A spot on the Great Britain Under-18 Women’s team is a just reward for the hours of hard work Milly Knowles has put in this season at Myerscough.
Knowles had a tremendous debut season in the Women’s Elite Academy Basketball League (WEABL) ranking fourth and fifth in scoring and rebounding, respectively, as well as third in steals en route to being named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
“I was so pleased to have been selected,” she said. “I feel I have really grown at Myerscough as both a person and player, and making the team makes all the work I have put in worth it.”
This will be the fourth consecutive year that Knowles’ summer has included a trip to the European Championships, including her second straight at the Under-18s level but first with Great Britain. She averaged 3.4 points and 4.6 rebounds with England last year.
“I just want to make as big of an impact as possible in every game and help be a leader on the team,” she added. “As one of the four girls who has played at this level, I feel that will be beneficial as I know the speed, intensity and style of the games.
“My confidence has heightened and that’s made me more self-assured and positive in my own ability — that’s important when competing at this level.”
The others with Under-18 European Championship experience are Alix Henderson (Highland Bears), Megan Jones (Leicester) and Emily Stradling (Cardiff Archers).
And Knowles, however, is not travelling alone as she is joined by fellow Myerscough teammate Shauna Harrison.
“The ultimate goal is promotion, which I believe is possible” said Knowles. “We’ve had some tough warm-up games, which has showed us we are capable of competing with top teams.”
Knowles, who has developed her strength and power, will look to take advantage of her previous experience at the tournament, which runs August 4-13 in Dublin.
Great Britain tips off its push for promotion against Ukraine on the fourth whilst Moldova, Macedonia, hosts Ireland and the Slovak Republic round out Group D.
Image courtesy of FIBA.
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