‘British elite women’s basketball is at a crossroads’

The former general manager of Great Britain’s women’s basketball team says he resigned from his “dream job” because he could no longer be “part of a programme which is being set up for failure”.

Jacob Lloyd, who took up the position in August, announced he was leaving the role via a joint statement which also confirmed the exit of head coach Stella Kaltsidou.

The duo’s decision to leave the national set-up is the latest blow to the sport, which is still feeling the effects of the British Basketball Federation (BBF) entering liquidation in November.

After the collapse of the BBF and its funding, stakeholders including Super League Basketball and nations’ governing bodies were tasked with ensuring international schedules continued.

However, Lloyd – speaking exclusively to the BBC about his resignation – said elite women’s basketball in Britain was now at a “crossroads” and he feared for its future.

GB’s women are due to start preparations for three EuroBasket qualifiers in March – but Lloyd claimed “communicational and operational” obstacles meant he and his team had been unable to inform players about squad selection or confirm plans for travel and accommodation.

“We need to make sure that the level of service provided to our athletes meets the level of athlete that they are,” Lloyd said.

“So if they’re an elite, Olympic or WNBA-level athlete, we’ve got to be able to provide the minimum standards. We’re in the trenches, let’s be honest. I’m hopeful that if it gets into the right hands, it can be rescued.

“But realistically we’re a million miles off where we were in 2019 when we finished fourth at EuroBasket and we’re a million miles off from where we were before 2012.

“If we don’t try and curtail this issue and engage the players and start to think about the future I think we could be that far backwards.”

Basketball England thanked Lloyd and Kaltsidou for their “commitment and service in leading and supporting the team” and confirmed their successors would be announced shortly.

A Basketball England statement added: “We acknowledge that the GB senior teams are facing a challenging period following the demise of the BBF and that resources are limited, but together with our partners and fellow stakeholders in the British game, we are working together to deliver the games and support the teams in the manner in which they deserve in the upcoming windows.”