Pops To Relish GB’s Underdog Role

Dan Wooller/wooller.com

GB forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu has told how he will relish Team GB’s underdog role at this summer’s Eurobasket and fully expects the side to surprise a few people in Lithuania.

Talking to FIBA.com, Mensah-Bonsu said:

“We’ve got a goal that we want to accomplish. We’ve got a couple of years until the Olympics but we have the EuroBasket coming up this year and we have high expectations, especially with the team that we can put together. I’m definitely looking forward to what we’re going to do and surprising people.”

In last year’s eight qualifying games, GB went 6-2 with Pops dominating to the tune of 19.3 points, 13.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per outing. The north Londoner continued:

“We showed a lot of people what we could do with the way we won the group and pretty much the whole thing.We showed people what kind of level we can play on and what kind of team we can be. We didn’t even have Ben Gordon but we will have him this summer. So it could be scary what we can do in the summer.

“I have high expectations for what we will do in Lithuania and I’m definitely excited. Like I said, we’re going to raise a few eyebrows and surprise a number of people.”

“I don’t like to predict anything but as I said, I definitely feel like we’re going to surprise people and we’re going to do really well, I feel we have the ability, even with the team we had last year, but even more so with Ben on board to become that much better.”

Read the full interview with Pops over at FIBA.com.

How are you feeling about Team GB’s chances at Eurobasket? Agree with Pops or think we have a way to go still? Drop a comment and let us know!