Foundations have been laid, says Coach Steutel
Great Britain coach Marc Steutel knows that the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers is a marathon, not a sprint, and says he is pleased with how his team got out of the gates.
A 98-94 victory in Newcastle against the Netherlands was followed by a hard-fought 90-82 loss away to Czechia in the first window.
GB will face Greece home and away in the second window in November.
“We’ve laid the foundations for the team that we can be, laid the foundations for how we can be successful in qualification within this group,” Steutel said.
Concluding the first window 1-1 in a fiercely competitive Group F is a positive, and with GB’s strong finish in Czechia to keep the score in single digits and maintain a decent point differential is undoubtedly cause for hope.
London Lions guard Luke Nelson knows the talent that is plastered all over their pool as well as the other seven groups, with the main prize of a place at next year’s FIBA EuroBasket 2025, to be held in Cyprus, Finland, Poland and Latvia, at stake.
But the Great Britain players have to concentrate on themselves ahead of November’s window.
“It’s a team sport; we’re focused on ourselves,” Nelson, who had 14 points and 12 assists in the win over the Netherlands, said.
“These qualifiers will have incredible talent across the board, and you have to be ready to play, so if we come out with the same aggression, you never know what could happen.”
Incredible talent did shine through for GB; in particular, one player that stood out in the game against Czechia was the City of London Academy and Barking Abbey product Amin Adamu.
The guard, who plays his club basketball in Czechia, scored 14 points on 6/11 shooting off the bench, as he showcased his frightening speed in transition and a mature head to lead his team when needed.
Always thinking positively, Adamu was proud of how his team approached the opening window and believes the national team program is heading in the right direction.
“This window has been really productive,” Adamu said.
“The guys came in, locked in, ready to go. We knew what we had ahead of us, and we were all prepared mentally and physically, and we had a goal.
“I feel that we accomplished it, and it shows that we are heading in the right direction in terms of progressing GB basketball.”
To catch all of Great Britain’s remaining FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers for both the men and women, you can subscribe to FIBA’s streaming service, Courtside 1891 by clicking here.