Garbelotto poised for new era ahead of first World Cup qualifiers
BySportsbeat
Published 17/11/2017 at 10:51 GMT
Tony Garbelotto has challenged his British Basketball team to embrace the new era after naming a 15-man squad for their first World Cup 2019 qualifiers.
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
Captain Kieron Achara is among those returning to the side to face Greece next week and Estonia on November 27, the first matches with Garbelotto at the helm.
But alongside the old hands, new faces are set to make their mark with forward Myles Hesson returning for his first Great Britain appearance since 2015.
Will Saunders and Robert Gilchrist – who helped GB qualify for FIBA EuroBasket 2017 – also make their comebacks, while exciting prospect Tarik Phillip is set for his debut in his first season as a professional.
And with this marking the first big step towards qualification for China, Garbelotto is relishing the prospect of his charges showing what they've got on the big stage.
"I am keen to get started on the new era for British Basketball," he said.
"This promises to be an exciting few days working with some very talented players, which will showcase the increasing depth within the British game."
The new faces are offset by a number of returning names, notably Gabe Olaseni – named as EuroBasket 2017's most efficient player.
He'll be joined in Leicester next week by Dan Clark, Andrew Lawrence and Eric Boateng, while Luke Nelson, Gareth Murray, Teddy Okereafor and Kofi Josephs also get the nod.
Israel are the other team that make up Group H, with the top three qualifying for the second phase – set to take place across the 2018-19 season.
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