By: Nick Gibson / @euro_adventures
If there are three things you need to know about Great Britain, it’s that chips mean fries, crisps mean chips, and Mark Woods means business. So when he reports that Chris Finch has made cuts, I take it as gospel.
Kieron Achara, Flinder Boyd, Justin Robinson, Devan Bailey and Alex Marcotullio: we have to cut you loose. It must have been an especially chilling piece of news to digest for Achara and Boyd, who have called Team GB home for several summers now.
And in the absence of athletes up top—thanks for that, Ben Gordon—Chris Finch will retain the services of 18-year-old Devon van Oostrum, who dropped 18 on Nigeria (I know, but still…) and is widely considered the future of GB hoops for his ability to do things like this:
And then there’s Ryan Richards, who also survived this round of cuts. He’s 6’10”, 225 lbs, 20 years old and property of Gregg Popovich’s Spurs. Another greenhorn trying to prove himself, although he may have a tougher time making the final roster than van Oostrum. GB’s frontcourt is already their strength with Joel Freeland and Rob Archibald, and with the summer Eric Boateng’s having—he was MVP of the two-game tournament last week in which GB defeated feared basketball factories, Nigeria and Holland—Richards still might have a tough time cracking the rotation even if he gets to keep his jersey.
With the London Olympics only a year away, Finch might be looking at this summer as a chance to develop the British youth at the expense of veterans like Achara and Boyd. As long as it doesn’t cost them wins, all will be well in the land of chips, crisps and Mark Woods.