GB Men: Committed Core of Veterans Highlight EuroBasket Qualification Squad
The 24-man squad for Great Britain’s final window of FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers in February has been named.
The four Group G games in February are set to take place in a central Covid-19-secure ‘bubble’ in Podgorica, Montenegro.
GB go into the games against Germany and France with momentum following a crucial 74-59 win over Montenegro in November.
The GB Men have now won nine of their last 11 games with their only two losses coming on the road against sixth-in-the world France and 26th- ranked Montenegro. France lead Group G with a 3-1 record, while Great Britain and Montenegro are tied for second place.
Importantly, GB own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Montenegro based on aggregate point difference.
Germany are currently in fourth place, however, they are automatic qualifiers as EuroBasket 2022 hosts. Great Britain must finish ahead of either France or Montenegro in order to qualify for next summer’s EuroBasket championship.
The 24-man squad is highlighted by an experienced core group of players who have committed to every window of this FIBA EuroBasket Qualifying round despite the ongoing adversity of the pandemic.
This special group of ever-presents includes Dan Clark, Ashley Hamilton, Myles Hesson, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, Ben Mockford, Luke Nelson, Teddy Okereafor and Gabe Olaseni.
Ironman Okereafor could be set to tie the record for most consecutive international games played if he gets the nod against Germany and France. The current record of 49 consecutive games has stood for 45-years and was set by Bill McInnes in 1976.
Clark (106 caps) will edge closer to catching all-time cap winner Eric Boateng (116 caps).
Callum Lawson, Matt Marsh, Aaron Menzies, Patrick Whelan, and Deane Williams receive their first call-ups to the men’s national team. Cameron Hildreth, Rex Pflueger, Tarik Phillip, and Akwasi Yeboah are all recalled after featuring in November’s camp.
Kavell Bigby-Williams, Kyle Johnson, Gareth Murray, Jacob Round, Ovie Soko, Josh Steel and Devon Van Oostrum could all be poised to make a return.
The coaching staff remains unchanged with Marc Steutel leading the team in his third window as acting head coach, supported on the bench by assistant coaches Jamie Smith and Andreas Kapoulas.
GB play Germany on 20 February, and France on 22 February. The final 12-man rosters will be confirmed ahead of each game.
GB Men’s 24-man Roster – FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifying
| NAME | POS | AGE | HEIGHT | CLUB TEAM (2020-21) | CAPS* |
| Kavell Bigby-Williams | F/C | 25 | 6’11” | Pallacanestro Cantù (ITA) | 6 |
| Dan Clark | F/C | 32 | 6’11” | Real Betis (ESP) | 106 |
| Ashley Hamilton | F | 32 | 6’7″ | Plymouth Raiders (GBR) | 26 |
| Myles Hesson | F | 30 | 6’6″ | Élan Chalon (FRA) | 43 |
| Cameron Hildreth | G | 18 | 6’5″ | Worthing Thunder (GBR) | 0 |
| Kyle Johnson | G | 31 | 6’5″ | UMFN Njardvik (ISL) | 83 |
| Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye | G | 24 | 6’3″ | Poiters Basket 86 (FRA) | 6 |
| Callum Lawson | F | 24 | 6’6”, | Thor Thorlakshofn (ISL) | 0 |
| Matt Marsh | F/C | 18 | 6’11” | ASVEL (FRA) | 0 |
| Aaron Menzies | C | 24 | 7’3″ | Ourense (ESP) | 0 |
| Ben Mockford | G | 31 | 6’2″ | Bristol Flyers (GBR) | 41 |
| Gareth Murray | G | 36 | 6’7″ | Glasgow Rocks (GBR) | 60 |
| Luke Nelson | G | 25 | 6’3″ | Göttingen (GER) | 23 |
| Teddy Okereafor | G | 28 | 6’4″ | Bristol Flyers (GBR) | 47 |
| Gabe Olaseni | C | 29 | 6’10” | Büyükçekmece (TUR) | 38 |
| Rex Pflueger | G | 24 | 6’6″ | Newcastle Eagles (GBR) | 1 |
| Tarik Phillip | G | 27 | 6’3″ | Tofas (TUR) | 8 |
| Jacob Round | G | 20 | 6’4″ | Levitec Huesca (ESP) | 1 |
| Ovie Soko | F | 29 | 6’7″ | Le Mans (FRA) | 10 |
| Josh Steel | G | 24 | 6’4” | Ciudada de Ponferrada (ESP) | 4 |
| Devon Van Oostrum | G | 28 | 6’3″ | Landstede Hammers (NED) | 40 |
| Patrick Whelan | G | 24 | 6’5″ | Real Murcia (ESP) | 0 |
| Deane Williams | F | 24 | 6’8″ | Keflavik (ISL) | 0 |
| Akwasi Yeboah | F | 23 | 6’6″ | Saint-Quentin (FRA) | 4 |
Coaching/support staff
Acting 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
Covid-19 Compliance Officer: Kevin Campbell-Karn
Team Doctor: Dr Matthew Brown
*International caps are accurate as of the start of the February 2021 FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifying Window.