One hundred and fifteen players attended the final selection weekend at the Nottingham Wildcats Arena, and, as with its women’s teams, the coaches have selected squads to compete in the 35+, 40+, 45+, 50+ and 55+ categories for Pesaro.
The squads - each made up of 12 players - include some established personnel that represented Great Britain at the 2022 European Championships in Spain and most recently the 2023 World Championships in Argentina.
They will be alongside some of the new and upcoming ‘junior’ masters players, some of whom are still active in their respective NBL teams, namely David Watts (Doncaster Eagles), Sam Toluwase (Birmingham Rockets), and Jon Johnson (Westminster Warriors).
A spotlight will also be on British Basketball League veterans such as Errol Seaman (ex-Manchester Giants and Worthing/Brighton Bears), Greg Modzelweski and Andrew Bailey (ex-Newcastle Eagles), Barry Lamble (ex-Leicester Riders), Mark Bradbury (ex-Birmingham Bullets), Damon Cooper (ex-Thames Valley Tigers) and of course Steve Bucknall (ex-NBA Lakers and London Towers) to name but a few.
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“I’m so excited to be sending ten GB Maxibasketball teams to Pesaro this year (five men and five women). The growth of the programme has meant some incredibly difficult decisions were needed to select these teams.
"The strength in depth of our squads will be a real asset for us."
“I remain very appreciative of the voluntary cast of coaches, managers and sports science and medicine professionals for their generous commitment of their time and expertise to the players, which in turn continues to consolidate the performance ethos of this national programme.
"Supported by ‘The Cast’, over the next five months, the squads will be focusing on their tactical, physical and mental readiness for Pesaro.
"I’m really excited for Pesaro, and look forward to seeing our teams reap the rewards for their hard work."
The GB Maxibasketball national programme was established during 2017/18.
Now in its seventh season, GB Maxibasketball is the only national masters performance programme endorsed by Basketball England and recognised within the England Talent Pathway to Great Britain representation, providing a performance pathway and opportunities for older high level players.
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