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

Chantelle Handy: Building for the future and buying into culture

19th November 2022

Ahead of another busy week for the Great Britain National Teams – this time for Chema Buceta’s Women’s side who have two big EuroBasket 2023 Qualifiers to look forward to – Team Captain Chantelle Handy says there is a lot to be excited about in the future of the Women’s team as they get ready for fixtures against Portugal and Greece next week.

Handy leads an exciting group into battle next week as a number of national team veterans are joined by a super talented cohort of rising British stars, and we sat down with the Caledonia Gladiators forward to discuss the opportunities that lay ahead.

✍️Great Britain Women’s Head Coach @chemabuceta has confirmed the 15-player roster coming into camp ahead of the @EuroBasketWomen qualifiers against Portugal and Greece next week.#BritishBasketball

— GB Basketball (@gbbasketball) November 14, 2022

“We’re building this team and that is really exciting to see the senior players coming together with all of these new young players that are coming through who are having so much success with their clubs and bringing that into the National Team.

“We have two big games against Portugal and Greece away and it is going to be very tough for us against a Portuguese team that has improved a lot over the years and Greece that have always been a big powerhouse in basketball

“There’s a lot we can take from the last window. Yes, we were disappointed with the results, but bringing those new players in was very valuable for us in continuing the GB way and passing that on to the next generation coming through. We’re moving forward as a team and these young players can have a big impact in the future, including in this window.”

“Our culture has always been our biggest strength.”

With new faces like Erin Jones and Kirsty Brown named in the roster for camp ahead of the qualifiers for the first time and the likes of Kennedy Leonard returning to the fold, even more energy has been injected into Chema Buceta’s camp.

Handy discusses how important it is to support that transition of new players coming in to replace recently retired legends such as Jo Leedham-Warner and Rachel Vanderwal, but also to ensure the current veterans help the stars of the future to embrace and evolve the team’s culture.

“We need to build a core group for the future and we know we’re in a bit of a rebuilding period with some key players having retired recently. Speaking of myself, I know my time is running out in terms of playing, but we’ve got a great opportunity to build a really good group that can take this forward.

“Our culture has always been our biggest strength and the young players are buying into that which is brilliant to see. They have the right mentality, they’re competing at a great level and this window is a perfect opportunity for those young players to take that culture forward in two big games for the team.”

“It has been brilliant to come home and I’m absolutely loving it.”

After a glittering career overseas, Handy recently returned home to the UK to sign for the Caledonia Gladiators in the WBBL where she has shone on the court, but also taken steps towards a career after playing in adopting duties as an Player-Assistant Coach on the team’s staff.

“There was a bit of an adapting period, for sure, but it has been brilliant to come home and I’m absolutely loving it.” Handy said.

“Getting to see so many homegrown British players doing so well every week in the WBBL, both for our team and for others across the league, is really exciting and inspiring.

“Renee (Busch) has started the season really well, Holly (Winterburn) is playing unbelievably well, and there are just so many exciting British players in the league and I’ve loved being here to see them do what they do, and I’ve also loved having the opportunity to coach at the WBBL as well.”

You can watch the Great Britain’s Women’s National Team take on Portugal on Thursday (8:30pm) and Greece on Sunday (4pm) live and for free on FIBA’s YouTube channel.

Categories: GB Women
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