Great Britain Women’s Preliminary Squad Announced

Great Britain senior women head coach Tom Maher has announced a preliminary squad of 20 players he is looking at to be formally invited into training camp for London 2012.

The squad includes four newcomers, including soon-to-be 19 year old Bonnie Samuelson who is eligible through a British mother and in the midst of a season with NCAA powerhouse Stanford.

Joining Samuelson is fellow 19 year old Temi Fagbenle, a stand out with the GB U20s last summer but has been forced to sit this year with Harvard due to eligibility issues, Kristina Collins from Simon Fraser University, and Dominique Allen, who has just completed her senior season at Oral Roberts, rounds out the newcomers.

Allen’s Oral Roberts teammate Georgia Jones has also been recalled after a 3 year hiatus, and returning to Tom Maher’s squad this year following last year’s Eurobasket campaign are Julie Page, alongside star forward Jo Leedham who has spent the winter under Maher’s tutelage in Australia with the Bulleen Boomers.

Other familiar faces that have been called up once again include, Rose Anderson, Kim Butler, Kate Butters, Stef Collins, Steph Gandy, Chantelle Handy, Sarah McKay, Natalie Stafford, Azania Stewart, Lauren Thomas-Johnson, and Rachael Vanderwal. Jeneya Wade-Frey makes a return having been injured last year, whilst Sarah Naylor also comes in for consideration after a string of strong performances for her club Sheffield Hatters.

Maher commented on the initial squad entering training camp in May:

“I am very pleased and excited with the squad we have coming into camp this year. There is a lot of young talent who are the next generation of basketball players in Great Britain and they will learn a lot from some of the more experienced members of the squad.

“We have a good preparation period this year, with plenty of time for the girls to get settled in and gel as a team. I am confident with the players we are bringing into camp this year as we prepare for our biggest challenge to date.”

GB Women’s Preliminary Squad

Dominique Allen, Oral Roberts University, USA
Rose Anderson, UWIC Archers, Cardiff
Kim Butler, SK Cesis, Latvia
Kate Butters, UWIC Archers, Cardiff
Kristina Collins, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Stef Collins, UWIC Archers, Cardiff
Temi Fagbenle, Harvard University, USA
Steph Gandy, Sheffield Hatters
Chantelle Handy, Athinaikos, Greece
Georgia Jones, Oral Roberts University, USA
Jo Leedham, Bulleen Boomers, Australia
Sarah McKay, Barking Abbey Leopards
Sarah Naylor, Sheffield Hatters
Julie Page, Torun, Poland
Bonnie Samuelson, Stanford University, USA
Natalie Stafford, Sydney University Flames, Australia
Azania Stewart, University of Florida, USA
Lauren Thomas-Johnson, Sheffield Hatters
Rachel Vanderwal, University of Limerick, Ireland
Jeneya Wade Fray, UWIC Archers, Cardiff

The preliminary squad of 20 players will be cut down to 18 next month, where they will assemble for camp beginning 5 May. By the end of the training camp period in Surrey the squad will have been reduced to 16 players before the final 12 are selected for the Olympic roster on the 22nd June.

Thoughts on this year’s team?