Bristol Youngsters Make the Grade for the England Under -18s

“

Three players from Bristol Basketball Academy having made a shooting start to the New Year by being called up to England’s Under 18 squad.

Greg Streete and Jordan Ranklin, students at Filton College’s Bristol Academy of Sport Basketball, and Tyrone Treasure are the talented sportsmen who made the mark, after attending trials at Filton College’s new West of England Institute (WISE) campus on December 21 followed by a gruelling three-day training camp.

Training for the Team

The training took place in Sevenoaks, Kent alongside fifteen other members of the squad across the UK, Europe and USA. Games were played against visiting European teams in addition to the four daily training sessions.

Competition has been tough, with each member bidding for a place in the final squad selection to represent England in the European Championships team for the summer’s competitions. The three boys find out in early February whether they have been selected. They will then attend further training camps and International games before heading to Europe.

Fantastic Achievement

Bristol Academy Coach, Danny James said: “All three of these players represent Bristol each week in Senior Men’s Basketball and have proved that the hard work they have put in to playing basketball has paid off. They should be proud of their achievements as they were selected as some of the best Under 18 players in the country.”

The call-up shows just some of the talent that exists in the region. With the new facilities at Filton and the chance to combine education with sport, students who take the opportunity are reaping the benefits.

Basketball’s Next Generation

Danny would like to see more young athletes be given the chance to shine and is calling out to young boys and girls across Bristol to take up the growing sport.

Danny said: “With the 2012 Olympics coming to Britain it is the young talent produced now that will have the opportunity of representing Great Britain at the games. Basketball is an Olympic sport and it would be fantastic to think that young players from Bristol could be there in 2012.”

Angela Balakrishnan

Shoot some FE hoops in the FE Blog

“