The FIMBA GB +55 Men had a good workout at the Masters World Cup as they continued their preparations for the World Championships in Switzerland this summer.
The first game of the tournament for the FIMBA GB +55M was against Austria, a team laden with experience, guile and gamesmanship. A completely new look team from the ESBA Championships, they made their intentions clear from the start with ball movement that had the +55 swatting air. The GB team couldn’t get into the game as it seemed that nerves and the realisation of the occasion had got to the lesser experienced GB players. The Austrians hit their long range shots, pulled the GB defence from the basket and then played inside, eventually winning the game.
With the resounding defeat against Austria still ringing in the GB ears and confidence low, the Lithuanian +50s brought a different proposition. They used their superior height and age difference to move the ball into open positions, hit their clutch shots and closed the passing lanes on defence. They barely troubled GB under the basket, they were patient found the open player and took their shots and GB just could not get going. The defeat was a heavy one and the GB performance raised a few eyebrows.
The final game was against another +50 team, in Spain and it is was the performance of the tournament from the GB +55’s as they competed on the court against a younger and fitter Spanish team. GB employed their “run ‘n’ gun” game and were simply superb, their confidence grew and all the hard work in training started to show. However, the Spaniards took advantage of the GB lack of fitness and turnovers gave them easy scores and they ran out narrow winners.
This was a baptism of fire for the lesser experienced players and a lesson that most have taken onboard. It highlighted the major difference between UK and international basketball and some of the players struggled with the physicality of the game at this level. Despite the losses, there were more positives than negatives and it opened the eyes of the players to what is required in the future and what is in store for the teams in the World Championships.
Des Williams, Head Coach
If you are interested in partnering the +55 Men and support their journey in 2025, you can find all the relevant details on our partners page.
