GB U18 Men kickstart their EuroBasket campaign this week against Ireland

GB’s U18 Men’s team heads to Pitești, Romania this week to compete in the FIBA U18 EuroBasket Division B.

Head Coach Matthew Pitkin will lead a hungry and determined side keen to stamp their authority early in the competition.

Speaking to GB Basketball, Pitkin, current Assistant Coach for Manchester Basketball in the SLB, highlighted his desire for the U18s to be physical and set the tempo in all of their games.

“The attitude of the team has really impressed me. I’ve spoken to all of them before about the professionalism and the work ethic that I expect, and they’ve come in and really hit the ground running. “The number one goal is to have our team play in our style every single game and not to adjust too much to our opponent, and I want our opponents to adjust to us, our physicality, and the aggressiveness we play with. “I want the team to be in the best physical shape possible, because the tournament is very demanding.”Head Coach Matthew Pitkin

Pitkin’s side will face a stiff challenge in Group A of the EuroBasket, but will look to their athleticism and drive to carry them through.

GB begin the campaign against Ireland on 25 July, at 11:00 am (BST), before facing Poland on 27 July, at 11:00 am (BST), Iceland on 29 July at 1:30 pm (BST), and finally Bosnia and Herzegovina at 6:30 pm (BST) on 30 July.

The squad available to Coach Pitkin is as follows:

Aiden Fyfe - Houston Hoops Blue Chips (USA)

Noel Mantock - KK Vojvodina Novi Sad (Serbia)

Nojus Zajankauskas - London Stars

Oluwademilade Babalola - Manchester Magic

Jakub Ofman - Itchen Collage and Solent Kestrels

Milo Alexander Murray - Ratiopharm Ulm, Orange Academy (Germany)

Obinna Ekufu - Barking Abbey

Oskaras Visockas - London Stars

Emmanuel Ahamefule - NBA Global Academy (Australia)

Ike Davids - NBA Global Academy (Australia)

Isaac Flagbe - City of London Academy

Zak Trezvant - Myerscough Basketball Academy

GB’s team features two players – Emmanuel Ahamefule and Ike Davids – who recently played for the NBA Global Academy in Australia. This is one of the NBA’s international talent development centres, based in Canberra, giving young players access to high-quality, seasoned NBA coaching.

Davids, a young centre formerly of the Charnwood Riders, and Ahamefule, a dynamic 6’7” forward, will bring their elite-level experience to a young squad.

Nojus Zajankauskas featured in the Hoopsfix All Star Classic 2025 this past May, taking home the three-point contest trophy. His electric shooting will provide an important balance to Pitkin’s squad, which is all about physicality and athleticism.

That athleticism is embodied by Obinna Ekufu of the illustrious Barking Abbey programme. Ekufu competed in the Adidas NextGen Euroleague Munich Qualifier with his U18 Next Gen Team in January, helping his team win the tournament.

Milo Alexander Murray, who recently transferred his eligibility from Germany to GB, continues to hone his craft in Germany with the Orange Academy basketball programme. His experience competing against pro-level academies on the continent will enhance GB’s professional competitiveness.

Noel Mantock adds to the list of players competing abroad, suiting up for Serbian side KK Vojvodina. In his eight games played for his club, Mantock has averaged 10 points, two assists and three rebounds per game.

The staff supporting Coach Pitkin include Assistant Coaches Chris Bourne and Ieuan Jones, Team Physio Mitzi Scott, Strength and Conditioning Coach Zee Ali, and Performance Analyst Matthew Gregrory. Howard Leighton conducts team operations as Team Manager.

To watch GB’s first game against Ireland, see the link below.