon van Oostrum | G | 29 | 6’3″ | Club Melilla Baloncesto (ESP) | 42 |
| Carl Wheatle | F | 24 | 6’7″ | Pistoia (ITA) | 18 |
| Patrick Whelan | G | 25 | 6’5″ | Leicester Riders (GBR) | 2 |
| Jordan Williams | F | 26 | 6’8″ | London Lions (GBR) | 2 |
| Akwasi Yeboah | F | 25 | 6’6″ | Saint Chamond Basket (FRA) | 4 |
*International Caps are accurate as of the start of the August 2022 FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifying Window.