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

Wheatle hails World Cup Campaign as ‘step in the right direction’

18th February 2023

With a historic FIBA World Cup Qualifying campaign for Great Britain just over a week away from its conclusion, 27-cap forward Carl Wheatle was in reflective mood as we caught up with him ahead of the final two games of the group against Belgium and Serbia.

The National Team will take to the court at Newcastle’s Vertu Motors Arena on February 24th against Belgium before travelling to Belgrade to face the Serbians on February 27th as Steutel and his staff conclude what has been a historic FIBA World Cup Qualifying campaign, with GB reaching the second qualifying phase for the first time in their history.

💺 Less than 1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ side view seats left for @gbbasketball's @FIBAWC game next Friday at @VertuArena!

🎟 Hurry and grab your seat now before it's another sell-out!

👉 https://t.co/ZrWFC3S1md#FIBAWC #WinForAll #WinForGB #BritishBasketball pic.twitter.com/BvRXaLLDWA

— Newcastle Eagles (@NewcastleEagle) February 15, 2023

“It has definitely been a step in the right direction overall for us.” Wheatle said.

“To do something we haven’t done in the past is always a good feeling, and there are a lot of positives for us to take from this campaign for sure. We definitely feel like we could have done even better and there were some wins that we left on the table in the second phase, but that just shows how far we’ve come as a group.

“We have to look ahead to what lays in front of us now with two games to finish the campaign on the right note. We know what we’re capable of and our goal is to do even better than this in the next campaign.

“We don’t just want to qualify or come close to qualifying for competitions anymore – we know we can compete with the best teams and that we can compete at the highest level – so our focus for this window and beyond that is to prove that.”

What a throw-down – check that @CWheatle57 energy! 😤

We all love CW 💙🇬🇧#BritishBasketball

🎥 @FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/1TvHN8JAqs

— GB Basketball (@gbbasketball) July 2, 2022

Still a young player in his own right at 24 years old, although vastly experienced on the international stage by this point, Wheatle discussed the focus for the time ahead of this concluding duo of qualifiers in Newcastle and Belgrade – and why the team particularly needs to relish the challenge of the latter.

“We want to finish this campaign how we started it, playing Great Britain Basketball, showing what this team is about and playing the right way from start to finish. It goes without saying that we want to win, especially at home, and we’re capable of having two positive results this week.

“Having the new guys coming in is really exciting for everybody. We know what Belgium and Serbia are about and we’re expecting two big challenges, but we’re looking forward to it and we’re excited to show what we can do.

“Serbia in Belgrade is going to be a huge event in a hostile environment, but we’ve got to relish the opportunity we have to compete at that level against one of the best teams in international basketball. Those games are the most fun to play because we know it is us against the world and we’ve got to relish that challenge and be focussed and ready to compete the way we know we can.”

🇬🇧 Men’s National Team Head Coach @steutel10 has confirmed the 24-man roster for the upcoming @FIBAWC Qualifiers against Belgium and Serbia … and there are some new faces in the team!

👇Click below to read more!#BritishBasketball

— GB Basketball (@gbbasketball) February 14, 2023

With five uncapped players named in the 24-man roster for this window, there is potential for even more new talent to come through and make their National Team debuts in the coming games – something Steutel and his staff have taken great pride in throughout the campaign, with a number of new players taking to the floor.

Wheatle discussed how he takes pride in helping the new players settle in to a busy training camp with the team and how he, at such a young age but with significant experience of international basketball, feels like he is in a unique position to help certain players feel at home very quickly.

“I am still young myself and have got a few caps under my belt now, so I do feel like I have a lot of experience to offer and I also find it helpful that I’m not too far removed from where these new players are age-wise to be able to give them advice and help them feel comfortable.

“With Jelani coming in now for example, we played together at U16s and U20s for GB, so I feel like I’m in a great position to help him integrate and feel comfortable straight away because we’re the same age and I’ve settled here so can bring him straight into the swing of things.

“When you’re young coming into this environment and you’ve got vets that have been here for years and in a different stage of their careers, it can help to have someone younger who is closer to what they’re experiencing to make settling in easier, and I feel I can do that which is why I always try and make a particular effort to help the new players. We want everybody here to feel like family.”

GET YOUR TICKETS

Get your tickets to support Great Britain in their final home game of FIBA 2023 World Cup Qualifying in Newcastle against Belgium on February 24th by clicking here. The team needs your support and we can’t wait to see you in the stands cheering on the team this week!

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