Men’s team to begin preparations for the Subway Summer Slam
Men’s team to begin preparations for the Subway Summer Slam.
Great Britain Basketball’s senior men’s team will be coming together for an important training camp in early July, ahead of the Subway® Summer Slam, a major summer event which will see the team take on South Sudan at the Copper Box on Thursday 18 July.
The game will be an important test for the team ahead of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers when they begin again in November and Head Coach, Marc Steutel, is looking to seize this extra opportunity for the team to play together on home soil.
Marc Steutel said: “This summer will be a huge opportunity for us as a programme to take meaningful and significant steps forward in achieving our aims.
“The in-season competitive windows don’t allow for the team to have an extended period together, which is critical when developing the team to compete at the highest level longer term. We are looking forward to welcoming newer faces into the group along with returning experienced members of the squad.
“There has been a tremendous amount of work gone in to making the camp and scheduled games a success and I know all the staff and team are looking forward to it and will always do what we can to represent the Senior Men’s National Team programme in the best possible way.
Steutel is calling on GB fans to fill the seats at the Copper Box to provide the best possible support for his side.
He added: “With the camp culminating in a home game in London vs. Olympic participants South Sudan we are so excited to test ourselves at this level in front of our amazing fans. We hope to see you all there!”
Alongside the coaching staff, the players are also looking forward to the challenge that playing South Sudan will bring.
Carl Wheatle, who captained the side in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers that took place in February, said:
“It will be great to have a camp where we can get together during the summer so we can work on further building our identity as a team.
“We know the friendly games are going to serve as a good test for us as we’re going to be playing some good teams which will help us prepare us even further as a team and as a unit because we know that next season we have some very important qualifiers coming up and we need to be ready for those.
“So, this summer is a great way to prepare as a team and gain some continuity as a new group and it will help us to build on what we achieved in the first window and be beneficial to us moving forward.”
Not only will the Subway® Summer Slam see the GB men’s team taking on South Sudan before they head to the Olympic Games, but just three days later the GB women’s team will take on the Paris bound German side at the same venue, with brand new head coach, Anna Montañana, taking charge of the side for the first time.
Tickets for adults for these international basketball games start at just £10.
The men’s game will tip off at 19.30 on 18 July and the women’s game will begin at 15:00 on 21 July.
The games will be supported by Subway, as part of the brand’s new “Fresh Moves” initiative and partnership with GB Basketball, announced last week. Subway will support GB senior and age-group teams initially for a 12-month period.
It’s a busy summer for GB Basketball with teams across all age groups participating in 5v5 and 3×3 games and tournaments throughout July and August and they got off to a fantastic start earlier this month with the GB men’s 3×3 side qualifying for the FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup for the first time ever.
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