GOTTA LOVE LOVEDALE
03/31/2008

GREAT Britain chiefs are hot on the trail of a passport for Manchester schoolkid Andrew Lovedale after he almost helped spring one of the biggest upsets in NCAA basketball history.

The 6'9" Nigerian-born forward was a star on the Davidson college team that came within one basket of reaching the NCAA Final Four on Sunday night.

Davidson almost became the first number ten seed to ever reach college basketball's biggest event before losing a heartbreaker to red hot favourites Kansas 59-57.

But the performances of Lovedale have helped put him on the basketball map and GB officials are keen to clarify his passport status and involve him in their squad as they prepare for the 2012 Olympics.

Lovedale was born in Nigeria but raised in Manchester where he went to Loretto College and learned the game with the Manchester Magic.

GB coach Chris Finch said: "While most of the credit on his team has gone to his team mates Stephen Curry and Jason Richards, Andrew's performances in the tournament have been nothing short of inspirational.

"We are looking into his status because he is someone we would love to have in the Team GB family and we will most certainly be reaching out to him."

Davidson's run to the quarter-finals - the Elite Eight - of the NCAA tournament has been one of the sport's biggest Cinderella stories in recent years.

But Kansas' win means for the first time ever all four number one seeds - Kansas, UNC, UCLA and Memphis - have reached the Final Four in San Antonio this weekend.