Sixteen Named in Initial GB Senior Women’s Squad

By Sam Neter on October 22, 2015

New Senior Women’s Head Coach Jose Maria Buceta has invited sixteen players into a preparation camp ahead of next month’s vital first EuroBasket Women 2017 qualifying window.

Searching for a superb fourth straight appearance at Final Round, GB will tip-off their campaign against Montenegro on Saturday 21 November and then play the first of three successive home games on Wednesday 25 November at the Amaechi Centre in Manchester against Italy.

There is a welcome return for EuroLeague Women star Johannah Leedham who was ruled out of EuroBasket Women 2015 and the core of the side who competed in Hungary are back on board, including long-serving Olympians Stef Collins, Rachael Vanderwal, Azania Stewart and Chantelle Handy.

Half of the 16-strong candidate list is drawn from the WBBL (Women’s British Basketball League), with reigning WBBL Young Player of the Year, Savannah Wilkinson of Barking Abbey Crusaders getting her first senior call-up.

Leicester Riders also have the distinction of having a quarter of the candidates on the list, with calls for Georgia Jones and Erin McGarrachan, plus an opportunity for teenager Eleanor Jones and also former U20 player Deanne Hayward, who impressed at the recent WBBL opening weekend.

Five of the squad play in Spain’s highly rated Liga Femenina, including Jamila Thompson who is another newcomer, having recently started her first pro-season in Madrid at Cref Hola.

“I am looking forward to working with this group of players,” stated Coach Buceta.

“I want to thank them for their enthusiasm and their commitment to doing their best to succeed.

“I also want to thank their respective clubs for the work that they have been doing with the players so far during the current season.

“I was particularly pleased to see so many players in person at the recent WBBL opening weekend and to view some of the talent we have and especially so many young and emerging players.

“I think that with this current squad we have a good combination of experience and youth to form a team where everybody can take the individual responsibility in order to collectively help each other.”

He added, “We face a great challenge against high level teams during qualifying, but I expect to be ready to compete and to achieve our goal.”

The players invited to camp are as follows:

GB Senior Women 2015 Initial Squad

Dominique Allen (Flying Foxes Vienna, AUT)
Ella Clark (Gernika Bizkaia, ESP)
Stef Collins (Cardiff Met Archers, GBR)
Chantelle Handy (PINKK Pesci 424, HUN)
Deanne Hayward (Leicester Riders, GBR)
Georgia Jones (Leicester Riders, GBR)
Eleanor Jones (Leicester Riders, GBR)
Johannah Leedham (Tango Bourges, FRA)
Erin McGarrachan (Leicester Riders, GBR)
Helen Naylor (Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters, GBR)
Chantelle Pressley (Sevenoaks Suns, GBR)
Eilidh Simpson (CD Zamarat, ESP)
Azania Stewart (Campus Promete, ESP)
Jamila Thompson (Cref Hola, ESP)
Rachael Vanderwal (Gernika Bizkaia, ESP)
Savannah Wilkinson (Barking Abbey Crusaders, GBR)

The players will arrive at a Surrey-based camp on Sunday 15 November and will then be based in the North-West on their return from Montenegro, ahead of their subsequent game in Manchester against Italy.

The change from a summer qualification programme to qualifying windows during the club season sees GB scheduled to play two further home games during February 2016 and their two final road games during November 2016.

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