Great Britain returns to international action later this month in a vastly different position from the one they might have aspired to.

July’s 88-86 defeat to Iceland in Manchester ended GB’s hopes of reaching the second round of qualification for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup. After leading by as many as 11, Marc Steutel’s side were caught late as Iceland secured the victory they needed to progress at Britain’s expense.

The consequence is a place in the second round of the FIBA EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers, beginning with a trip to Switzerland on August 27 before Slovakia travel to Tyneside three days later.

GB will also face both nations again across the November and February international windows, with the winner of Group E progressing directly to the main EuroBasket qualifying stage.

There remains another qualification route for teams that miss out, but topping the group would make that additional route unnecessary.

On paper, “EuroBasket Pre-Qualifiers” is unlikely to cause excitement immediately.

Look at the players listed for camp, though, and suddenly Steutel has constructed a roster that may provide a memorable Great Britain window.

Tosan Evbuomwan. Amari Williams. Tobi Lawal. Quinn Ellis.

Four players aged 25 or younger. Each following a remarkably different path through the sport. Each of them potentially contributing to one of the strongest collections of talent available to Great Britain since the 2012 Olympics.

Tosan Evbuomwan’s long-awaited senior opportunity

Perhaps no name on the squad creates more intrigue than Evbuomwan.

The Newcastle-born forward came through the Eagles’ academy system before crossing the Atlantic to play for Princeton. He eventually became Ivy League Player of the Year, helped the Tigers reach the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament and went on to make 50 NBA appearances across Memphis, Detroit, Brooklyn and New York. His most recent season ended with G League Finals MVP honours before Barcelona signed him to a two-year deal this summer.

Despite that rise, Evbuomwan has never played senior 5v5 basketball for Great Britain. His previous 5v5 FIBA appearances came with the Under-18 programme, including a 2019 European Championship where he averaged 10.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

That makes this window particularly significant.

Evbuomwan is not simply another talented scorer being added to the national team. At 6’7, he possesses an unusual combination of size, strength and decision-making ability. He can attack mismatches, operate with the ball in his hands and create opportunities for teammates, giving Steutel another player capable of helping an offence function rather than merely finishing possessions.

His arrival in European basketball with Barcelona should only make him more interesting within the international game. After years spent navigating the NBA and G League, he will now be playing against many of the styles and defensive concepts GB encounter during FIBA competition.

And should he feature against Slovakia, his first senior GB home appearance could hardly take place somewhere more appropriate than Newcastle.

It is where his basketball journey began. Now, his homecoming may be the springboard for the next chapter.

Amari Williams adds something Great Britain have been missing

Evbuomwan is not the only player arriving from basketball’s highest level.

Amari Williams enters his first senior Great Britain camp after a journey that started within the English development system and eventually took him from Myerscough College to Drexel, Kentucky and the Boston Celtics. The Nottingham-born centre was selected 46th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft and made 22 appearances for Boston during his rookie season. He has since signed another two-way contract with the Celtics ahead of 2026/27.

Williams also produced 15.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game across 28 G League appearances last season. Those numbers hint at why his potential importance to GB stretches far beyond his seven-foot frame.

The obvious appeal is size and physicality at the five.

Britain gains a genuine interior presence capable of rebounding, protecting the basket and providing a target around the rim. But labelling Williams as a traditional five would undersell his ability.

His passing is particularly valuable. A centre who can receive possession and find cutters or shooters gives an offence another decision-maker, and potentially another method of creating good shots when initial actions break down.

For a GB side that has often needed to manufacture offence against organised international defences, having a centre with his knack of distributing the basketball could prove pivotal.

Tobi Lawal brings explosiveness

Then comes perhaps the most spectacular athlete among the group.

Tobi Lawal only began playing basketball seriously at 16. Less than a decade later, the London-born forward has been selected with the 48th pick of the 2026 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks.

Lawal has previously spent time in a Great Britain senior training camp, joining the programme in the summer of 2024, but he has yet to play a senior competitive game for the national team.

His route through VCU and Virginia Tech was built largely around the physical tools that made him an NBA prospect.

Lawal is an explosive finisher, dangerous running in transition and attacking the rim, while his athleticism also translates into rebounding and defensive versatility. FIBA highlighted him before the draft as one of the event’s most explosive athletes, capable of offering value as a transition threat, pick-and-roll finisher, rebounder and defender.

For Britain, that athletic profile offers another dimension.

Not every possession needs intricate creation. Sometimes an advantage comes from breaking in transition, putting pressure on the rim and having athletes who can turn small windows into scoring opportunities.

That is Lawal’s calling card.

Quinn Ellis is already showing what the future can look like

Amid the excitement surrounding potential debutants, it would be easy to overlook the young player who has already established himself as Britain’s key lead guard.

Quinn Ellis is only 23, yet his senior international career started during the 2023 World Cup qualifying campaign.

More importantly, his influence is no longer theoretical.

Across two appearances in the most recent World Cup qualifying campaign, Ellis averaged 17.5 points and seven assists. Against Italy in March, he finished with 19 points and six assists, while his earlier appearance against Iceland produced 16 points, eight assists and four steals.

FIBA went as far as noting that Britain looked like a different team with Ellis in the line-up during the second qualification window.

That may be the most important distinction between Ellis and the other three names.

With Evbuomwan, Williams and Lawal, GB are discovering what they might have.

With Ellis, they already know.

He can organise possessions, create for teammates and score himself, giving Steutel a young guard capable of assuming genuine responsibility at international level.

Putting that kind of playmaker alongside the size and passing of Williams, the versatility of Evbuomwan and the athleticism of Lawal is where the possibilities become very promising.

Great Britain: More than four young players

This doesn’t mean Steutel is banking on those four players to carry the team.

Experienced veterans including Myles Hesson, Luke Nelson and Carl Wheatle remain within the wider squad. Furthermore, players such as Dan Akin, Josh Uduje and Newcastle Eagles’ Josh Ward-Hibbert provide further continuity around the emerging group.

There are also several relative newcomers to the programme, such as Joshua O’Garro and Flynn Boardman-Raffet, who made their GB debuts earlier this year.

That balance matters.

International basketball offers very little time to build chemistry, and talent alone does not guarantee results. Established players who understand Steutel’s system and the demands of FIBA competition remain essential.

But the weapons available to the GB coaching staff are changing.

Ellis can create from guard. Evbuomwan offers another playmaker from the frontcourt. Williams brings size, passing and rim protection. Lawal injects speed and explosiveness.

It does not take an elaborate tactical diagram to see why combining those attributes is exciting.

The challenge is turning them into a coherent international team.

Newcastle hosts the beginning of something

That process starts in Switzerland before GB return to the Vertu Arena on August 30.

Newcastle has already become an important home for the national programme under Steutel, who combines his Great Britain role with his position as head coach of the Newcastle Eagles.

This particular window adds another layer.

Ward-Hibbert could represent his country on his club floor. Steutel returns to the arena he knows better than almost anybody. And Evbuomwan, the Newcastle youngster whose career eventually carried him through Princeton, the NBA and now Barcelona, could play senior international basketball in his home city for the first time.

It is an unusually neat mesh of Britain’s basketball past, present and possible future.

Importantly, restraint needs to be used when describing this cohort.

Calling any collection of young players a “golden generation” before they have achieved anything together is a dangerous game. The sixteen named for camp will not be the twelve that suit up. Development is rarely linear. And Britain’s failure to progress in World Cup qualifying is recent evidence that close games at this level leave little margin for error.

But that does not make the excitement surrounding this squad misplaced.

For perhaps the first time in years, British fans can look at several young players simultaneously operating across the NBA, EuroLeague and high-level European basketball and wonder what they might eventually become together.

Switzerland and Slovakia will provide the first answers.

Many windows to come should provide the rest.