GB 12-man roster confirmed for Greece showdown
The Great Britain Men’s roster for the FIBA World Cup Qualifying home clash with Greece on Thursday has been confirmed.
Acting head coach Marc Steutel has selected his 12 players for the showdown at the Vertu Motors Arena, Newcastle (6.30pm tip).
He will again call upon his experienced core group, though there are a number of players returning after an absence and one new cap.
Ironman Teddy Okereafor will set a new record for most consecutive international games played. He moved level with Bill McInnes on 49 games in February against France, to tie a record which the Scot held since 1976.
Dan Clark (108 caps) moves closer to becoming GB’s all-time international cap winner with only Eric Boateng (116 caps) ahead of him.
London Lions forward Jordan Williams will pull on the GB jersey for the first time, while big man Kavell Bigby-Williams returns to the squad for the first time since summer 2017 when he earned six caps during the lead up to FIBA EuroBasket 2017.
Carl Wheatle is back for the first time since GB played Germany in Newcastle in February 2020 and Manchester Giants forward Jamell Anderson is back to win his third cap.
Japan-based regulars Myles Hesson and Ovie Soko have been forced to miss out, due to Japanese Covid-related travel and quarantine regulations.
GB, 42nd in the FIBA world rankings, head into the game against Greece, ranked 10th, in unprecedented form having now won 11 of their past 13 games.
A 94-73 victory over Tokyo Olympic silver medallists France and a thrilling 83-81 buzzer beating win over Olympic participants Germany in February secured GB’s place in next summer’s FIBA EuroBasket championships.
The game will be broadcast live on BBC iPlayer, app and website HERE.
Tickets for the game are on sale HERE.
The team travel to Turkey for their second qualifier on Sunday.
GB SQUAD TO FACE GREECE
| NO | NAME | POS | HT | AGE | CLUB | CAPS |
| 0 | Gabe Olaseni | C | 6’10” | 29 | Darussafaka (TUR) | 40 |
| 1 | Jordan Williams | F | 6’8″ | 26 | London Lions (GBR) | 0 |
| 2 | Ashley Hamilton | F | 6’7” | 33 | Basquet Coruna (ESP) | 28 |
| 3 | Ben Mockford | G | 6’2” | 32 | Cheshire Phoenix (GBR) | 42 |
| 5 | Teddy Okereafor | G | 6’4” | 29 | Cheshire Phoenix (GBR) | 49 |
| 6 | Luke Nelson | G | 6’3” | 26 | ESSM Le Portel (FRA) | 25 |
| 10 | Dan Clark | F/C | 6’11” | 33 | Manchester Giants (GBR) | 108 |
| 12 | Tarik Phillip | G | 6’3” | 28 | Reyer Venezia (ITA) | 10 |
| 13 | Kavell Bigby-Williams | F/C | 6’11” | 26 | Anwil Wloclawek (POL) | 6 |
| 23 | Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye | G | 6’3” | 25 | APU Udine (ITA) | 8 |
| 24 | Carl Wheatle | F | 6’7” | 23 | Pistoia (ITA) | 15 |
| 33 | Jamell Anderson | F | 6’7” | 31 | Manchester Giants (GBR) | 2 |
Coaching Staff:
Head Coach: Marc Steutel
Assistant Coach: Jamie Smith
Assistant Coach: Andreas Kapoulas
Head Performance Analyst: Adam Sewell
Team Manager & Head of Delegation: Chris Morris
Head Sports Therapist: Tom Cresswell
Physiotherapist: Aaron Wharton
Covid-19 Compliance Officer: Kevin Campbell-Karn
Team Doctor: Dr Matthew Brown
*International Caps are accurate as of the start of the November 2021 FIBA World Cup 2023 Qualifying Window.