England call up for Basketball star Freya

Following an intense three-day training camp, Year 9 pupil Freya Noble has been selected to play for the England Girls Under 14 Basketball team. Freya will be part of the squad that travel to Copenhagen at the end of this month to play in an international invitational tournament.

Freya has been involved in Basketball England’s Talent Pathway throughout this year. Through this framework, Freya has been attending monthly training sessions at one of the ten Regional Training Hubs as part of Basketball England’s Aspire Programme.

Following these monthly training sessions, Freya has impressed coaches and was invited to attend the England Talent Programme training camp during May Half Term.

The three-day training camp consisted of a lot of practical time on the court, but also theory sessions, discussing and understanding different systems and tactics of the game. The training camp ended with a variety of half court and full court games, giving everyone the opportunity to showcase their talents and earn a spot on the plane to Denmark as part of the England squad.

After a tough three days, Freya was delighted to learn that she had been selected. “The three days were really intense” said Freya.
Basketball England previously ran an England Talent Programme in April, before their second one in May. “I didn’t get selected for the first camp in April, but then the coaches recommended me for the second one” Freya said. “I was kind of an underdog and unknown. Most other players at the camp had been there before [to the previous training camp]. It meant the coaches knew the players and not me, so I needed to make sure I gave it my all.”

Freya used her “unknown” status to her advantage, raising the level of her performance to match her surroundings. “Being at the camp, surrounded by people who are either the same standard as you or better, really helped me push myself more” Freya explained.

Freya and her new England team-mates will be travelling out to Copenhagen on 21st June to compete in the 12th Edition of the Copenhagen Invitational Basketball Tournament, competing against teams from all over the world.

Basketball England’s Performance & Technical manager Steve Bucknall said “The England Talent Programme has been put in place to support the development of those with elite potential. The Copenhagen tournament is another great opportunity to ensure that appropriate exposures is given to our young players so that they can demonstrate their international potential for the future.”

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