YOUNG GUNS READY FOR ACTION
07/29/2008 US college stars Matthew Bryan and Ben Allison will carry the hopes of Great Britain's under-20s into European Championship battle this weekend.

US college stars Matthew Bryan and Ben Allison will carry the hopes of Great Britain's under-20s into European Championship battle this weekend.

But coach Tim Lewis believes it will be an all-out team effort that will be key to whether or not his team is promoted to the A Division of the Euros.

Lewis has set a target of at least a quarter-final spot for the young Brits in the Romanian town of Targu Mures next week.

That would mean a top two finish from a group containing Norway, Finland, Portugal and Macedonia.

The Brits' hopes have not been helped by a lack of preparation time and a number of key absentees - big men Dan Clark and Ryan Richards most notable among them.

But, in Bryan and Allison, Lewis believes he has the cornerstone of a successful team - now and in the future.

Lewis said: "Matthew was playing PAC 10 basketball with Washington last year and will be a huge asset to us.

"And Ben reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament with Davidson last season so he brings understanding and a wealth of knowledge in terms of what we're trying to do.

"Then we have a few guys who have been around us for a while and we have purposely taken four or five younger players with an eye on next year.

"And the pleasing thing is different people are starting to step up. People who haven't been around too much but are now getting the chance to prove they can play at this level."

Matthew Bryan (below) is feeling good about the team: "We've got a lot of athletic guys who can play multiple positions, so that should help a lot," he told 24/7.

"Ben Allison has really shocked me," he continuted. "He's done a lot since I last saw him. He's had a huge growth spurt...he's now around my height - or maybe even taller than me. He's got strong and athletic, but can still shoot it like he did when we were younger.

"If we play together as a team - which we have done in pratice - we should do real well. Dan Clark and Ryan Richards are not with us...but there are a lot of players still here who can play and can make a difference."

Ashley Hamilton (below) added: ""I think this year, we've got all the pieces here. We're missing Dan Clarke, but even without him we're looking nice.

"We've got scorers at every position and the bench is deep...so as long as we come together, we should be alright."

Ben Allison is also enthusiastic: "Everyone's got a lot to offer - there are people from Spain and the US - so everyone's learnt different things over the last couple of years at their clubs...and it's been really good bringing it all together.

"It's a really great group of guys this year - we've got height, we've got quickness on the perimeter. Everyone's got everything so I'm real excited about the European Championships."

Mike Williams, recently transferred to Dusquesne after a year at Kentucky, is another young Brit who has impressed Lewis during the warm-up prorgramme.

GB lost twice to a strong French team and split two games with hosts Austria last weekend in a mini-tournament.

And, despite that modest return, Lewis was impressed by a lot of what he saw, especially given the lack of preparation time GB have had.

He added: "We had to see right away which kids could play against that level of competition.

"But it has come together well in a really short space of time. We've keyed on little things on the court and off the court to help bring everybody together and make sure everybody blends.

"The time we've had has been restricted, one of our guys only came back two days ago.

"So in the games we ran the things we wanted to run, didn't vary much, but got to look at things and I think it was really positive."

Now the preparations - short as they have been - are over and GB fly to Romania on Wednesday to put the finishing touches to a group campaign that, while tough, should not prove impossible.

Lewis examined and the opposition and said: "I'd like to think we can finish top eight and, once you get into the quarter-finals of a tournament, it's a crap shoot.

"You roll the dice. You could get Germany in the quarters in which case it would be tough, or you might get a kinder draw.

"Either way, I would expect us to finish top two in our group. Norway and Finland will be similar to each other. Everyone may look at them as easy but the thing is their players will have been playing in the top division of Norway and Finland for the past year and, as a group, they will have played 70 or 80 games together over the past four or five years.

"As a coach, I have played against Portugal, I think, the last seven years now so we know them really well and have done well against them over the years.

"And Macedonia we don't know much about other than knowing they will be a typical eastern European team. They will have size, quickness, penetrate and kick and be able to shoot the ball. It will be a matter of how we cope with them defensively."

Final word goes to former Manchester Magic player, London-born Orlan Jackman: "This is the strongest I've ever seen a national team before - we've covered all the bases, now we all have to go out there and perform."


SCHEDULE
Finland (Fri Aug 1), Portugal (Sat Aug 2), Macedonia (Sun Aug 3), Norway (Tues Aug 5)