GB Basketball recognises Myerscough’s basketball stars after Euros cancelled

The group were all in contention to make the Great Britain squads for the summer tournaments. Myerscough Basketball Academy had eight players in total, including four alumni, named to their respective age groups at the U20 and U18 levels.

Mate Okros (Drexel Univesity) and Callan Low (Newberry College) would have been joined at by U20 Men’s camp by former Myerscough teammates Lewis McGlasson and Bradley Kaboza, while Shauna Harrison (CalU) and Milly Knowles (Eastern Washington) were selected for the women’s group. Amari Williams and Franklin Agu saw themselves picked for the U18 Men’s camp.

A statement said: ‘’The British Basketball Federation wishes to formally recognise all players that were in contention for Great Britain youth team representation at the 2020 European Championships, which have been cancelled due to COVID-19.

‘’The summer months are usually a busy time for Great Britain’s youth teams, with our squads competing in their respective European Championship campaigns. But as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown conditions imposed throughout the world, in early April FIBA made the difficult but correct decision to cancel all of the 2020 tournaments.’’

Charlie Ford, Chair of the Youth Teams Performance Group said: “Although we understand that nothing can replace the opportunity to pull on the GB jersey, sing the national anthem and compete for European Championship medals, we hope that this announcement will be met with pride and a continued intention to be part of future squads whether that be at youth or senior level.’’

Kenrick Liburd, GB U18 Women Head Coach, added: “To be selected to represent your country is a privilege and a fantastic achievement. 

 “There is obviously disappointment, as we are not able to see how well this team could have performed. We are working with this current group to help them stay connected and help them continue to stay focused on their process. 

“The future looks bright and on the other side of this global pandemic we feel confident that many of this group could be big contributors to the British basketball community.”