The future stars of our sport have been involved in a number of pathways activities across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland’s Academy sessions have recently restarted following the Men’s 3×3 Team’s historic performances at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, where they earned a 5th place finish in a tough competition. The group are building towards new competitive opportunities this season, with teams entered into the BWB Division 1 (North) and Women’s League structures for the first time.
In Scotland, on Saturday 15th October the first in a series of sessions for athletes in Scotland took place. The National Academy is basketballscotland’s development programme for players in the U14, U18 & U25 age groups, and forms an important part of the Player Pathway. The Academy strives to develop the person alongside the player by working on skills that will help each individual in whatever path they follow in the future – both on court and off.
The players and coaches focused on technical, tactical, physical, mental and social elements of the game following a curriculum designed to maximise development opportunities. Growing social networks is also at the heart of the Academy, as players are supported to step outside of their comfort zones and challenge themselves to develop new skills on court and off.
In England, the first of three camps took place in mid-October. Athletes benefited from time on court for a mixture of skills and technical training sessions, as well as an off-court analysis session.
The England talent coaching staff have confirmed their selection for the pathway squads and proudly announce the following athletes:
England Academy:
| Name | Club | HPP |
| Adele Atkin | Thames Valley Kings | Cardiff |
| Maddie Martin | Southern Sharks | Cardiff |
| Ellan Fraser | The Bears | Worcester |
| Jade Loughlin | CWBA | Worcester |
| Alice McHaffie | London Titans | UEL |
| Abs Taghrest | CWBA | Worcester |
| Jake Robinson | CWBA | |
| Sam Mack | CWBA | |
| Lanre Sowami | London Titans | |
| Tom Harvey | Mohawks | Loughborough |
| Charlie McIntyre* | London Titans | |
| Elliot Hardman | CWBA | |
| Liam Barker | Thames Valley Kings | |
| Aaron Hirst | Wakefield Whirlwinds |
England Development:
| Name | Club | HPP |
| Freya Levy | London Titans | UEL |
| Charlotte Thornton White | London Titans | UEL |
| Cat Yearron | Lancaster | Worcester |
| Jenni Toase | Mohawks | Worcester |
| Elly Gilvarry | Wakefield Whirlwinds | UEL |
| Emily Branthwaite* | Mohawks | UEL |
| Jess Dowdeswell | CWBA | Worcester |
| Holly Lounds | Wakefield Whirlwinds | Loughborough |
| Elana Brand* | Aces | Worcester |
| Kayli English | Manchester Revolution | Worcester |
| Sammy Rehman | CWBA | |
| Matty Wilson | Sheffield Steelers | |
| Charlie Adams | Aces | |
| Callum Doherty | Manchester Revolution | |
| James Hazell | Jaguars WBC | Worcester |
| Tom Tobin | Exeter Otters | |
| PJ O’Donovan | Thames Valley Kings | |
| Jack Long | CWBA | Worcester |
| Joel Clifton | Plymouth Fusion | |
| Dan Smith | Plymouth Fusion | |
| Liam Hodgson | Mohawks | |
| George Gray | CWBA | Worcester |
Regional Development:
| Name | Club | HPP |
| Nakita Wright | Exeter Otters | |
| Haley Cassin | Sheffield Steelers | |
| Lauren Saphir | Sheffield Steelers | |
| Niamh Watson | Cardiff Met Archers | Cardiff |
| Becky Pearson | Lancaster Bulldogs | |
| Lillie Hickman | The Bears | |
| Rhumbie Mulomo | Sheffield Steelers | |
| Chloe Fiveash | Southern Sharks | UEL |
| Imogen Longworth | Mohawks | |
| Lila Davies* | Southern Sharks | |
| Alice Smith | London Titans | |
| Kirsty Taylor | CWBA | Loughborough |
| Rohan Olsen | London Titans | |
| Sam Appleton* | Aces | |
| Matt Stan* | The Bears | |
| Henry Davies* | Thames Valley Kings | |
| David Batista | Brixton Ballers | |
| Zach Geary* | Thames Valley Kings | |
| Ollie Porter | Mohawks | |
| George Hazard | Mohawks | |
| Jordyn Newton* | Sheffield Steelers | |
| Ollie Wightman | Mohawks | |
| Josh Prickett | Aces | |
| Kyle Jackson | The Bears | |
| Sean Chigumba | Aces | |
| Ben Poulton | London Titans | |
| Todd Travers | Thames Valley Kings | |
| Yassine Ibesaine | Thames Valley Kings | |
| Oscar Kemp | Wakefield Whirlwinds | |
| Luke Holland | Sheffield Steelers | |
| Matthew Smedley | Mohawks | |
| William Bishop* | North Wales Knights |
*denotes players on the Diploma in Sporting Excellence Course: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/diploma-in-sporting-excellence-dise/
The England Pathway Coaches will be delivering sessions based on the Player Development Framework. Read the framework here: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/mdocs-posts/england-player-pathway-august-2022/
