Skip to content
British Basketball
British Basketball
Home of GB Basketball
  • Teams
    • GB Men
    • GB Women
      • FIBA Women’s Eurobasket Qualifiers 2021
    • GB U20 Men
      • FIBA U20 European Championship 2019
    • GB U20 Women
      • FIBA U20 Women European Championship 2019 Division B
    • GB U18 Men
      • FIBA U18 European Championship 2019
    • GB U18 Men 3×3
      • FIBA Europe 3×3 U18 Men – Italy
    • GB U18 Women
      • FIBA U18 Women European Championship 2019 Division B
    • GB U18 Women 3×3
      • FIBA Europe 3×3 U18 Women – Italy
    • GB U16 Men
      • FIBA U16 European Championship 2019 Division B
    • GB U16 Women
      • FIBA U16 Women European Championship 2019 Division B
  • About
    • Board of Directors
    • Policies & Regulations
    • Home Nation Boards
    • Partners & Sponsors
    • Coaching
      • FIBA Coaching Resources
      • WABC
      • Club Skills Guide
    • GB Officiating
      • 3×3 Officiating
    • Vacancies
    • INFORMATION LINKS
    • Contact
  • TicketS
  • News
    • GB Men
    • GB Women
    • GB U20 Men
    • GB U20 Women
    • GB U18 Men
    • GB U18 Men 3×3
    • GB U18 Women
    • GB U18 Women 3×3
    • GB U16 Men
    • GB U16 Women
    • Basketball England
    • Basketball Scotland
    • Basketball Wales
    • BBL
    • WBBL
  • Media
    • GB Press Release
    • Media Accreditation
    • Media Photography – Film Policy
  • .basketball Domain
  • GB Archives
    • History
    • FIBA Archive – Great Britain
  • BBF & FIBA Player Transfer & License Forms
  • GB Anti Doping & Integrity Information
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Soko excited for EuroBasket bow

1st September 2022

He is one of six players in Nate Reinking’s roster for EuroBasket that is yet to sample a major international tournament for his nation, but Ovie Soko is raring to go ahead of today’s (Friday) tournament opener for GB against Ukraine in Milan.

The 31-year-old has sampled elite level basketball across the world at club level, namely in France, Greece, Japan and Spain, and carried himself with distinction in his 14 outings for the national team to date, so we caught up with him to discuss his emotions ahead of his EuroBasket bow.

“I’m looking forward to it a lot. EuroBasket will be fun and a great experience competing against a lot of really great talent. It is a great opportunity for myself, Great Britain and the British Basketball community.

“Across the board there are talented guys on every single team, whether they’re EuroLeague level or NBA level, and not just in our group but in all of them, which is why it is such an entertaining tournament for everybody involved. We’re playing against some of the best in the world, and that in itself for anybody who likes to compete is a great experience.

“I still feel nerves, of course. Any time you go out to any big event or take part in anything that matters to you then you’re going to feel nerves, but I feel like as you progress through your career it is just about how you channel those nerves, and I’m confident I can do that in the right way to positively affect the game.”

“We play to each other’s strengths.”

Soko certainly made an impression in the qualification campaign for EuroBasket as his 18.8 points and seven rebounds per game in four outings for GB led the team as they secured a spot in what is the team’s fifth EuroBasket of the previous six iterations.

He discussed how he sees his role developing for the competition itself in Milan, as the team looks to secure a place in the second phase for the first time, which would take them to Berlin for the knockout stages.

“Success on a personal level would be me bringing what the team requires of me as best as I can every single day. With the roster we have, we play to each other’s strengths and that is the benefit of keeping a consistent core together for as long as we have.

“We’re going to find different leading scorers, rebounders, assisters and hustle guys in every game, but we know our jobs are to make the right plays we need to make on the day to help the team be successful.”

“We know what we’re capable of doing.”

In a challenging group alongside Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Italy and Ukraine, Soko and GB are certain to be tested by some of the best basketball talents on the planet as they’re set to line up against a number of NBA and EuroLeague stars over the course of the next week in group action.

Should GB make it to the second phase, it would a historic moment for the team that has never progressed beyond the opening stages of the competition, and Soko reiterated the team’s belief that they have what it takes to succeed in the tournament.

“100%, I definitely believe that we can compete with all of these teams. There are some very, very talented teams we’re going to come up against where there is small margin for error for us, but that’s what it is at these tournaments and we know that coming in.

“We respect our opponents but we don’t do that to a point where we disrespect ourselves, we know what we’re capable of doing and that we’re capable of causing problems for every single team in this group.”

Categories: GB Men
Anti Doping Information

Copyright © 2023 British Basketball
site by the naked creative

COOKIES
We use third-party tools and services that utilize cookies. These tools help us deliver a better website browsing experience. By clicking on the “Accept” button or continuing to view our site, you consent to the use of cookies on our site. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT