GB Senior Women set for EuroBasket start in Hamburg

Great Britain commence their FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 campaign on Thursday with unknown expectations.

This is largely a young, inexperienced group that contains seven players competing at Europe’s biggest tournament for the first time. Preparation was disrupted by travel with delays in Zagreb meaning a cancelled game against Greece in Athens in between losses to Slovenia, Lithuania and Serbia.

And, there was also the absence of star captain Temi Fagbenle, who only joined up with the team this week having been enjoying a strong start with first-year franchise Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA.

But this is also a group with a lot of chemistry and a desire to prove themselves on the big stage.

Holly Winterburn quickly emerged into one of the leaders on the team, and is still only 24 heading into a second EuroBasket – with only five players older than 25 – a true sign of the new era following the many years of great service from the likes of Jo Leedham-Warner, Chantelle Handy, Rachel Vanderwal and Azania Stewart – who is on commentary duties in Hamburg – to name but a few.

Meanwhile, there’s now Sam Ashby – who has been one of the best players in the WBBL/SLB for the past two seasons, and Kitty Henderson as the new face in the team off the back of a successful college career.

“I’m super excited – we’re ready to go,” said Henderson ahead of the tournament. “Obviously, the preparation was a bit all over the place with the travel and stuff, but it’s also been really fun.

“I love all the girls. We get along really well, which is always really important for the connection on the court.”

Henderson – who was born in Oxford but grew up in Australia – renewed her British passport earlier this summer, and does not take up a naturalised spot (that would have been teenage Michigan commit McKenzie Mathurin, who was the final cut).

The guard averaged 13.3 points per game during a senior year at Columbia – winning multiple Ivy League titles alongside Susannah Rafiu – and now hopes to have an impact with GB.

“Honestly, just like whatever we need,” she said in regards to her role o the team. “I think intensity on defence is something I can always bring – I’ve always been someone who can just keep going; running the floor, getting back on defence.

“And, positivity, too. In the moments where we are a little down, like always making sure that I can be that positive first.”

Henderson concluded: “Definitely listening to our leaders is going to be important. We have to control what we can control. I think that’s a really big point of emphasis going in.”

The tournament also presents a big opportunity ahead of the start of a pro career. For Ashby, it’s a chance to showcase the rise in her game, which culminated in a Team of the Year honour in the SLB after helping Oaklands Wolves to a historic double.

“Having a really good season and also throughout with GB in the summer, I’ve found being more comfortable and being more confident in my own game and I think I’ve gotten a lot better throughout last year,” she expressed.

“So, I’m really looking forward to this tournament to showing, like, how much better I have got throughout the past year.”

Ashby added: “The teams that we’ve got are amazing and if anything, I’m actually really excited for that. I know that they’re going to be some tough games, but we’re playing against some big names and that is everything that we dream of.”

Spain, Sweden and Group D hosts, Germany present three tough opponents. But there’s still a window of opportunity for this team.

Setting the tone against Spain – who are perhaps not as strong as they have been in the past as four-time winners – could be hugely pivotal going into a must-win encounter with Sweden, having lost to the same opponents twice in the qualifiers.

There’s no doubting a lot of responsibility is on the shoulders of Fagbenle once again – an All-Star Five member in 2019’s run to the semi-finals – but it takes a team, as it did six years ago, and in the Qualifiers to get results and that requires contributions throughout the roster.

Whether it’s the three-point shooting of Hannah Jump, the reliable energy of Shanice Beckford-Norton off the bench, the inside rotation of Cheridene Green and Kirsty Brown at both ends of the floor.

This is an unforgiving tournament with a format that doesn’t allow for many second chances, so it would be equally unsurprising to see GB on a plane to Athens for the Final Phase next week as it would to see them in an early exit without a win to their name.

But either way, it will be a massive learning curve for a young roster and hopefully the first major building blocks for a bright future for the team.

You can watch all of GB’s games at EuroBasket by subscribing to Courtside 1891.

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