Great Britain National Team

[penzias]

I read that Northern Ireland federation didn´t joined GB NT. Is it true?
As far as i know Wales, Scotland and England keep playing separate for U-18, U-16 and U-14 competitions.

[penzias]

What about the 7'7" Neil Fingleton?

[FilWelsh]

Fingleton's game is very sluggish. He is more of a liaibility than an asset for Team GB. . .

[FilWelsh]

Team GB schedule

Eurobasket 2009 Qualifying
Group B

Team Pts Pld W L PF PA Diff

Netherlands 7 4 3 1 278 242 +36
Belarus 7 4 3 1 290 274 +16
Great Britain 6 4 2 2 265 250 +15
Slovakia 6 4 2 2 296 303 -7
Albania 4 4 0 4 285 345 -60

First Round

September 2, 2006 Slovakia 73–62 Great Britain

September 9, 2006 Great Britain 63–39 Netherlands

September 13, 2006 Albania 69–72 Great Britain

September 16, 2006 Great Britain 68–69 Belarus


Second Round


August 21, 2007 Great Britain – Slovakia

August 29, 2007 Netherlands – Great Britain

September 1, 2007 Great Britain – Albania

September 5, 2007 Belarus – Great Britain

[penzias]

Fingleton's game is very sluggish. He is more of a liaibility than an asset for Team GB. . .

Yeah i know. I watched him trying to do something similar to play basketball some time ago. I just was kidding.

[Hoopman8]

Squad update

Great Britain coach Chris Finch has named his training camp roster for the 6-7 of August at the K2 Centre (Crawley).

The 13-man squad comprises of:

Robert Archibald
Andy Betts
Eric Boateng
Flinder Boyd
Luol Deng
Chris Haslam
Roger Huggins
Julius Joseph
Mike Lenzly
Richard Midgley
Nate Reinking
Chris Sanders
Andrew Sullivan

With less that three weeks until their first Eurobasket game against Slovakia at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, Finch is looking to build upon the success of the first training camp in the sunshine state.

Paisley-born Archibald is currently nursing a sore ankle while Boyd's attendance is still being held up by his Spanish club, Rosalia.

After their brief spell in the UK the squad will fly to Pau to play two test games against Georgia, where they will also be joined by Luol Deng, who will in the meantime be attending the NBA's Basketball Without Borders elsewhere in France. The team are then destined to play New Zealand and Finland as well as the hosts, in Croatia.

The Team has also been bolstered by the news that BPB has arranged for some of this summer's EuroBasket crunch ties to be shown on SKY Sports. Matches that will be featured are:

* GB v Slovakia on August 21 in Birmingham - Broadcast date August 22nd at 19.00hrs-21.00hrs.

* Promotional match to be played on either September 11th or September 15th in Sheffield - broadcast date September 17th at 19.00hrs-21.00hrs.

For any interested Facebook members, there is a GB Mens Basketball Group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2416099565

[Souljacker]

The 13-man squad comprises of:

Robert Archibald
Andy Betts
Eric Boateng
Flinder Boyd
Luol Deng
Chris Haslam
Roger Huggins
Julius Joseph
Mike Lenzly
Richard Midgley
Nate Reinking
Chris Sanders
Andrew Sullivan

Lenzly, Reiking and Sullivan will play for Finch in Mons. Lenzly just recently signed. Is it the first time he's a part of the national team?

[HIGHLANDER]

News
12 August 2007
Croatia Hold Off Plucky Brits

Hosts Croatia survived a fourth-quarter scare against Great Britain to win 74-64 on the opening night of their self-styled World Cup in Rijeka.

Having led 52-39 at the end of three quarters, Jasmin Repesa's side stretched the lead out to 14 points, but were then stung by a 13-2 run, studded with three-pointers from Julius Joseph, Nate Reinking and Mike Lenzly and two more baskets from Andrew Sullivan.

Repesa then put the ball into the hands of Zoran Planinic, his best player on the night, and he and Stanko Baric saw Croatia home.

Planinic and Baric scored 14 points each and Mario Kasun added 12. Andrew Betts scored 13 points and Sullivan 12 to lead the British.

Croatia began the game confidently, posting a 9-0 start and winning the first quarter 23-17.

Their biggest lead was 48-29 in the third quarter after holding Britain to just two points in seven and a half minutes.

In the other game on opening day, New Zealand had reason to rue poor free throw shooting (11/23) as they took an 85-79 tumble to Finland, who connected on 17 of their 39 three-point attempts.

The Finns, led by Shawn Huff's 22 points, effectively won the game when Kirk Penney missed three shots from the line with 11 seconds to go.

Craig Bradshaw had 13 points and skipper Pero Cameron 12, while Jukka Matinen added 17 for the Finns.

The tournament now moves onto Crikvenica on Monday before finishing in Delnice on Tuesday.

(Source: FIBA Europe)

I think giving Croatia a game kind of proves they could challenge in the forth coming games in the qualifiers, all be it Croatia are not the power they once where.

[HIGHLANDER]

14.08.2007
GREAT BRITAIN SEE OFF KIWIS

Great Britain finished their five game road trip on a winning note, dumping New Zealand 82-75 in their final game of the Svietski Cup in Croatia.

The Brits pulled ahead early and held the lead 22-12 after the first quarter and by five at the half. The Kiwis made a run in the third quarter and shrunk the lead to 41-38 before threes from Midgley and Lenzly stretched the lead to 52-44. New Zealand cut the lead to two late in the game, but a big bucket and free-throw from Andy Betts sealed the victory. Chris Haslam had his best match this season, scoring 7 points in the final quarter.

Leading scorers for Great Britiain: Betts 15, Sullivan 12, Lenzly 12, Haslam 11, Reinking 8

Leading scorers for NZ: Penney 25, Bradshaw 11

The team return home on Wednesday in order to prepare for the two Test matches against Ireland on 16th and 17th at the K2 Centre in Crawley. Both matches tip-off at 19:30.

[FilWelsh]

News
22 August 2007

Men See Off Slovaks For Opening Euro Win

Chicago Bulls star Luol Deng scored 21 points on Tuesday night to help Great Britain notch up an opening EuroBasket victory against Slovakia. [Boxscore]

Deng and Robert Archibald were the star performers in the 77-52 win, which was played out in front of a 3,500 strong crowd at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.

Having recovered from an ankle injury which saw him miss most of GB training camp, Archibald came off the bench to land a blistering dunk in the first period and anchored a huge defensive effort as GB moved up to joint second place in their EuroBasket Division B group.

"This was all about getting my legs back. I felt good out there but I was still getting tired which is all down to sitting out those ten days with the injury. But we got the win, it was a good performance and now it's up to us to carry that forward next week against the Netherlands." said Archibald.

The Scot's initial contribution capped an early 6-0 run which pushed Britain towards a 19-14 lead after ten minutes but it was in the second stanza that Deng rose above the fray, scoring four times in an 11-2 burst which effectively killed off any ambitions of victory that the visitors had.

Up 39-22 at half-time, Great Britain never allowed the Slovaks to come closer than 13 and each time Deng drove his lithe frame towards the hoop, or rose to make a spectacular block, there was an air of expectation among the crowd.

Archibald, an able foil, rifled six rapid points as Britain extended their advantage to 55-37 at the end of the third quarter and their cushion grew to as much as 36 in the fourth with Richard Midgely also netting 14.

Scottish Rocks shooting guard Julius Joseph missed the match after having to return to London to attend to a family matter.

He is expected to rejoin the squad in time for next week's trip to the Netherlands and what is expected to be a critical tie, against Albania, in Edinburgh on September 1.

(Source: British Perfromance Basketball Ltd>

[Joško Poljak Fan]

How is the publicity of the British NT like for those games, considering Deng is playing for them, it should've improve, right?

[HIGHLANDER]

I think there is a buzz about the media at the moment especially because of Deng. Also the coming games will be shown on SKY TV i believe.
The whole thing is geared towards the Olympics which will be a huge shot in the arm for basketball. Providing FIBA allow them to play in the Olympics (London).

[HIGHLANDER]

Scot Robert Archibald after beating Slovakia.
Listen to the Scottish accent with an American slang.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPtHyaiduwo

[HIGHLANDER]

Article from the Scotland On Sunday,

IT IS four hours until game time, and Robert Archibald is preparing for his afternoon nap. Scotland's biggest sporting star, as defined by feet and inches, is full of nervous energy for the contest, but 40 winks is the preparation for efforts ahead.

Such has been his life of late. Play and rest. Landings and take-offs. Stops and starts. For the most lauded basketballer that Dunfermline has produced, this is the whirlwind. Time for refreshment is precious indeed.
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As a new recruit to Great Britain's cause to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, Archibald's four weeks on national duty so far have been plagued by false starts. Two days into training camp in Florida, he injured an ankle and was forced to observe while team-mates were bonding on the parquet. "It was really hard to be on the outside looking on."

That distaste of merely spectating swelled during a two-year spell spent in the NBA after graduating from a stellar stint at the University of Illinois. There he was a star, but amid the game's ultimate players he was an after-thought, what Americans like to call "a scrub".

In Memphis, where he was initially drafted, then in Orlando, Phoenix and Toronto, sitting on the bench became a chore. Hence why, having laboured since he was a teen dreamer in Fife to reach that plateau, he has spent the past three campaigns plying his trade on this side of the Atlantic, resisting offers to return.

"The NBA was an amazing experience, but at 22 years old I probably didn't get as much out of it as I could have. Mentally, I wasn't ready for it, and it's a difficult transition to go from being an established college player to a guy who's at the bottom of the ladder. I didn't mind putting in the extra time, doing more shooting or weights, but it certainly got frustrating not really playing much."

European basketball is a notch below the NBA, but not that much behind, and last season he played at Joventut Badalona in Spain alongside GB cohorts Andy Betts and Drew Sullivan. Before that he was in Italy, and next month he will move to Ukraine, where he will earn a reported $1m a year from Azovmash Mariupol, a club bankrolled by a steel magnate. Constant upheaval aside, being an international gun for hire is not a bad existence, particularly when, unlike the NBA, graft on the practice court is rewarded with responsibility.

"The last three years have been great. I've enjoyed that, being out on the floor, having a role. I feel a lot more comfortable. For a lot of players, there is that question you ask of yourself. 'Do I give the NBA another try; am I okay with where I'm at?'

"The reality is there are a lot of guys who are bouncing back and forth, who are on the cusp of it. It's always a long shot to get on a roster, and to stick on a roster. It's something you look at and decide upon on a year-to-year basis, depending on how your body is feeling."

Within Great Britain's plans, Archibald figures to remain a constant. His competitive debut arrived in Birmingham last Tuesday in a 77-52 victory over Slovakia in which the 6ft 11in centre scored 14 points, and at times out-shone his much-hyped colleague, burgeoning Chicago Bulls star Luol Deng.

Ahead for Chris Finch's side are a mid-week meeting with group leaders Holland in Almere, an awkward trip to Belarus, and in between what could be a pivotal encounter with strugglers Albania at Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh, come Saturday.

Sitting second and needing to finish top to go into the play-offs, which afford promotion to Europe's elite and a near-guaranteed home berth at the London Olympics, much is at stake. This is, as Archibald concedes, a construction job.

"The identity and some of the pride is still being developed," he reflects. "The GB programme is still in its early stages. I'm in my first year. For most of the other guys, it's only their second. They may have done some stuff with England, but the GB team is new. As we continue each year and become more competitive, everything will grow."

It was at Meadowbank that Archibald played his final game for Dunfermline before moving to the US a decade ago. "It will be nice to be home," he says with a smile. The dreams may have changed since he last visited, but it is time the country awoke to the talents within.

Saturday: Great Britain v Albania, 7.30pm.

[HIGHLANDER]

Injured Archibald may miss his homecoming


LUOL DENG, the Sudanese-born, London-reared Chicago Bulls forward whose performances in the NBA last season elevated to almost superstar status, is fully prepared to let Dunfermline's Robert Archibald take centre stage when Great Britain run out to play Albania in a vital European Basketball Championship game at Meadowbank tomorrow night (7.00pm).

Although Albania are winless at the bottom of the group, they took an admittedly much weaker British side to overtime in Tirana last year and only succumbed to a last- second three-pointer, so GB will be taking nothing for granted.
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But there is a real danger that Scotland's only representative in the 12-strong side, who are on the cusp of hoops history, may not take the court at all after the 6ft 11in ex-NBA centre suffered severe spasms in his back midway through the GB game with the Netherlands at Nijmegen the night before last.

The 27-year-old Queen Anne High former pupil was unable even to sit on the bench in the second-half, which he spent lying on the floor while his teammates, inspired by 27 points from Deng, racked up a convincing 83-64 win.

"He had severe back spasms and we're taking it hour by hour," said coach Chris Finch, who has steered the GB side to a 4-2 record in their group and two games away from a play-off for promotion to Division A and an almost certain place in the 2012 London Olympics.

"It's getting better and we're really hoping he can play, not just because of the difference Robert can make on court, but also because we know how much he's been looking forward to playing at Meadowbank again before his home fans."

Robert and his father, Bobby, the MIM Livingston pivot who won ten GB caps in the ultimately unsuccessful 1984 pre-Olympic qualifying campaign, are the only father and son to have played for Britain and Bobby, now based in the US, never played a GB game in Scotland.

In fact, the last Great Britain game to take place in Scotland was during the 1973 European Pre-Olympic Tournament, also at Meadowbank.

Archibald senior played 88 times for Scotland including an unforgettable role in an upset win over Sweden at Meadowbank in 1989.

Archibald junior has never played for a Scottish senior team, though he has five under-23 caps from a tournament in Finland in 1997, but he certainly has fond memories of his last game at Meadowbank when he overcame a bout of food poisoning to inspire Dunfermline Reign to a last-gasp victory over the favourites City of Edinburgh Kings in the 1997 Scottish Junior Cup final.

Soon after, Archibald left with his family for a new life in the US going on to star in High School in St Louis and Illinois University before becoming the first Scot to play in the World's top professional league, the NBA, signing for the Memphis Grizzlies as the 33rd pick in the Draft.

Two years and three teams later, Archibald decided to return to Europe to obtain more court time, signing first for Valencia in Spain before transferring to Scavellini Pesaro in Italy.

Basketball fans will be hoping Archibald can now help a British team to the Olympic finals for the first time since the last London Olympics in 1948.

This article: http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sp...?id=1387392007


The Under 23 tournament in Finland is when i played with him..