Great Britain is the host of the 2012 Olympics, and as part of their perfectly reasonable effort not to be humiliated in front of the whole world, they’ve mounted an aggressive campaign to find the best athletes to represent them.
The Brits are having a hard time fielding the hoops team. And they want your help. Provided, of course, that you can play a little and have some kind of linkage to England.
From the Boston Globe:
The British are conducting a worldwide search, primarily in the United States, in hopes of improving their national basketball team. Bulls forward Luol Deng and guard Ben Gordon, former NBA player Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Blazers draft pick Joel Freeland, and possibly Golden State guard Kelenna Azubuike will be on the United Kingdom’s national team that hopes to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. The British also have several American college players.
But in hopes of finding more talent, British Basketball is on the lookout for NBA personnel and other talented players born after Jan. 1, 1983, who have at least one parent with a British passport, thus making them eligible for the senior and under-20 teams.
“There are kids in America right now with parents with British passports that can play for our national team or under-20 teams,” said Ron Wuotila, British Basketball’s performance manager and head of basketball operations. “They might not be able to play for USA, but they can play for us.”
Team USA rejects, this is your chance to shine. Hope you like tea and biscuits.
