GB READY AHEAD OF GREECE VISIT
Great Britain coach Marc Steutel knows they will be up against a “world-class side” in Greece when the two teams clash in a FIBA EuroBasket 2025 qualifier at a sold-out CopperBox in London on Thursday night.
GB head into Thursday’s encounter 1-1 in Group F. They won 98-94 in their opener in Newcastle against the Netherlands, followed by a hard-fought 90-82 loss to Czechia, both games in February.
However, before Greece’s visit, there is motivation on paper for Great Britain to savour as they handed their counterparts a 78-69 loss the last time they visited the country back in 2021 for a FIBA 2023 Basketball World Cup qualifier.
And while Steutel has that night in history, he knows it’s just that: history, as training camp in London intensifies.
“Greece is obviously a world-class side, regardless of which of their stars are playing,” Steutel said.
“We know what to expect from Greece. Everyone in world basketball knows what to expect from Greece, so we know how ready we have to be for them as a team and for their personnel.
“We’ve tried to do that in camp, but we also feel that we are able to cause them problems, and we want to be the best version of ourselves and continue on our quest for qualification.”
Boasting a 1-1 record does leave GB with a path to qualification in this window. They must beat Greece twice and hope Czechia (1-1) beat the Netherlands (0-2) twice in their Group F games.
Steutel says that the mood in the camp has been positive, and the honour of representing Great Britain has been high. Playing in the capital heightens that.
“We’re excited to play in front of a sold-out CopperBox,” he says. “I’m pleased that we’re playing in the capital, and it’s important that we’re able to play at different venues across the UK.”
About Greece
GB will face a Greece side that is a perfect 2-0 in Group F. A further two wins in this window would see them punch their ticket to next year’s FIBA EuroBasket.
Ranked number 13 in the world, Greece are two-time FIBA EuroBasket winners, claiming gold in 1987 and again in 2005. Their last European medal came in 2009 when they captured bronze in Poland.
Coached by Turkish Airlines EuroLeague legend Vassilis Spanoulis, Greece won’t have NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, his brothers Thanasis and Panathinaikos’ forward Kostas.
The Greeks will also be without the services of Thomas Walkup, who averaged 16 points during the first qualifying window, and Konstantinos Mitoglu, who led the way over their first two games with 22 points a contest.
However, Greece boasts firepower in the form of Vasileios Toliopoulos, who will look to cause coach Steutel problems on Thursday.
Toliopoulos paced his side with 26 points and eight assists in the 74-72 win over the Netherlands. Before that, Greece secured a 72-64 victory over Czechia.
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