EuroBasket Women 2013 Standard Life GB Women's Press Pack
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EuroBasket Women 2013 Standard Life GB Women’s Press Pack
Key Contacts - GB For interviews with the Standard Life GB team during EuroBasket Women 2013 please contact: Sinead Gordon : sineadgordon@basketballgb.com / +44 (0)7747 817 363 Before or after the tournament: Lauren Foster: lauren.foster@fasttrackagency.com / +44 (0)7920 470 498 Media Information Photographers: Please DO NOT USE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY during the games. Post Game: All players will go through the mixed zone area. If you have specific player requests please advise Sinead Gordon.
Round 1 GB Fixtures
Game Venue Tip-Off
(Local Time)
Saturday 15 June 2013
Trelaze, FRA
Standard Life GB Women V Serbia 12:30
Arena Loire
Sunday 16 June 2013
Trelaze, FRA
Standard Life GB Women V Latvia 15:00
Arena Loire
Monday 17 June 2013
Trelaze, FRA
Standard Life GB Women V France 21:00
Arena Loire
Great Britain’s Games – Group C
First up on the menu for Great Britain is Serbia. Since becoming an
independent nation, Serbia first qualified for the tournament in
Italy six years ago, when they finished 11th and then 13th place in
2009 in Latvia. They failed to make it to EuroBasket Women 2011
but have a strong roster coming into this year’s tournament.
Day two will see a duel with Latvia who are searching for a fifth
successive quarter-final place, their best performance coming six
years ago in Italy when they reached the last four of the competition,
but just missed out on a first medal. GB and Latvia last met in 2011
during some preparation games where they each claimed a win.
Last up in the first round of games are the hosts, France. France
finished with a bronze medal at EuroBasket Women 2011 and then
bettered their medal haul with a silver last summer at the London
Olympics. The GB women met the side twice last year, once in
Sheffield where they defeated the French side 74-67 and again at the
Olympics where France narrowly defeated GB 77-80 in an overtime
period. The history between these sides bodes well for a closely
fought game at EuroBasket.
The Standard Life GB Women’s
Team
Follow us @GBBasketball and ‘like’ us on
www.facebook.com/GBBasketball
Dominique Allen @Dom_Allen12
Position: Centre Height: 1.92m / 6-2 DOB: 10 September 1989
From: Dudley, West Midlands, England
Caps: 28 Debut: 2012 v Croatia
Current Club: Bologna, Italy
Club career: Bologna, Italy (2013- ), Oral Roberts University,
USA (2008-12), Northumbria University, England (2006-8)
International Career:
Allen made her senior international debut in 2012 against Croatia before earning a spot in Great Britain’s
Olympic team, featuring in one game in London. She represented GB at Under-20 level in the 2008 and
2009 European Championships, averaging 5.2 points and 7.3 rebounds in the latter year. She also played
for the GB Futures team in the 2011 World University Games in Shenzhen, China.
Allen started her career in Birmingham before spending two seasons playing in the English Basketball
League and BUSA competition for Northumbria University, earning Most Valuable Player honours in
2006-7. She then transferred to Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, playing 10 games in her first
season and 33 in her second (sophomore) year. In 2010-11, she averaged 5.7 points and 6.0 rebounds
per game, including a career-best 15-point effort against Western Illinois University. Her team-mates
there included fellow GB international, Georgia Jones. She made her professional debut in the 2012-13
season with Italian side Bologna, becoming a regular starter.
Year Team PPG RPG APG
2008-9 Oral Roberts 1.1 1.6 0.1
2009-10 Oral Roberts 0.9 1.6 0.9
2010-11 Oral Roberts 5.7 6.0 1.9
2011-12 Oral Roberts 4.4 4.2 0.6
2012-13 Bologna 10.9 7.5 0.5
Personal:
The daughter of Clive and Jayne, Allen grew up in Dudley in the West Midlands. Her father Clive played
15 seasons in the British Basketball League, primarily with Birmingham Bullets, and was an England
international (3 caps). Allen has a younger sister, Whitney. If she could meet anyone, it would be her
favourite actor Will Smith.
Rose Anderson @Rose_Anderson15
Position: Guard Height: 1.78m / 5-10 DOB: 23 March 1988
From: Edinburgh, Scotland
Caps: 56 Debut: 2010 v Bulgaria
Current Club: St. Paule-Reze, France
Club career: Reze (2012- ), UWIC Cardiff (2011-12), University
of Central Oklahoma, USA (2008-10), Northern Oklahoma
College, USA (2006-08), Edinburgh Kool Kats (2000-6)
International Career:
Representing Scotland at every age-group level from cadette to senior, Anderson made her
competitive international debut at the 2006 European Promotion Cup where she averaged
12.4 points per game. Captaining Great Britain at Under-20 level in 2008, she earned a first
senior cap against Bulgaria in 2010 and was an integral back-up in GB’s qualifying campaign
before taking a similar role in the 2011 EuroBasket finals in Poland and again for the Olympic
team in London in 2012. Rose also played for Britain in the World University Games in 2009
and 2011.
Rose began her career with Scottish League club, Edinburgh Kool Kats, securing several
honours at junior level before winning the Scottish League and Cup as a senior in 2006. She
then spent two years at Northern Oklahoma (Junior) College in the USA before transferring to
Central Oklahoma University. She returned to the UK to join UWIC Archers in Cardiff for the
2011-12 season, helping them to the final of the EBL National Cup and to the EBL Division One
title. In 2013, she moved to France with St. Paule-Reze in the NF1 division.
Year Team PPG RPG APG
2008-9 Central Oklahoma 9.8 2.9 3.0
2009-10 Central Oklahoma 9.5 3.0 3.2
2012-13 Reze 15 3 3
Personal:
Anderson attended Portobello High School in Edinburgh where she was first introduced to the
sport. Cites Donna Finnie, her Scotland coach at Under-18 level, and former Edinburgh coach
Brian Findlay, as huge influences. She is the youngest of four children. Her elder brother Kenny
is a boxer who won a gold medal at light-heavyweight at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
before turning professional. Father was an amateur boxer. Favourite musicians are Beyoncé
and Zac Brown band. Would love to be a food critic.
Kim Butler
Position: Forward Height: 1.86m / 6-1 DOB: 7 September 1982
From: Tacoma, USA
Caps: 68 Debut: 2007 v Netherlands
Current Club: SK Cesis, Latvia
Club career: Cesis (2012- ), Comense, Italy (2011-12), Ibiza,
Spain (2011), Riga, Latvia (2010-11), Panionios, Greece, (2009-
10), San Jose Leon, Spain (2008-09), Kosice, Slovakia (2007-08),
Anda Ramat Hasharon, Israel (2007), Panathinaikos, Greece,
(2006), Oregon State University, USA (2004-06), Santa Clara
University, USA (2001-3)
International Career:
Butler has been a vital player on the GB team since making her debut in the summer of 2007. She was part of
the team that won promotion into European Division A, scoring a career-best 28 points in a victory over
Ukraine in 2008, and ranking in the top ten categories including second in made 2-point field goals and fifth
in defensive rebounds. At EuroBasket Women 2011, she hit 15 points as GB came close to upsetting eventual
champions Russia. She was part of Great Britain’s Olympic team in London in 2012 and enters 2013 as the
team’s all-time leading scorer in competitive fixtures.
Splitting her American university career between Santa Clara and Oregon State (where she was the second
leading scorer of the Pac-10 Conference in her final year), Butler earned a training camp invite from the
WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks but has since established herself in European club basketball.
In 2006-07, Butler made the move Panathinaikos in Athens before completing the season with leading Israeli
side Anda Ramat Hasharon, for whom she also played in the EuroCup. She spent the following period with
Kosice in the strong Slovakian league, making her debut in Euroleague Women.
Butler divided the 2011-12 season between Italian side Comense and Cesis of Latvia, where she was named
MVP of the Latvian League play-offs as her side took the title, before returning to Latvia in 2013.
Year Team PPG RPG APG
2010-11 Riga 14.5 9.5 3
2011 Ibiza 8.6 4.4 0.8
2011-12 Comense 5.2 4.6 1.7
2012 Cesis 15.5 8.1 2.0
2012-13 Cesis 12.3 7.5 2.8
Personal:
Buter’s sister Julie also played basketball at Santa Clara. Growing up, she competed in athletics, primarily in
shot putt and 400 metres, and soccor. She lists former USA basketball internationals Michael Jordan and Tim
Duncan and footballers Michelle Akers, Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres as her sporting idols. Would like to
“shoot around with Jordan, have lunch with Jamie Oliver, hang out with Jim Carrey, have dinner with John
Lennon, and tea with the Queen.”
Ella Clark @EllaClark_
Position: Forward Height: 1.90m / 6-3 DOB: 8 February 1992
From: London, England
Caps: 6 Debut: 2013 v Belarus
Current Club: Long Beach State University, USA
Club career: Long Beach State (2010- ), Haringey Angels (2007-
10)
International Career:
A graduate from the national junior programmes, Clark first played internationally for England at Under-
16 level from 2006-8, and then at Under-18 in 2009. She was part of the Great Britain Under-20 squad
that finished eighth at the 2011 Division A European Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia after winning
Division B in 2010. 2013 is her first involvement at senior level.
The winner of the England Basketball’s Under-18 Player of the Year award in 2009, Clark led Haringey
Angels to three national championships. She took up a scholarship at Long Beach State University in
California in 2010, playing in every game in her freshman year. She missed part of her second season
through injury but returned in 2012-13, averaging 7.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per outing.
Year Team PPG RPG APG
2010-11 Long Beach State 6.7 4.1 1.3
2011-12 Long Beach State 9.3 6.0 1.9
2012-13 Long Beach State 7.6 4.3 1.6
Personal:
Clark comes from a well-known British basketball family. Elder brother Dan represented Great Britain at
the 2012 Olympic Games and currently plays in Spain. Her father Mark coached the GB senior women’s
team from 2006-09, as well as acting as an assistant for the 1988 Olympic qualification tournament. Her
mother Claire also competed for GB and England in the sport. Her college major is in communications.
She attended the Regional Institute of Basketball at Barking Abbey School in East London. Her favourite
musician is John Mayer and favourite actress Sandra Bullock. She would love to meet the late Apple
founder Steve Jobs.
Stef Collins @StefCollins6
Position: Guard Height: 1.68m / 5-6 DOB: 30 December 1982
From: Upper Heyford, England
Caps: 102 Debut: 2006 v Norway
Current Club: Cardiff Archers, Wales
Club career: Cardiff/UWIC Archers, Wales (2007-), Rhondda
Rebels, Wales (2006-7), St Bonaventure University, USA (2002-
06)
International Career:
Collins is still factoring in the Great Britain set-up which played in 2006 when the very first Great Britain
team of the modern era took to the floor in a friendly against Norway in Sheffield. Entering 2013, she
had accumulated 96 caps, a record for any GB player (male or female). She scored an international
career-high 25 points against Ukraine in 2007 as the national side won promotion to Division A, and
featured in the 2011 EuroBasket Women Finals in Poland. She was part of Great Britain’s Olympic team
in London in 2012.
Collins’ collegiate career was spent at St Bonaventure University in New York where she was named to
the Atlantic-10 All-Conference teams in three separate seasons. She sat out one year following surgery
to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. Prior to college, she won a New York State
High School championship, citing her coach there Frank 'Butch' Gavich as her biggest career influence.
Her professional career has been entirely in the UK, playing for the two Welsh clubs in the English
Basketball League. It began in 2006 with Rhondda Rebels where she also averaged 5.3ppg in the
EuroCup. Since then, she has played for UWIC Archers in Cardiff, spending three years under GB head
coach Damian Jennings before becoming player-coach on his departure in 2012. The club won the EBL
Division One title in 2012.
Year Team PPG RPG APG
2010-11 UWIC Archers 14.2 5.8 3.5
2011-12 UWIC Archers 12.2 4.6 3.4
2012-13 Cardiff Archers 18.9 9.7 4.3
Personal:
Collins was born in Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire but spent large parts of her childhood in Italy and the
United States, attending high school in Montour Falls, New York. She is the daughter of Steve and Janet
Collins. Her elder sister Samantha was a track athlete at the collegiate level. Her sporting heroes are
former tennis player Steffi Graf and ex-Chicago Bulls guard Steve Kerr. Favourite musicians are Florence
and the Machine and Pink. Would most like to meet Oprah Winfrey.
Note: Stef Collins will mark her 100th GB cap in Surrey on Sunday 26 May.
Steph Gandy
Position: Forward Height: 1.77m / 5-10 DOB: 10 May 1982
From: Detroit, USA
Caps: 20 Debut: 2010 v Bulgaria
Current Club: Sheffield Hatters, England
Club career: Sheffield Hatters, England (2010- ), Olesa Spain
(2010), Biella, Italy (2009-10), Bundaberg Bears, Australia
(2009), Sheffield Hatters, England (2005-9), Lieshout,
Netherlands (2004-5), University of Michigan, USA (2000-4)
International Career:
Gandy made her international debut in a friendly against Bulgaria in 2010.
Gandy attended high school in Detroit and earned a scholarship to the University of Michigan where
averaged 11.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in her senior season. She was twice named to the Big Ten
Conference All Star team.
Her professional career began with Dutch club Lieshout before she came to the UK in 2005, beginning
the first of two stints with Sheffield Hatters (2005-9) before returning in 2011. During her spells in
Yorkshire, she has helped the club to four English Basketball League titles and was MVP for their 2009
and 2012 National Cup final victories, as well as featuring in the side which won the 2013 EBL Division
One play-off title.
She has also has spells in Australia, Spain and Italy, where she led Biella to the 2010 Lega B title, winning
the league’s MVP award.
Year Team PPG RPG APG
2008-9 Sheffield Hatters 19.7 10.2 1.7
2010-11 Sheffield Hatters 22.1 8.3 1.5
2011-12 Sheffield Hatters 23.4 8.0 2.4
2012-13 Sheffield Hatters 18.1 7.5 2.3
Personal:
Gandy is the second youngest of eight siblings (four boys and four girls). Her brother Chris played
American football on a semi-professional level for the Detroit Dawgs while three of her other siblings
competed in track and field at university. She cites her favourite sporting memory as watching swimmer
Michael Phelps at the 2004 Olympics Games in Athens – he also attended the University of Michigan.
Gandy began playing basketball at the age of 15 after being inspired by watching Michael Jordan. Would
most like to meet chef Gordon Ramsay. Favourite performers are Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson.Chantelle Handy @chan2211
Position: Forward Height: 1.91m / 6-3 DOB: 16 June 1987
From: Consett, Durham, England
Caps: 84 Debut: 2007 v Norway
Current Club: Mersin, Turkey
Club career: Mersin, Turkey (2012- ), Athinaikos, Greece (2011-
12), Ruzomberok, Slovakia (2011), Aris Thessaloniki, Greece
(2010-11), Marshall University, USA, (2006-10), Mount de
Chantal Academy, USA (2004-6)
International Career:
Having represented England at Cadette and Under-18 level, Handy made her Great Britain senior debut in
2007, contributing to the successful promotion push into Division A. Handy was part of the Great Britain
team at the 2009 World University Games, where she averaged 11 points and 7.6 rebounds . She also led
the team in scoring at the 2011 World University Games in China. A starter at the 2011 EuroBasket Women
Finals in Lithuania, she grabbed 10 points and five rebounds in the team’s win against Israel. She was part
of Great Britain’s Olympic team in London in 2012.
Earning a scholarship to Marshall University, in Huntington, West Virginia after attending prep school in the
same State, Handy established herself as an all-round contributor in NCAA basketball, averaging 11.1ppg
and 6.5rpg in her senior season when she was third overall in Conference USA in field-goal percentage.
She began an impressive rookie professional season in Greece with Aris in 2010-11, where she also played
in EuroCup Women. She completed the season with Slovak team Ruzomberok, helping them to the
league’s Final. She moved back to Greece to play for Athinaikos in 2011 and joined Turkish side Mersin in
2012 and was one of the most impressive players in their domestic league.
Year Team PPG RPG APG
2010 Aris 12 6 2
2010-11 Ruzomberok 2.8 3.1 1.1
2011-12 Athinaikos 13.2 5.1 2.2
2012-13 Mersin 13.6 5.6 1.3
Personal:
Handy attended Prudhoe Community High School in Northumbria until the age of 16, playing football at an
accomplished level before deciding to move to the USA to pursue a basketball career. She is the daughter
of Raymond and Jacqueline Handy and has one sister Chearlise. Her sporting idol is 2000 Olympic
heptathlon gold medallist Denise Lewis. Favourite actress is Sandra Bullock. Would most like to meet NBA
star Dwight Howard. Having completed a degree in adult fitness, Handy intends to become a
physiotherapist after her basketball career.Georgia Jones @gljones4
Position: Guard Height: 1.72m / 5-9 DOB: 3 April 1990
From: Manchester, England
Caps: 37 Debut: 2006 v Norway
Current Club: Cluj Napoca, Romania
Club career: Cluj Napoca, Romania (2012- ), Barking Abbey,
England (2012), Oral Roberts University, USA (2008-12),
Manchester Mystics, England (2004-8)
International Career:
A prolific scorer at Under-16 and Under-18 level for England, Jones made her senior Great Britain debut in
2006 against Norway and featured in the Division B campaign that year. She returned to the team in 2009,
averaging 5.9ppg in Division A but missed out on a place on the 2012 Olympic roster. However, she did
feature at the 2011 World University Games in China.
Jones began playing with Manchester Mystics in the England Basketball League and helped the club to the
EBL Under-16 Championship in 2006, and was named as England Basketball’s Under-16 Player of the Year in
2006 and 2007, repeating the award at Under-18 level in 2008.
At Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she was named as Summit League Newcomer of the Year in
2008-9, ranking third in the Conference in assists and 11th in scoring. Her sophomore season was ended
after 16 games by injury but she returned for a successful junior year before completing her college stint in
2012, starting 24 of the Golden Eagles 30 regular season games, playing alongside fellow GB international
Dominique Allen. She spent part of the 2012-13 season with EBL side Barking Abbey but ended it with
Romanian League club, Club Napoca.
Year Team PPG RPG APG
2008-9 Oral Roberts 12.4 3.4 2.4
2009-10 Oral Roberts 8.1 2.3 3.5
2010-11 Oral Roberts 7.9 2.2 3.3
2011-12 Oral Roberts 9.2 2.8 4.5
2012 Barking Abbey 12.3 4.7 3.3
2012-13 Cluj Napoca 10.3 4.5 3.5
Personal:
Daughter of Jeff and Freda. Father, Jeff, spent much of his playing career in the British Basketball League,
appearing for England, and is currently the head coach of Manchester Giants in the British Basketball League
whose team also features her brothers James and Callum. Jones played football and netball growing up
before entering the family business full-time and she would like to be a coach in the future. She attended
Loreto Grammar School in Altrincham, Cheshire. Her favourite musicians are Chris Brown and Emeli Sandé
and her favourite actor is Vince Vaughn.Jo Leedham @joey_leedham13
Position: Guard Height: 1.80m / 5-11 DOB: 5 December 1987
From: Chester, England
Caps: 59 Debut: 2006 v Norway
Current Club: Bourges, France
Club career: Bourges (2012-13), Bulleen Boomers (2011-12),
AZS Gorzow, Poland (2010-11), Franklin Pierce University, USA
(2006-10), Ellesmere Port Panthers, UK (2002-6)
International Career:
Leedham represented England at Cadette and Under-16 level before spending two summers in the GB
Under-20 ranks. Her senior debut arrived in 2006 but it was in 2008 that she established herself, hitting the
buzzer-beating jump shot against Germany that gave the national side its first ever Division A victory. In
2010, she averaged a team-high 18 ppg to lead the team to the EuroBasket Women Finals. In that 2011
tournament, she ranked 6th overall in three-point percentage (40.9%), scoring 11 points in games against
eventual finalists Russia and Turkey. She was part of the GB Olympic team in London in 2012, averaging a
team-high 16.2 points per game.
Beginning her career with her local club, Ellesmere Port Panthers, Jo then attended Franklin Pierce
University in New Hampshire where she became one of the most stellar offensive threats ever in college
basketball. She is leading all-time scorer in NCAA Division II with 3050 points, ranking fifth against all levels
of the college game. In her senior year, she averaged a division-best 26.9 points per game, leading her
university to the Final Four. She was named as the (USA) National Player of the Year.
Chosen in the third round (27th overall) in the 2010 WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun, she made her
professional bow with Polish club Gorzow. In her debut Euroleague campaign with Gorzow, she averaged
9.7ppg and hit 19 against powerhouse Ros Casares. She spent the 2011-12 campaign in Australia, playing in
the WNBL, where she helped Bulleen Boomers reach the league’s Grand Final. Joining French club Bourges,
Leedham became only the second British player ever to play in the semi-finals of Euroleague Women in
2013, averaging 8.4 points in the competition. She also helped the team to the French LFB play-off
championship. Earlier this year Leedham spent some time in try-outs for the WNBA side, Connecticut Sun.
Year Team PPG RPG APG
2010-11 Gorzow 10.8 3.1 1.2
2011-12 Bulleen 9.6 4.8 1.9
2012-13 Bourges 8.7 4.5 1.7
.
Personal:
Jo has two sisters, Jennifer and Kirsty. Jen is a former Great Britain senior international who played
alongside Jo at Franklin Pierce before becoming assistant coach at the university.
.Azania Stewart @azania13
Position: Centre Height: 1.95m / 6-5 DOB: 13 March 1989
From: London, England
Caps: 61 Debut: 2009 v Croatia
Current Club: Pesci, Hungary
Club career: Pesci, Hungary (2013 -), Zamarat, Spain (2012-13),
University of Florida, USA (2008-12), Notre Dame Academy,
USA (2005-8), Haringey Angels, England (2003-5)
International Career:
Stewart played for England at Under-16 Level in 2004-2005 and was subsequently called up every year while
studying in the USA. In 2009, she was a member of the Great Britain team at the World University Games.
Her senior GB debut came in 2009 with her career-high of 23 points arriving in a tie against Romania. She
appeared in all six games during the EuroBasket Women Finals in Lithuania in 2011, averaging 4.2 points and
4.5 rebounds in 20 minutes per game, while connecting on 47.6 percent from the floor. She was part of
Great Britain’s Olympic team in London in 2012.
Stewart began playing basketball when she was 13 years old with Haringey Angels and after attending high
school in Middleburg, Virginia, USA, she won a scholarship to the University of Florida in 2008.
In her freshman year, she played in 28 of 32 games while in her sophomore season, she led the
Southeastern Conference in field goal percentage (61.9%). By the end of the 2010-11 season, she topped
the Gators all-time lists for career field goal percentage (56.2%). In her senior season in 2011-12, she again
helped the Gators into the Tournament after starting 26 of 31 regular season games. Turning professional
after the Olympics, she began the 2012-13 season in Spain’s Liga Femenina with Caja Rural Zamarat before a
brief stint in the EBL with Barking Abbey prior to switching to Hungarian club Pesci.
Year Team PPG RPG APG
2010-11 Florida 6.6 6.1 1.1
2011-12 Florida 6.2 5.6 1
2012-13 Zamarat 5.7 1.9 0.6
2013 Barking Abbey 15.3 6.6 1.0
2013 Pesci 10.3 5.5 0.9
Personal:
Stewart grew up in Wood Green, London, and attended Alexandra Park School. Her father, Dexter, cycles
the longest stage of the Tour de France each year with a local club. She has one elder sister and one younger
brother. Her college degree was in sociology. Cites playing the USA women in a friendly in Manchester in
2012 and the Olympic Games as her best sporting memories.Lauren Thomas-Johnson @ItsLoloJane
Position: Guard Height: 1.80m / 5-11 DOB: 25 May 1988
From: Stockport, England
Caps: 29 Debut: 2006 v Norway
Current Club: Sheffield Hatters, England
Club career: Sheffield Hatters, England (2011- ), Gran Canaria,
Spain (2011), Haukar, Iceland (2010-11), Marquette University,
USA (2008-10), Kirkwood, USA (2006-08), Notre Dame Academy,
USA (2004-05), Stockport/Manchester Mystics, England (1998-4)
International Career:
An accomplished England international at cadette, Under-16 and Under-18 levels, Thomas-Johnson stepped
up to Under-20 level with Great Britain in the 2007 European Championship, averaging an impressive 17
ppg. By then, she had already made her senior GB debut, in the team’s debut friendly against Norway in
2006, but it took until 2011 before she earned a competitive bow as a reserve at EuroBasket Women in
Lithuania. She also played for GB at the World University Games in China later that summer but narrowly
missed out on a place on the final roster for the 2012 Olympics.
Beginning her career with Stockport/Manchester Mystics, Thomas-Johnson moved to the USA to progress
her basketball career. She led Kirkwood to back-to-back NJCAA Tournament championships in 2007 and
2008 and was MVP in 2008 before moving to Marquette University in Milwaukee. She began her
professional career with a brief stint in Iceland, and finished the year with in Spain's Liga Femenina with
Gran Canaria. Joining Sheffield Hatters in 2011, she helped the Yorkshire club to a fourth consecutive
National Cup and the 2013 EBL Division One play-off title.
Year Team PPG RPG APG
2010 Haukar 6.5 3.5 0.5
2010-11 Gran Canaria 2.8 0.7 1.1
2011-12 Sheffield 12.1 4.1 2.0
2012-13 Sheffield 12.6 4.1 3.7
Personal:
Thomas-Johnson is an only child. Her father, Donald Johnson, is a drummer and guitarist in the post-punk
band, A Certain Ratio, who supported Madonna early in her career. He also performed with James Brown.
She played football as a child and was a goalkeeper. Cites playing for Great Britain in 2011 as her career
highlight to date. Attended the Beijing Olympics in 2008 as part of the BOA’s Ambassador Programme.
Note: Lauren Thomas-Johnson will celebrate her birthday in Surrey this weekend.Rachael Vanderwal @rachvenderwal
Position: Guard Height: 1.76m / 5-9 DOB: 27 June 1983
From: Burlington, Canada
Caps: 57 Debut: 2010 v Portugal
Current Club: University of Limerick, Ireland
Club career: University of Limerick, Ireland (2009- ),
Donoughmore Iona Cork, Ireland (2007-9), Boston University,
USA (2005-06), Hamilton Celtics, Canada (2002-5)
International Career:
Vanderwal made her Great Britain debut in 2010 against Portugal and was the team’s primary back-up
guard at EuroBasket Women 2011. She was part of Great Britain’s Olympic team in London in 2012, winning
her 50th cap in the group game against Brazil.
After a collegiate spell at Boston University in the USA, Vanderwal ventured overseas play in Ireland’s
Women’s Super League where she still remains. Her first two years were spent with Donoughmore Cork
before she transferred to the University of Limerick in 2009 when she led the league in scoring. In 2011,
2012 and 2013, she was named as Super League Player of the Year. She helped her current side lift the Irish
Cup in 2012 and 2013 and was MVP as they claimed the league title again in 2013.
Year Team PPG RPG APG
2010-11 Limerick 16.5 - 2.1
2011-12 Limerick 19.7 3.1 3.9
2012-13 Limerick 19.2 4.5 3.2
Personal:
Vanderwal has one older brother, Andy. Growing up, she was a competitive figure skater until the age of 12
when she switched to basketball and ice hockey. Her sporting idol is Canadian basketballer Steve Nash but
cites her family as her heroes. Her brother used to shoot ice hockey pucks at her “to toughen her up.”
Would most like to meet Graham Norton. Favourite actors are Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt.
Vanderwal teaches Physical Education at North Presentation Secondary School in Cork, Ireland, working with
kids from ages 12-17.The Standard Life GB Women’s
Delegation at EuroBasket
Damian Jennings Vanessa Ellis Lucy Power Jake Eddy
Head Coach Assistant Coach Team Manager Assistant Team Manager
Jamie Smith Chris Barnes Charles Cullen Bill Beswick
Performance Analyst Lead Sports Scientist Sports Scientist Performance Psychologist
Peter Buckle Nick Grantham Michelle Angus Abosede O Ajayi
Assistant Coach Lead Strength and Lead Physiotherapist Team Doctor
Conditioning Coach
Warwick Cann Sinéad Gordon
Head of Delegation & Media Delegate
National Teams DirectorCompetition Format
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