England U18s Cut to Sixteen Ahead of Albert Schweitzer Tournament

By Sam Neter on April 16, 2014

Head Coach Karl Brown has cut his England Under-18 squad down to sixteen following the opening two days of their camp in Nottingham this week.

The team, who face a warm-up tonight against Division 1 champions Reading Rockets, will fly out to Germany at the end of this week for the world renowned Albert Schweitzer tournament, featuring some of the best under-18 national teams in the world.

The remaining fifteen players are as follows (preliminary squad with original list here).

England Under-18s Fifteen Man Squad

Jules Dang Akodo, Union Olimpija, Slovenia
Thomas Elliott-Smith, Plymouth Marjon
Aidan Gastaldi-Davies, Oaklands Wolves
Pharroh Gordon, Manchester Magic
Sedale Hanson-Young, Birmingham A’s
Calvin Kintu, Barking Abbey
Myles Laurent-Smart, Lewisham Thunder
Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, Bristol Academy Flyers
Aaron Menzies, Manchester Magic
Kingsley Nwagboso, Manchester Magic
Ikponmwosa (Theo) Oghide, Bromsgrove Bears
Joshua Steel, Barking Abbey
Patrick Whelan, Manchester Magic
Deane Williams, Bristol Academy Flyers
Kaiyan Whyte, Lewisham Thunder
Akwasi Yeboah, Barking Abbey

The release of Joe Junior Mvuezolo may be the biggest surprise, as the 6’4″ wing was one of the top performers and key contributors at the Haris Memorial Tournament 2013. Meanwhile, it would appear that England Basketball were unable to lure top 60 ranked Rex Pfleuger from the US after his announcement in the initial squad.

“This week has been an exceptional challenge for the entire squad with players competing for their positions and I am extremely happy with the effort, hard work and dedication shown by all of the players and coaching staff,” Head Coach Karl Brown commented.

“Our practice game against the EBL Division 1 Champions will be a real test of our character and ability to compete at an elevated level of competition.

“I am hoping to continue the players’ development during this competitive opportunity in preparation for our trip to the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany with final selection for the tournament being made at the conclusion of camp on Thursday afternoon.”

Point guard Jules Dang Akodo added: “It has been a great week, a lot of hard work but great. The coaching staff really know how to push you and get the best out of each of us. I am looking forward to the game against Reading Rockets and our trip to Germany.”

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