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Hoopsfix Review of 2014: July-September

By on December 31, 2014

Check out the third installment of our look back at 2014, with the international summer dictating our July-September review.

July

The GB under-20’s final 12-man squad was set after finishing their preparation period. Ben Lawson came up clutch to help GB U20s win their Division A debut against Latvia. GB caused an upset by beating hosts Greece with Luke Nelson sinking the game-winner from DEEP.

A run of defeats included a close early battle with Spain, before GB U20s finished in a highly respectable 11th place after beating Slovenia in their final game. Here was a tweetcap as their summer ended on a high.

While Luol Deng was contemplating his free agency decision, after initial reports, it was confirmed by Joel Freeland that he would not play for GB in the summer – serving as a double blow for their qualification hopes.

Instead, Freeland would play and impress in the NBA Summer-League along with three other Brits; MBA, Dan Clark and Ryan Richards.

Deng agreed to sign for Miami Heat, with his agent later explaining the reasoning behind the decision. The top 50 list for the DENG Camp were released, while GB veteran Nick George launched his NG Pro Performance Camps.

England U18s announced their 12-man roster for their Euro trip to Turkey. A heavy defeat opened the European Championships at the hands of Croatia. They were agonisingly denied a first win by the Czech Republic, as the losing run continued into August.

England U16s were continuing their own preparations and pulled off a stunning victory over Division A side Croatia.

The GB Senior team suffered a defeat in their first International of the summer, before Latvia made it two in two with a second victory. Despite the early losses, Myles Hesson was still confident the summer could be a success for GB.

Mo Soluade was being considered for a first team spot at Malaga next season, whilst playing for feeder team Clinicas Rincon. Ovie Soko signed his first pro deal in France with Boulazac, while Nigel van Oostrum joined Den Helder in the Dutch top flight.

Bristol Flyers began assembling their roster ahead of their debut BBL campaign. Demond Watt was confident of leading Cheshire Phoenix to Championship contention, while Andreas Kapoulas was looking to build on his GB U20s coaching experience in the BBL.

Also, Chris Finch reflected on his time as GB Head Coach at the Adidas EUROCAMP.

The 5th episode of the Hoopsfix Podcast featured GB captain Drew Sullivan.

August

England U18s claimed their first win at the European Championship to keep their survival hopes alive. However, they were to be relegated following another defeat against the Czech Republic.

GB Senior ‘s preparation came to an end with an emphatic first win ahead of the EuroBasket qualifiers. Devon van Oostrum was aiming to thrive on the added responsibility for GB, after making the cut for the final 12 man roster.

Iceland dented GB’s qualification hopes with a fourth quarter surge, before GB fell short in their home game against Bosnia. A defeat in Iceland ended their hopes, before finishing with a valiant loss away to Bosnia.

England U16s Head Coach Alan Keane confirmed his final 12-man squad for Macedonia, with captain Carl Wheatle setting his sights on promotion. The campaign started with a dominant win against Scotland, before later maintaining their unbeaten start with a comeback OT win.

The promotion bid was dented with a loss to Israel, but they would end up leaving it late to make the semi-finals. A semi-final loss left them one more chance at promotion, and it was secured with victory in the bronze medal game to seal their place in Division A with a 3rd-place finish. Wheatle was named to the All-Tournament first team after leading the way for his side.

Drew Sullivan’s departure from Leicester Riders was confirmed, prior to his move back to the capital with London Lions. GB forward Ali Fraser signed for Glasgow Rocks, despite his knee injury.

Dan Clark was heading back to Spain after joining Fuenlabrada, while Ben Mockford signed his first pro deal with Caceres in LEB Silver, and Will Neighbour followed suit after joining second division side Oviedo. Another Brit heading abroad was Myles Hesson, returning to Germany, after signing a short-term deal with Bremerhaven.

Harrison Gamble ready to make the hard work pay off after returning for a second season with the Riders, while Leeds changed their name to become a force in the BBL, ahead of their debut season. In EBL news, Huddersfield Heat folded after 23 years.

The 6th Hoopsfix Podcast episode featuring Barking Abbey Director Mark Clark.

September

The Hoopsfix Store was restocked and relaunched at the beginning of the month, before Hoopsfix joined forces with Molten. Meanwhile, the Governing body announced a full rebrand to Basketball England.

Luol Deng expressed his disappointment after comments were made about his African heritage by Hawks GM.

Fahro Alihodzic signed his first pro contract, in Spain, while Matthew Bryan-Amaning joined Ludwigsburg in the German BBL. Aaron Geramipoor made his return to Canarias Basketball Academy to begin his pro career in LEB Silver.

Rob Gilchrist signed his first pro deal in Germany, while GB forward Gareth Murray re-joined Cheshire Phoenix. Late in the month, Devon van Oostrum was loaned to KK Zagreb by Laboral Kutxa.

A Midnight Madness team travelled to St Kitts & Nevis for a tournament in the Caribbean, with the full diary here.

The initial England U18 roster list was announced for the coming year, as was the U17 New Horizons squad.

Leicester Riders defeated EuroChallenge opposition in a pre-season tournament, ahead of the start of the new BBL season – with a full team-by-team preview here. When the season started, Bristol Flyers won their first-ever game in the top flight.

GB U20 forward Connor Murtagh was looking forward to making the step up to the BBL with Manchester Giants.

The 7th episode of the Hoopsfix Podcast featuring Nhamo Shire – CEO of Reach & Teach, and the 8th episode with Basketball England CEO Huw Morgan.

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