Eight of the British women’s basketball team that competed at the London 2012 Olympics last summer have been chosen as part of the final GB squad for the EuroBasket in France.
A 12-strong squad reflecting a mix of youth and experience has been selected by head coach Damian Jennings following a series of preparation games and a five-week training camp.
The experience will be provided by the likes of the returning Johannah Leedham, who captained Team GB at London 2012, while youth player Ella Clark has been selected to the senior squad for the first time.
However the likes of Roz Mason, Kristie Sheils and Renee Busch were not so lucky as despite being involved in the build up they will not travel to France.
And Jennings said: "I would like to firstly thank Roz, Kristie and Renee for making this team better. Their de-selection was a very tough decision and all three players represented themselves incredibly well.
"Although Roz may be coming closer to her final basketball years, Kristie and Renee represent a crop of players coming through from our under-20's and Futures programmes and I have no doubt both will be back to cement a place in next year's senior GB team.
"It is exciting to now finish our last few practices with the final 12 players before travelling to France on Wednesday.
“The spirit of this group has been excellent since day one and I have no doubt the players are looking to representing Great Britain to the best of their ability this summer."
Britain, who qualify for the EuroBasket courtesy of hosting the Olympic tournament last summer, face Serbia, Latvia and hosts France in the group stages.
Final British squad: Dominique Allen, Rose Anderson, Kimberly Butler, Ella Clark, Stefanie Collins, Stephanie Gandy, Chantelle Handy, Georgia Jones, Johannah Leedham, Azania Stewart, Lauren Thomas-Johnson, Rachael Vanderwal
© Sportsbeat 2013