Conner Washington believes he can make an instant impression on his Great Britain debut.
The Leicester Riders guard, who has been part of a number of squads in the past, will win his first game in Thursday’s EuroBasket pre-qualifier against Cyprus in Manchester.
It is a much-changed line-up from the one which defeated the Cypriots 75-61 in December.
But Washingtonâ€
s form in the BBL made him an obvious recruit, even if the move caught him by surprise.
“Itâ€
s a privilege to get called up – there so many players who could be here, but itâ€
s been nice to come in and join the guys,†he said.
“I was in practice, I canâ€
t remember which day it was, but I walked into practice and Coach said ‘Youâ€
re on GBâ€
s radarâ€
. I just said ‘Really?â€
as it wasnâ€
t confirmed then as nobody had approached me and it was the first Iâ€
d heard.
“It was still a nice feeling, then it was confirmed and our General Manager told me and after that I was buzzing! Itâ€
s the first time Iâ€
ve been here as part of the final 12 so itâ€
ll be nice to get my first cap and get on the floor.â€
EuroBasket qualifier, GB v Cyprus preview with @TeddyOkereafor pic.twitter.com/tD6V8E8SJl
— Mark Woods (@markbritball) February 21, 2019
Alberto Lorenzoâ€
s men must win the contest and then beat Austria by 15 on Sunday to automatically reach the next round, or face a sudden death summer qualifying round with Kosovo and Luxembourg among their possible foes.
And with Justin Robinson and Ogo Adegboyeâ€
s absences leaving a void as the back-up playmaker, Washington will be handed an instant role.
“Iâ€
ll do the same thing I do for the Riders Iâ€
d say,†he said. “Iâ€
ll play my game, Iâ€
m a high energy, high intensity player. I like to defend, just do the best to facilitate and score if I get open.
“I think this will keep me in a rhythm for sure. Thereâ€
s a buzz from being around these guys and being called up to represent your country is a privilege in itself, so Iâ€
ll just take that back to Leicester and be on a high to continue being a leader for my team when I get back.â€
Watch the game live via MVP247.com on Thursday.
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