Team GB head home from the 2023 European Championships with a Silver medal and their ticket booked to the Paris 2024 Paralympics after a hugely successful tournament in Rotterdam. Photo Credit main image: BWB/ SA Images
Stamping their defensive identity all over the competition, GB made their mark and put Europe, and the World on notice. Coming off the back of the delayed 2022 World Championships, which took place just two months ago in June, where GB finished in 9th place – the team headed to Rotterdam with a fresh attitude and eyes on Paris.
The return of veterans Robyn Love and Laurie Williams to the squad gave Team GB additional firepower, with Love finishing the tournament in the top 10 for all categories. Averaging 18.0 ppg, (3rd), 9.9 rpg (2nd), 2.9 apg (9th), 1.9 spg (1st), 0.4 bpg (7th) and hitting two 3 pointers (joint 1st), over the course of the week the impact she has on court is undeniable and was capped off by being named to the All-Star Five of the tournament alongside teammate Joy Haizelden. Williams, an absolute nightmare matchup for her opponents, looked like she’d never been away, her presence and experience added into a team featuring defensive stalwarts Charlie Moore and Captain Sophie Carrigill set GB up to be a force to be reckoned with.
After an opening group game defeat to Germany (48-43) where GB lost the first quarter 11-4, the team regrouped and didn’t drop another quarter after those first 10 minutes until they came up against eventual gold medalists the Netherlands in their final group game. Their focus and work on the defensive end made them a tough matchup for every team they faced and they made the Netherlands work for every single one of their points.
A dominant win the next day over Turkey (83-15), where Jade Atkin displayed just why she was named the 2023 Women’s Premier League Player of the Year with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals allowed the GB bench to show out. Lucy Robinson (13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist), and Siobhán Fitzpatrick (4 points, 1 rebound) worked on offence as Kayla Bell, and Maddie Martin embodied the GB defensive philosophy as they held Turkey to just 3 first half points. Haizelden showed out her all round game grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists along with 2 points. Martin, who made her senior debut at the World Championships, is fast becoming known as a tenacious defender making life very difficult for whoever she’s assigned while Captain Sophie Carrigill, put on an absolute masterclass defensively and was an incredible +53 in her 22 minutes on court. The game also saw the senior debut of rising star Anastasia Blease, who captained Wales in their Commonwealth Games qualifiers last year, getting on court and helping out on the boards.
Heading into day 3 against a 2-0 Spanish team, the momentum continued for GB as they controlled the game and led from the first tip to the last whistle, holding Spain to 9 points under their average. Love led all scorers with 19 points, adding 12 rebounds and 5 assists and 3 time Paralympian Helen Freeman was in her element facilitating all over the court with 11 assists to go along with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Haizelden in transition was once again an unstoppable force, one of the fastest players, you’ll see on court, when GB pressure and force turnovers she seems to view the game two plays ahead. Her read of the game and anticipation caused problems in passing lanes in Rotterdam as it does for teams coming up against the Crimson Tide in Alabama where she plays her regular season Basketball.
A matchup with France followed and GB continued to roll through their opponents, allowing only 8 second half points for France. Robinson (18 points, 5 rebounds) and Love (22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists) led the way as Haizelden finished with a huge 5 steals and back to back 10 point games.
The Netherlands are a dominant force in the Women’s game and GBs final group game of the tournament came against a team eager to continue their winning streak and go for gold. Love (16 points 8 rebounds, 4 assists) and Robinson who had 13 points on 75% from the field led GB on offence as Charlie Moore added 7 points and 2 rebounds. Coming into the game averaging 78.2 ppg, GB held the Netherlands to a tournament low (at that point) 64 points. Despite a 64-50 win for the Netherlands, GB headed into the semi finals in 3rd place where a rematch with second seeded Germany awaited.
As GB headed into the semis with a ticket to the Paris 2024 Paralympics on the line (make the final and you’re in, lose and its a qualifying tournament) the team just needed one quarter to get into their rhythm, and once they did they put on a showcase of team Basketball completely dominating the team who finished in 4th place at the World Championships 57-34. Germany scored 7 field goals in the first quarter as they led 15-12 going into the second but Team GB had something to say about that as they allowed only 9 field goals the rest of the game and held them scoreless from the field for over 10 minutes. Love poured in 21 first half points on her way to a game high 26 along with 12 rebounds and 4 steals. Freeman notched her 4th double double of the campaign with 21 points 10 rebounds and 7 assists, and Blease recorded her first senior points. Martin was once again a force to be reckoned with on defence, a +26 in her time on court and Germany could not break her and the whole teams pressure.
Coming up against a team with 6 straight European titles is always a tough ask but GB made the Netherlands work for their 7th. A 58-36 victory for the Dutch, in a scoreline that doesn’t truly reflect how close the game was, meant a Gold medal in front of their home fans. Holding the current World Champions to a tournament low 58 points and coming away with Silver is a huge achievement and turnaround for the team after a difficult last couple of tournaments. Atkin, with 9 points and 5 rebounds off the bench showed she is a player not just now for GB, but for the future (and hopefully we will see her alongside Martin at the U25 World Championships in Thailand this October), Love once again led the way with double double number 4, (10 points and 12 rebounds) capping off an emphatic return to the international stage and one that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
With the bright lights of Paris around the corner and preparation for the 2024 Women’s Premier League soon to be underway, team GB have cemented themselves as a force to be reckoned with, with a core of bright young talent and experienced veterans the rest of the World should be looking over their shoulder. Paris awaits.
FocusHoops have been following Team GB before they headed to Rotterdam and throughout the European Championships. You can watch all our interviews with the players on our Youtube playlist:
Robyn Love and Laurie Williams
Sophie Carrigill and Lucy Robinson
Charlie Moore and Siobhán Fitzpatrick
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