NOTES FROM CAMP
08/12/2008 Ian Whittell gets all the latest gossip from inside the GB Men's basketball training camp.

Ian Whittell gets all the latest gossip from inside the GB Men's training camp.

CAMP REVELATION ONE: Joel Freeland ... has improved around, say, 3,000 per cent from where he was at two years ago. Looks every inch a Euroleague prospect and, dare we say it, a genuine NBA prospect as well.

All of which should not come as a major surprise of course, bearing in mind he only started playing ball at 16!
With Rob Archibald out of this campaign, the youngster will have a chance to show what he can do on the international stage.
Will he grab it? We think so ...

INTERESTING STAT: Of the 14 players selected for the tournament in Italy this week, SEVEN are currently unattached (although that won't be the case with Pops Mensah-Bonsu for long).

The American media may have declared Europe the new promised land of basketball fame and fortune, but what does that tell us about the current market for Bosman players?

INTERESTING THAT: the media day featured a number of news crews commenting to coach Chris Finch how GB have an "easy" draw in this summer's Euros.

Nobody in the mainstream media pays any attention in hoops for decades, now all of a sudden everyone is an expert!?
Just because the sporting layman doesn't know anything about the Czech Republic and Bosnia's basketball ability does not suddenly make us second favourites in the group.

ON THE SUBJECT: of the places that GB stars are employed ... what does it say when only one of the 14-man roster is currently on the roster of a British club ... and, looking at it another way, how many of the seven players currently without jobs will end up on BBL teams in 2008-09?

LOVED UP: admittedly, the start of a six-week training and qualifying campaign is not the time you want to see tension creeping in, but even we were surprised at just how relaxed the GB squad seems to be and the great team spirit around the place.
Without getting too touchy-feely, that feeling of "belonging" is something Finch has tried to instil in the programme from day one and it seems to be working.
Props also go out to Finch, assistants Tony Garebelotto and Nick Nurse and the support staff for their part in this process.
And it did not go unnoticed that Luol Deng, who was not even allowed to touch a basketball until his insurance papers came through, was present for every session over the Brunel camp watching his team mates work out.

NEWBOYS: Finch's 14-man squad for Italy included seven new caps - plus Eric Boateng and Joel Freeland whose senior GB minutes can be counted on one hand.

Nate Reinking, Andy Betts, Drew Sullivan, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Luol Deng all have plenty of big-time experience in the can but one of the key factors in this GB campaign is how everyone else will cope on such a big stage.

SEE YA: Germayne Forbes was the first player cut from GB camp 2008 ... after getting his days mixed up and failing to report to Brunel on time last Wednesday.

SCHOOL COMES FIRST: GB are still in negotiation with Eric Boateng's college Arizona State over his availability for the whole international campaign.
Last summer, the big centre left the national team midway through group play because school was starting in the US and the same scenario could crop up again this year.

However, with the level of play so much higher and with Robert Archibald missing, GB chiefs may have to think twice about whether or not to name him in the final 12-man roster should he be unable to play all six qualifiers.

BEIJING BOUND: the GB players being put through their paces by their strength and conditioning coaches at Brunel on Monday, did not realise the significance of what was going on around them.

But in the middle of the indoor track area where the Brits were working out, GB long jumper Chris Tomlinson was being put through a fitness test on a calf injury to see if he can compete in Beijing.

Hopefully, the fact he passed the test and is now bound for the Olympics is a lucky omen for those GB stars carrying injuries.

BONNIE SCOTLAND: the loss of Robert Archibald left Kieron Achara as the only Scotsman in GB training camp and, thankfully for the sake of representation, his form was good enough to earn him a spot on the 14-man squad bound for Italy.

And, in case anyone is in any doubt about Achara's pride at rep'ing his homeland this summer, check out the Scottish flag tattoo on his upper left arm!

CAMP REVELATION TWO: Dzaflo Larkai ... one of the GB coaching staff told us weeks ago he thought the relatively unknown youngster could make his mark - and the roster.

Looks like that prediction is coming true.

Incredibly athletic, the big man also shows a feel for the game often lacking in big Brits but the thing we like most about him?

When he was in talks with a certain LEB Spanish team about signing for the new season, the club let it be known they would not permit him to play for GB. Larkai told them to shove the contract where the sun don't shine!

If more of the GB squad had that attitude, Chris Finch would have far fewer headaches.

Ian Whittell for 24/7.