GB Basketball to compete in FIBA Women’s 3x3 Series in Sumgait, Azerbaijan

GB Basketball will arrive in Azerbaijan this week ahead of the FIBA Women’s 3x3 series. This is the highest level of professional 3x3 competition, and will see GB take on some of the best teams in the world.

Whilst in the Men’s 3x3, national federations cannot enter teams directly into FIBA competitions, hence, the foundation of pro teams such as London and Manchester 3x3, the women’s game is structured differently, allowing GB to enter a team directly into the FIBA Women’s Series.

GB are incentivised to enter FIBA competitions as their participation and performance will accrue ranking points, which in turn help GB as a nation to qualify for international tournaments.

See here to read in more detail about the FIBA 3x3 ranking system.

GB Women's 3x3 team at the FIBA Europe Cup Qualifers

Moreover, these competitions give GB’s best athletes an opportunity to play with each other at the top tier of 3x3 basketball, developing their talents and team cohesion for the international tournaments, such as the FIBA Europe Cup, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in September.

Sumqayit will be GB Basketball’s debut appearance in a FIBA Women’s series, and will be followed by stops in Edmonton, Canada and Bordeaux, France, in early August.

Head Coach Krumesh Patel will take charge of the side, having led GB through a perfect Europe Cup Qualifier campaign last month.

GB’s squad for the tournament is as follows:

Samantha Ashby - Oaklands Wolves

Hannah Jump - IDK Eukostren San Sebastián (Spain)

Claire Paxton - Essex Rebels

Georgia Gayle - Sheffield Hatters

Nina Rickards - AEL Limassol B.C.

Cheridene Green - Unattached

Sam Ashby is one of GB’s premier young talents. After a successful college career in California, in which she was awarded multiple NCAA West Coast Conference All-Academic Honourable Mentions, Ashby returned to the UK, where she was recognised in the 2024 British Team of the Year for her performances for the Leicester Riders in the WSLB.

More success followed, as in her second season in England, having moved to the Oaklands Wolves, Ashby won the Finals MVP in Oaklands’s SLB Cup Final triumph.

Ashby is a three-point sniper and tenacious offensive engine whose game will translate seamlessly to the high-octane nature of 3x3 basketball.

Ashby competed alongside fellow rising star Hannah Jump in the EuroBasket last month.

Jump recently signed with IDK Euskotren in San Sebastián, having graduated from Stanford University last year.

Another score first guard, Jump holds the record for most threes at Stanford, and combines elite shooting with a quality handle and feel for the game. Her game will no doubt fit well with Ashby, as they represent a formidable scoring duo.

Balancing experience with Jump and Ashby’s youthful presence, Cheridene Green and Nina Rickards have been selected by Coach Patel.

Rickards was first called up to the GB 3x3 Senior team this summer for the FIBA Europe Cup Qualifiers 2025. She was part of the squad that won all four qualification games, guaranteeing GB’s place at the Europe Cup in Copenhagen, Denmark, later this year.

A 5’9” guard originally from Queens, New York, Rickards was first contacted by Coach Patel last year, whilst she was playing in Cyprus. Now, she is an integral part of the GB 3x3 set up, and the only player represented in this squad who featured in GB’s clean sweep last month.

Cheridene Green enjoyed a successful EuroBasket campaign with the Women’s Senior 5x5 team last month. Standing at 6’3”, Green masterfully uses her size and physicality to score close to the rim. She is a tenacious rebounder and strong playmaker, and will provide great balance to a guard-heavy side.

6’2” forward from Edinburgh, Scotland, Claire Paxton is a WSLB veteran and adds much-needed experience and physicality to GB’s lineup.

Paxton previously featured for GB Basketball at the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup Qualifier in 2024 alongside Jump.

Georgia Gayle completes GB’s squad for the tournament this weekend.

Gayle recently resigned for the Sheffield Hatters for the 2025/26 campaign, after an incredibly successful season last year. The Sheffield native led the league in three-point percentage, averaging 16.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game and won Finals MVP in the SLB Play-off Final trophy.

Despite coming into the tournament the lowest-ranked side at 16th, GB will feel confident due to the quality of the squad as they compete in their inaugural FIBA Women’s Series.

GB will open the tournament with two Qualifying Round fixtures, which they will need to win in order to qualify for the main Pool Stage. From there, they would play the Pool Stage on 26 July, before competing in the Finals, if they were to qualify, the day after.

GB’s first match is against Japanese side Takasaki at 9:25 am (BST) on 26 July. They will then face Madagascar at 11:05 am (BST).

Tune in here to watch GB’s games.