Wales U16 men’s United World Games squad announced

Wales U16 Men’s National Team head coach Jamie Smith has selected a squad of 20 players to represent Wales at the United World Games. The squad has been split into two competitive 10-player teams, the Wales Black Dragons and the Wales Red Dragons. Smith will coach the Red Dragons while Wales U16 Assistant Coach, Alister Jennings, will coach the Black Dragons.

The United World Games is an Olympic style international multi-sporting event. Over 10,000 athletes from over 40 nations around the world will compete in 16 different sports at this summer’s games. The events are hosted by 30 venues across Klagenfurt, Austria with the opening ceremony taking place in Euro 2008’s Wörthersee Stadium.

Speaking on the selection, U16 Men’s National Team Head Coach Jamie Smith said:

“I would like to congratulate the 20 players who have been selected to represent Wales at the United World Games. This will be a once in a lifetime experience for our players. Not only will they get to compete on the world stage in basketball, but the United World Games provides a unique opportunity for cultural exchange with other young people from around the world during the many social events that run alongside the tournament.”

Zachary Page (Sheffield Sharks) and Paddy Whitestone (Vale Vipers) have been named captains for their respective teams.

Ronnie Thomas-Armstrong (Richmond Knights) and Dashawn Edbrooke (Cardiff Met Archers) will pull on the Wales jersey for the first time in international competition, while Miller Longhurst (Bristol Flyers) is called up to the U16s following a standout performance at the U14 Tri-Nations tournament in Dundee last month.

Caelan Carson-Jones (Swansea Storm), Finn Griffiths (Cardiff Met Archers) Brooklyn Jacobs (Pontypridd Panthers), Felix Hiemstra (Cynfig Cougars) Eddie Miners-Beeharry (Bedford Thunder) Curtis Walters (Cardiff Met Archers) return to international competition for the first time since earning a pair of victories against Scotland in last year’s International Test Series in Dundee.

Ten players named to the squad featured in April’s U16 Four Nations Tournament: Onanefe Atufe (Vale Vipers), Luca Basini-James (Vale Vipers), Jarom Howlett (Cheltenham Chargers), Charlie Johns (Birmingham Bears), Joseph Jennings (Vale Vipers), Sam Lewis-Babb (Cardiff Met Archers), Joseph Moreau (Vale Vipers), Panos Nikolaidis (Cardiff Met Archers), Elias Norman (Derby Trailblazers), and Zachary Page (Sheffield Sharks).

The United World Games takes place in Klagenfurt, Austria from Friday 23 June 23 to Sunday 25 June.

Further information on the United World Games including fixtures and results can be found on: https://unitedworldgames.com.  All of the games will be streamed live via https://solidsport.com/united-world-games.