Great Britain’s men’s basketball team is in somewhat unfamiliar territory. They’re entering a qualification phase where they are expected to win. The thing is, they also need wins more than usual. Emmet Ryan on why a strengthened Team GB needs to hone everything now.
Welcome, Great Britain, to my world. The pre-qualifiers, be they for EuroBasket or the World Cup cycle, are quite familiar to Irish readers of this site. It’s where Ireland’s men have played all of their qualifiers since returning to the international fold.
For Marc Steutel’s charges, this is new territory. It’s a scenario where they should be favoured but one they can’t take lightly.
How did they even get here?
It has been an interesting 12 months for British basketball. That’s the gentle version. Amidst all the turmoil at a federation level, the men’s national team managed to get its first win since 2013 at EuroBasket. Their victory in the final group game over Montenegro was followed up with that stunning case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against Lithuania.
Fate however was still in their hands thanks to a win over Iceland. That road win should have set them up nicely to avoid a drop into battling with the also-rans of European basketball.
Instead, Iceland pulled off a win last month to change everything. That was Iceland’s third win in six games. More importantly, it meant they finished 3-3 instead of 2-4. Had Great Britain swept the series, they’d have matched Iceland’s record and finished above them on head to head. So, here they are.
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What happens now?
Great Britain have landed in the second round of pre-qualifiers. They are joined by 7 other teams that dropped down from World Cup qualifying plus the three group winners and best runner up from the first round of pre-qualifying.
Their three team group also has Switzerland, winless in World Cup qualifying, and Slovakia, who won Group C of the first round by going 4-0 over Kosovo and Albania. The group winner advances automatically to the main phase of qualifying for EuroBasket 2029.
If they don’t win the group, then they have to go through a third round of pre-qualifying. That sees all the non-group winners from the second round join all the teams eliminated from the first round, play in 4 groups of 3 or 4 teams with only the winners making the main draw.
Is their cause for hope?
Oddly, yes. The bad news is that Great Britain are guaranteed to be a bottom seed in the main draw should they make it. That was locked in the moment they lost to Iceland. The good news is that Tosun Evbuomwan is in the squad for these qualifiers along with Amari Williams.
The existing roster should have been enough to win the group as it was. These additions should, so long as they don’t get careless, put it beyond doubt. Both are big additions but Williams is arriving at a vital time as Gabe Olaseni has retired from international play. There needs to be a clear man in the middle and there’s an opportunity here for Williams.
Crucially, Quinn Ellis has been named in the roster. He missed the July games, having been named in it, but him working with the extra pieces promises to be the core combo for the side going forward. If he shows up, these games will be more than worth watching.
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