GREAT BRITAIN MEN LOOK AHEAD TO GREECE

For the Great Britain men’s side, head coach Marc Steutel had plenty to consider following a solid summer of games that included a return to London for the Subway® Summer Slam.

In three friendlies, GB lost in a tri-nation exhibition tournament to Argentina and hosts Portugal before heading home for the Subway® Summer Slam series, where they came within a whisker of beating South Sudan but eventually fell 84-81.

More importantly, the friendlies were a chance to showcase new talent to prove their worth on the international stage.

These friendlies not only served as a platform to introduce new talent but also expanded GB’s player pool. This is a significant advantage for Steutel as he shifts his attention to the crucial FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers against Greece in November.

“We wanted to get everyone that was in this camp healthy, and we did; that’s a massive shout-out to our performance staff,” said Steutel.

“Now we look forward to Greece. We know how tough they are, a very established basketball nation.

“Last time we played them in the FIBA World Cup Qualifying, we had a great night at home, but then we went out to Greece, and we didn’t have as much of a positive experience, but that’s basketball at this level.

“We have to make sure we can be at our best and prepare in terms of scouting, but the positives we will take from our games this summer, we can carry over to Greece.”

November’s games will be the latest chapter in what is becoming a familiar history between these two nations.

Since the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers started in 2017, Great Britain and Greece have been housed in the same group for four of the last seven events.

While GB didn’t qualify for the last two FIBA World Cup events, they were paired with the Greeks in the previous two qualification tournaments. Plus, the two nations were in the same group at FIBA EuroBasket 2022, with this latest window in the next chapter.

Coached by European basketball legend Vassilis Spanoulis, Greece boasts stars such as EuroLeague champions Kostas Sloukas and Kostas Antetokounmpo, along with Thomas Walkup and Nick Calathes.

A tough challenge awaits GB; however, veteran Myles Hesson, who paced his side with 28 points last Thursday against South Sudan, knows Greece very well and has a direct goal ahead of games scheduled for November 21 and 24.

“We want to go 2-0 against Greece, that’s all, really,” said Hesson emphatically.

“For the stage that we’re at right now, with all the young players we have, this summer was a great experience for us all.

“It’s key to get as many players settled into our system, playing the GB way, because for the upcoming windows, you never know who’s going to be injured, so it’s good to have players available who now have had a taste of this level ready to step up.

“We have the talent pool and we want to win both our games against Greece, simple.”

For more information on the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers, visit the website here.

Tickets for the upcoming home game against Greece on November 21 will be made available soon on all Great Britain Basketball social media sites including Facebook, X and Instagram.