Great Britain Head Coach Chris Finch selected the final 12 players that are going to participate in the London 2012 Olympics this morning.
It is only the second time Great Britain have been represented in basketball since London last hosted the Games in 1948.
Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng is the sole NBA player in the team and he says he is delighted to be a part of this strong, talented group.
He told the Team GB website: “We have all worked very hard for this opportunity and to have the final 12 named is exciting. The next few weeks will fly by and I can’t wait to step on court with my teammates at the Games. We plan to make Great Britain proud.”
The full squad are as follows.
Kieron Achara- Scottish and proud it says on his Twitter hailing from Stirling in the highlands. A confident power forward or centre spending most of his career in Italy and Spain currently playing for Manresa in the Spanish ACB. He had a brief spell with the BBL’s Glasgow Rocks back in 2010
Robert Archibald- Another proud Scot from Paisley. He graduated from the University of Illinois and was drafted straight into the NBA by the Memphis Grizzlies where he also spent time with the Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors respectively. The 6″11 centre has been in Spain for the last four years and signed with Zaragoza last year.
Eric Boateng- A former Brixton Topcat representing his country in his hometown this summer.Boateng moved to the USA and gained a scholarship to Duke University helping them to a 32-4 record. He started his pro career in the NBA D-League but has recently played in Greece with Peristeri averaging 8.4 points and 4 rebounds per game.
Dan Clark- One of Great Britain’s leading scorers in Houston last week. The 6″11 forward has worked his way through the ranks of Club Estudiantes in Spain since he moved there when he was just 14 years old. In his first Eurobasket finals in Lithuania last year, he was a key player averaging 8.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
Luol Deng- born in the Sudan but raised in Britain, Deng has been a powerful presence in the GB and England squads.In his first tournament at international u16 level, he recorded a 50-point game against Turkey in the 2001 European Championships. Deng has been successful with NBA outfit Chicago Bulls as he helped them to successive playoff berths in his first three campaigns and was named the first ever Brit to compete in the NBA all star game last February.
Joel Freeland- He was one of GB’s best performers at Eurobasket 2011 scoring a career high 27 points against Poland whilst averaging 11.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Freeland made his senior debut in 2006 and since then has played in Spain for the majority of his career averaging double figures in points for the last three years.
Kyle Johnson- 2011 was a series of debuts for this young talented guard. He came through the ranks of the GB futures squad and was promoted to the senior team for Eurobasket. A great shooter of the ball averaging double figures throughout his entire University period with Long Island. He made his professional debut in Cyprus with Apoel Nicosia.
Andrew Lawrence- Also made his debut last year and is the youngest player on the team at just 20. Lawrence is now a regular starter at the College of Charleston on the third year of his full scholarship.
Mike Lenzly- One of the talismans of the team having been on the squad since 2007. He was one of the key players against China and Australia at the London invitational event. He is a well travelled and experienced player spreading his game across Europe in Germany, Spain, Italy, Cyprus and in the last season, the Czech Republic.
Pops Mensah Bonsu- He was a key presence in the qualifying campaign for Eurobasket ’11 scoring a career high 32 points against Bosnia-Herzegovina and led the team in rebounds for previous campaigns. Mensah-Bonsu is A former NBA player and topscorer with Spanish team Granada averaging 22 points per game. He recently helped Besiktas to the Turkish crown for the first time in the clubs history since 1975.
Nate Reinking- Britain’s most capped player with 65 since making his debut in 2006. Reinking is a confident scorer who has averaged no less than 9 points per game throughout his career. He has spent most of his career with Sheffield Sharks after recently helping them reach the playoffs this year.
Drew Sullivan- The Captain of the team and behind Reinking in order of most appearances for Team GB. Sullivan has had a successful campaign with the Leicester Riders in the BBL this year, helping them to second in the league and the Playoff Final whilst posting good averages for the season.
Coach Finch is feeling positive about the team leading up to the Games as he told the Team GB Website: “the next four weeks provide us with outstanding competition leading up to the Olympics, which is just what is required to do battle within our group come Games time.”
