Sixteen Players Named in Initial GB U20 Women List

British Basketball have named 16 players that will compete to represent the Great Britain Under-20 Women at the Division B Euros in Montenegro this summer.

The invitees will attend a camp in Manchester on 25 June, where preparations will begin in earnest for the tournament in Podgorica.

Savannah Wilkinson debuted with the Senior Women last November in Montenegro and the Barking Abbey Crusaders’ forward is one of the headline names in contention, with Gabby Nikitinaite of Sevenoaks Suns and Kyla Nelson of Brixton Topcats having both taken part in Senior Women preparation camps across the last couple of FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 qualifying windows.

The list also includes the reigning Molten WBBL Young Player of the Year in Georgia Gayle, who has impressed with Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters. There is further current WBBL representation from Tea Charlton of league winners Nottingham Wildcats, Paige Robinson of Brixton Topcats and Abigail Johnson of Barking Abbey Crusaders, who has featured in a number of WBBL Weekly All-Star Five line-ups in 2015-16.

Bethany Sarson and Sadie Russell are returnees, having featured at the same event last summer which was also held in Podgorica.

Meanwhile there is a potential first introduction to the international game for Kennedy Leonard, who has produced big numbers with 12.1 points and 4.6 assists per game in the NCAA for the University of Colorado Boulder in the Pac-12 Conference.

The 16-player candidate list is as follows:

Tea Charlton – Nottingham Wildcats (GBR)
Samantha Clement – Cornell University (USA)
Jessica Davies – Lipscomb University (USA)
Abigail Johnson – Barking Abbey Crusaders (GBR)
Kennedy Leonard – University of Colorado Boulder (USA)
Courtney Lyons – Concordia University (USA)
Georgia Gayle – Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters (GBR)
Kyla Nelson – Brixton Topcats (GBR)
Gabriele Nikitinaite – Sevenoaks Suns (GBR)
Rachel Odumu – Monmouth University (USA)
Paige Robinson – Brixton Topcats (GBR)
Sadie Russell – Odessa College (USA)
Bethany Sarson- Pfeiffer University (USA)
Amelia Stevens – Illinois State University (USA)
Holly Wilkes – Charnwood College (GBR)
Savannah Wilkinson – Barking Abbey Crusaders (GBR)

GB Senior Women’s Head Coach, Jose Maria ‘Chema’ Buceta will hold the coaching reins and will be assisted by Chris Bunten, who has just led Team Northumbria to a famous victory in the 2016 Molten WBBL Play-Off Final at The 02 – as well as Senior Women’s star Rachael Vanderwal.

Warm-up games are scheduled against Ireland on 01 and 02 July, while there will also be further preparation games in Romania on 04 and 05 July, prior to departing for Montenegro on 06 July.

Further details will be made available during coming weeks and for more information on the U20 European Championship Division B, click HERE

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