GB emerging from ‘exceptionally difficult period’

The best way to get ready for a World Cup qualifier is to hear that your nation has been banned from competition.

When Great Britain was suspended by the world’s largest basketball organization, head coach Marc Steutel feared just last month that his players’ international careers were over.

Following the British Basketball Federation’s (BBF) liquidation, governance issues developed.

Great Britain was eventually allowed to play the scheduled tie with Lithuania on Thursday after weeks of unrest.

Steutel described the ban as “understating it” when he claimed it felt like it felt like it was being struck with a sledgehammer.

There will be relief but also lingering uncertainty when his team leaves for London’s Copper Box Arena.

Steutel has had the best and worst of British basketball for 20 years, but he admits that the last few months have put him to the test in ways he never anticipated.

I was stopped in my tracks because it was heartbreaking, crippling, and frustrating. He acknowledged that he is still likely figuring out a variety of emotions.

It was a very challenging time for the Great Britain senior men’s team because we worked so hard to get where we are because of our own fault. To think that the team would not be able to compete in international competition was an extremely difficult time.

The suspension completely shocked the sport, and while it has since been lifted, Steutel’s involvement suggests something more profound.

The current upheaval in British basketball dates back to the financial collapse of 777 Partners, one of its previous financial backers, in June 2024. In response to Everton’s unsuccessful attempt to purchase the Premier League club, the American investment company was declared insolvent.

Following the collapse of the British Basketball League, the nine top clubs established a new competition, Super League Basketball (SLB), and the BBF granted a temporary license to operate the league.

Then the fallout occurred.

The BBF granted the name Great Britain Basketball League Ltd (GBBL) to a group of outside investors led by American businessman Marshall Glickman in April.

That choice sparked a lot of controversy.

The nine SLB clubs that are currently participating in the new competition objected to the “illegal” tender process.

The SLB and the BBF then filed a lawsuit.

In August, Fiba established a taskforce to look into “regulatory non-compliance” in British basketball with all three parties at odds.

Sanctions were brought on by Fiba’s concerns about the organization’s governance. The British men’s team was exempt from international competition as a result of the BBF suspension.

Following Fiba’s agreement with SLB to “ensure the stability and continuity of the top-tier men’s basketball in Great Britain,” the ban was lifted in November.

Basketball at the grassroots level is flourishing despite the issues at the elite level. After football, it is the second-most-liked team sport in England among young people.

More than 2, 000 young people play for Steutel’s Newcastle Eagles each week, and one of their players, Tosan Evbuomwan, has become a resurgence of British basketball presence with the New York Knicks.

The potential exists, which is why so many people find the structural issues so frustrating.

“Every time the sport looks like it’s about to advance, we shoot ourselves in the foot,” said Drew Lasker, a broadcaster who spent 16 seasons playing at the top level of British basketball.

“My sincere opinion,” you ask? It’s exhausting to me.

It is obvious that we lack the appropriate leadership and good intentions.

He doesn’t point the finger at people, but he does say that “people seem desperate to hold onto positions of power.”

Lasker continued, “And I keep asking, “What are you holding on to?”

The GB team’s ability to compete in the November international window has always been top of the list of priorities for the sport.

In order to determine a course of action, Basketball England and the SLB have collaborated on the game against Lithuania. In addition, other parties involved include UK Sport and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport.

Lasker thinks that this ominous situation has the potential to turn the tide.

He claims that the opportunity is “massive” because the NBA plans to launch a new, European-based league in 2027 with potential London and Manchester franchises.

The American added, “It gives the sport a chance to hit the reset button and lay a solid foundation.”

British basketball could explode quickly if we take advantage. We could never have this opportunity again if we don’t.

The sport needs a governance review, according to Sanjay Bhandari, SLB interim chair, who acknowledges that the crisis “shows the risks and dangers of insufficiently challenging governance.”

Steutel agrees that change is necessary, adding that “we need people who can propel the sport forward in terms of performance, revenue, administration, and financial terms.”

However, his team has a match to play right away.

The players have been uneasy about the unsavoury saga, but GB guard Josh Ward-Hibbert thinks it won’t have an impact on their performance against Lithuania.

He said, “You hear rumors of uncertainty within the federation and the league — it’s possible that this is concerning.” You simply make an effort to control what you can.

Everyone gives their best effort to advance the national team and makes sense of where we are as a group.