England U16 Final Squad Announced

Head coach Simon Fisher has named his final twelve man England Under-16 squad that will be travelling to Strumica, Macedonia, to compete in the 2011 Division B European Championships.

The roster is as follows:

England Under-16 Final Roster

4. Morayo Soluade, 6’4″, G, Bucks Hornets
5. Luke Nelson, 6’1″, G, Worthing Thunder
6. Nicholas Bohling, 6’2″, G, BCM Gravelines (France)
7. Jack Griffiths, 5’11”, G, Cheshire Juniors
8. Tyrell Isaacs, 5’11” G, Westminster Warriors
9. Samuel Round, 6’3″, G, Northants
10. Dwayne Orija, 6’5″ G/F, Westminster Warriors
11. Tamas Okros, 6’5″, F, Manchester Magic
12. Kingsley Okoroh, 7’0″, C, Derby Trailblazers
13. Benjamin Mead, 6’7″, F/C, Ipswich Tomcats
14. Jonathon Orrells, 6’6″, F, Taunton Tigers
15. Luke Attfield, 7’0″, C, Bognor Royals

Coach Fisher had this to say about the final selection:

“The squad has been through extensive training camps, competitive opportunities, and off-court team building exercises over the course of the season. They had European exposure at Christmas (U18 Tournament in Belgium – 5 games), and Easter (U17 Tournament in Italy – 7 games) and a pre-European program of 8 internationals in England and the Netherlands. The final team for the Europeans has experienced a vast majority of this program, with this 12 representing England in Italy and the most recent internationals, which has established a fantastic team spirit to further harness the individual potential.

“The team this year has overcome a few challenges, a couple of injuries have been treated and I thank the players for maintaining fitness levels outside of the camps whilst they study for exams, their commitment has been inspiring for me. I would like to salute the two reserves – Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye and Liam Carpenter (both 1996 born) – for their efforts, they undoubtedly have developed being with this squad, and I am confident the learning they have gained will be passed onto next year’s team.

“The team have played eight internationals against top end Division B countries, finishing with a 5-3 record with wins against Netherlands, Sweden, Austria and Belgium. All the games bar one, were closely fought games, allowing the coaching staff to scrutinise the players under pressure, finding out the characteristics that will hold us well in Macedonia. We still need to take care of the ball more and execute our sets better, but the progression has been positive and there is no question in my mind that this group of 12 players are committed to providing every ounce of energy both physically and mentally for each other. We have a motto of being relentless – and that’s the spur for the coming weeks.”

What do you think of the final squad? Chances at the Europeans?