Essex Sport Arena hosts rising GB basketball talent

Talented young basketball players from across the UK have used the Essex Sport Arena at the University of Essex to prepare for the U16 Women’s European Championships.

The Great Britain Under-16 Women’s team held a preparation camp led by Head Coach Lee Davie at the Essex Sport Arena on the Colchester Campus during July and August, ahead of competing at the FIBA Under-16 Women’s European Championships (Division B) in Podgorica, Macedonia, starting from Thursday 10 August.

The GB team have been drawn in Group C and will play Iceland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Netherlands and Denmark in the opening stage. There will be 836 games played in the FIBA European Youth Championships 2023 across three divisions, and they will all be available to watch live on the GB Basketball website.

The final squad of 12 players was selected for the tournament following the camp which featured players from clubs across the country including Milton Keynes Breakers, Derby Trailblazers, Manchester Mystics, Falkirk Fury, Haringey Hawks, Richmond Knights, Oaklands College Wolves, Bristol Academy Flyers, Nottingham Wildcats and Sussex Storm.

Director of Sport at the University of Essex Dave Parry said: “We are immensely proud to host these talented young basketball players and support their preparations for the European Championships. We’ll be watching their progress very closely and I am sure our young Essex Rebels players will be backing them as they compete for European glory. We’re delighted that our high-quality basketball facilities at the Essex Sport Arena have helped the team get ready for the demands of international competition and we’re looking forward to hosting many more international teams in the years ahead.”

Assistant Coach Azeb Smalley said preparations have combined on-court training with one-one sessions to get to know and support players. She said: "For the last four weeks we've been prepping at Essex for the European championships. The reason we chose Essex is because its one of the best facilities in the UK. The staff have been absolutely fantastic and really accommodating."