U20 EYBL SuperFinal

Last weekend the hard work displayed by our U20 Team all season, culminated in their appearance on one of Europeโ€™s biggest stages – the SuperFinal of the European Youth Basketball League (EYBL).  The SuperFinal matches the best Teams from the EYBL regular season, for a final showdown in Levice Slovakia. U20 Head Coach Daniel Szatkowski had assembled an exciting squad drawn from our high-flying U-18 Team, alongside returning Elite alumni who had completed their seasons in Europe and the USA.

Game 1 saw the Team fall to Italyโ€™s renowned College Basket Prep programme, who provided a shooting masterclass in the first half. Our boys staged a brave comeback to bring the game within 3 points, but the Rome Teamโ€™s experience ultimately proved too much. Nevertheless, confidence remained high as five players hit double digits in the game: Oscar Striuga (19 points), Anthony Wilson (16 points), Odaine Beckford (12 points, 10 rebounds), Josh Gentry (11 points, 8 rebounds), Seb Emanalo (12 points, 4 steals), and Alex Wildish (9 points).

Game 2 was a real battle against the experienced Budapest Honved who displayed their shooting prowess early on. This presented an uphill battle for our boys who once again staged a hard-fought comeback that fell just short of the win. Despite the result, an outstanding performance by U17 player and GB U18 hopeful, Seb Emanalo (game-high 25 points), kept spirits high. Oscar Striuga and Odaine Beckford also impressed with 14 points each.

Game 3 was a particularly exciting prospect as our boys squared up against the Romanian National Champions, Dinamo Bucharest.  The Team was buoyed by the late arrival of โ€˜The Twinsโ€™, Tyler and John Fairbrain, who had remained in London due to exam commitments.  They didnโ€™t disappoint, with Tyler adding 12 points and 9 rebounds, and John contributing 15 points. The Team executed an extremely well-rounded performance, with Anthony Wilson and Oscar Striuga adding 20 points each, and Odaine Beckford contributing 13 points.

A fantastic way for London Elite to end the Tournament – beating the Romanian Champions and finishing the EYBL season in 8th place (64 Clubs competed, representing some of the most established and respected basketball programmes in Europe). Special mention goes to Oskar Striuga, our young Lithuanian Guard who was named Team MVP for the tournament after a series of inspirational performances.

Head Coach Daniel Szatkowski said: โ€˜It is unbelievably exciting to see how well our Club has competed against the top basketball programs at EYBL U20. We left Slovakia with our heads held high, and full of excitement for the season ahead.  This is an extremely talented squad, and all the boys are thankfully eligible for next season. As always, we will re-evaluate, learn lessons, and seek to improve as we prepare for 2023/24. In the meantime, we take a moment to reflect – overall 8th in such a prestigious competition is another huge achievement in a monumental season for London Elite Basketball Club.

A huge thank you to the EYBL for managing the league so professionally, it plays an important role in showcasing European programmes and produces highly entertaining basketball!โ€™

Look out on our social media channels for more U20 plans โ€“ big things to come!

EYBL Superfinal Places Confirmed!

London Elite is thrilled to announce that our U13 and U20 squads have been invited to the prestigious European Youth Basketball League Superfinal โ€“ a fantastic achievement for our young Club! Shortly after attending our first ever Junior NBL Final Four event, and as we prepared to settle down for the off-season, we find ourselves focusing on the European campaign again!

The European Youth Basketball League (EYBL) is one of the most competitive leagues in Europe, providing a unique opportunity for our players to showcase their talents against the best players in Europe. Watched by scouts from across the globe, the EYBL often provides a springboard for talented young players to enter high-profile basketball programmes.

Our U20 Team return to the historic Town of Levice in Slovakia on 18th May, facing established basketball clubs including Slovakia Select, Dinamo Bucharest, and USK Prague. The Team will hope to build on their EYBL performances here earlier in the year, finishing with a 2-2 record. Led by Coach Daniel Szatkowski, the Team has been working hard, undertaking additional intensive preparation to ensure they maximise their potential in Slovakia. Coach Daniel said:  

โ€˜This is a truly remarkable achievement for London Elite. The EYBL campaign has been extremely valuable for all of our teams, and to reach the Superfinal stage demonstrates how our Club is growing from strength to strength. Top 8 in an U20 league is a big achievement in itself, but I truly believe that with the players we are adding for this stage, we can make a big impact in the Superfinal.โ€™

Our U13 squad return to the Hungarian Capital of Budapest on 19th June. The U13s represent one of the most exciting projects in the club, finishing the previous EYBL stage with 3 wins. Led by Quentin McKelvey (26.8 points per game), and Aleksandar Milovidov (11 rebounds per game), they will be full of confidence as they face the likes of Pamukspor SK, Budapest Select, and Alpha Basketball Sibiu.

Alongside this great news, we are delighted to announce that Coach Miguel McKelvey will take over the reins of our U14 Prem squad next season, replacing Coach Alek who has made the decision to step-down. Coach Miguel is a NCAA D1 Oregon Graduate and brings a real depth of knowledge to our talented side.  Coach Miguel said:

โ€˜I am truly honoured by the opportunity to coach London Eliteโ€™s U14 team. We have a great group of young players with both exceptional talent and outstanding character. All of the players and coaches are excited about going to Budapest for the 3rd time this season – the EYBL has been a great opportunity to learn and grow as a team, and the Superfinal will be a springboard for our rising U13s as they prepare for U14 Prem next season.โ€™

Look out on our social media channels for regular updates on each Teamโ€™s progress in the Superfinals.

First Junior Final Fours in books!

Not many people would believe after only the first-ever season in Premier competition, London Elite would break into the most prestigious junior competition in UK. Joining well-established basketball programs seemed like an impossible goal to have.

Hundreds hours of training, countless miles to the away games, tones of emotions, dozens of won games and our dream has come true. Our talented U14 and U18 squads have booked a place at a highly anticipated event in Manchester.

U18โ€™s

Our oldest junior team went through really competitive Playoff rounds before reaching semi-final match-up vs London rivals CoLA. In the first round of the playoffs, our home venue Capital City was visited by Manchester Giants team which provided a tough match up for our boys. U18โ€™s closed the game in great fashion and secured a quarter-final game vs Myerscough.

North England based squad is part of EABL academy and has plenty of talented players. Our quarterfinal game went back and forth with no side taking clear lead and overtime was needed to see any side claiming the win. Our u18โ€™s supported by 200+ spectators achieved the unbelieve goal of winning a game by only 2 points behind perfectly executed play at the end of the game. A great pass by Omon Arifkhanov set Hunter Kelleher for an open 3. Hunter did not hesitate and Hunter did not let his team down. Perfect 3-point shot will be forever key highlight for our U18 campaign. The final fours ticket was booked in heroic circumstances.

Semifinal match-up saw our U18 squad face South London Rivals, City of London Academy. In a low scoring affair, it was our team that held nerves and claimed an important win which meant that Grand Final against Manchester Magic was set. With over 1000 spectators watching this clash live, it was obvious it is one of the most electric clashes possible. Top players, programs and coaches on display. Game started in our favour however hot handed host came back and controlled the game within 10 point lead though out 2nd and 3rd quarter however our London boys never gave up and fought bravely back bringing the game to 3 points difference with 3 mins on the clock. Despite a great fight, it was North England side that sealed the game and claimed the championship on that fantastic night in Manchester.

Our U18โ€™s squad in first-ever Juniors Final Fours has claimed 2nd place. This was added on top of U18 National Cup won In January.ย  Head Coach Kieran Matthews said: โ€œ Such a fantastic journey did not finish the way we wanted. However the final game was a testimony of what London Elite club has become. Even though we did not win the championship, our boys won National Cup and were Runner up in National League. They made the whole club proud.

Before the season started last August 2022, it was hard to imagine we would be one of the four top teams in the United Kingdom by April 2023.  Big congratulations to Hunter Kelleher for being named as an All Star 5 for the whole Final Four tournament!

U14 Head Coach Alek Blagoevski-Trazoff “Our U14 team had just gotten promoted from the Conference to the Premier Division in the summer of 2022 when I took over the reins. We were a part of the most competitive conference (SouthWest) and had the last year’s champions to compete with. However, we started the pre-season preparations ahead of time and we set the bar high in terms of the process goals we wanted to achieve. We also had a very talented group of kids to begin with, including U14 England national team member Kaya Birsen and Aspire program members Daniel Olusanya, Quentin McKelvey and Nicholas Ferrari.”

The team was fortunate to have an Aspire program member, a fantastic leader, Mamba mentality and your next CEO Ata Charles Refiogly join in the off-season, which was one of the critical pieces for our success. At that time, we formed the base of success for the next year, including internationals Alexander Milovidov and Omer Zardok Shemer. We were very fortunate to add key pieces later on during the season, including Berkay Adala and Niko Sagiryan. By the end of the season, I was referring to this team as the “UN team”, given that we had so many different nationalities on the team – players, parents and coaches.

The season was fairly long and gruelling. We faced many challenges.  Our conference did have some of the best players and coaches in the country, and they stepped up to the challenge as well. We had one overtime, one double overtime game, and one game where the refs left the game – all of them away!!! Particularly at the end of the season, we had several setbacks with injuries to key players and emotional rollercoaster games, which all took a toll on the team.

Frankly – all of those challenges made us come together as a family and a community and made the trip to the Junior Final Foul (JFF) a very much deserved reward for all the sacrifices and hard work.

This success would not have been possible without the generous support from the club, all the parents and players. In particular:

— Club Director and JFF Assistant Coach – Daniel Szatkowski — thank you for the amazing opportunity to be the Head Coach this year!

— my assistant coach Miguel McKelvey — thank you for disagreeing with me so often. It made me a much better coach! You know I appreciated it then and will forever remember them. I am sure there were many other ways in which you supported the club, for which I am also very grateful!

— Onur Birsen — parent, recruiter and website master extraordinaire — your overall efforts with recruitment and thoughtful comments on strategy were an indispensable part of the success!

— Charlie and Kate Addison – all the video and statistical analysis made the coaching work so much more focused!

— Nadia Refioglu – for trusting me as a coach and supporting Ata so much, including driving an untold number of miles and being stuck in traffic in the last 8 months…

โ€œEven though we ended the season in fourth place in the JFF after losses in two very close games, this season has been nothing short of phenomenal, given this was the London Elite U14 Boys Premier first time competing at this level. Almost half the team who went to the event this year is coming back next year, and they experienced the incredible intensity and energy in Manchester! They all know the amount of work and dedication required to succeed at the highest level.โ€

โ€œWith an amazing selection of new talented kids who have already indicated they are joining the team and a great new Head Coach, I have no doubt they will be very competitive next season as well. I am certain the team will be back even stronger and better prepared for a Junior Final Four run in April 2024. Watch this space…โ€

Big congratulations to Daniel Olusanya for making tournament All Star 5!


As they say in the Foreign Service – this is not a goodbye, but a “see you soon”…

A Dream Realised

In 2019 Daniel Szatkowski established London Elite Basketball Club with a clear vision: to create a best-in-class Junior Development Programme and high-performing Menโ€™s Project, and ensure a strong pathway to basketball excellence.

The road to success has not been smooth, with lockdown restrictions impacting the programme almost immediately – reducing development opportunities for our young players at a crucial stage in their growth, and completely halting the start of our Menโ€™s project. Nevertheless, after successfully completing the 2020/21 Junior season, London Elite Menโ€™s Project was underway, with the lofty ambition to reach Basketball Englandโ€™s Division 1 by 2024. With a Team including Elite Legends Dixon, Dzwairo and Delano (aka The 3D) it was obvious that London Elite would be a force in Division 3.

The Team got off to a flying start, winning London Elite Menโ€™s first ever game against local rivals CoLA in the National Cup, followed by our Division 3 South league opener against London United. Our talented Team grew in strength each week, completing a dream first season (9-0 clean sweep) to claim the Division 3 Title and reach the final 8 of the National Cup. Our seasonโ€™s goal was achieved, London Elite Men were promoted to Division 2.

In Summer 2022, Daniel assumed the Head Coach position and immediately began preparation for life in Division 2. This included securing marquee signings Kane Daley, Ray Akpofure, Anthony Ozobuekwe, and Afra Khalil, a clear reflection of Eliteโ€™s big ambitions. The Team did not disappoint, with early wins establishing us in the Top 3. A sobering loss to Brighton Bears followed, providing a timely reminder of the quality in Division 2. Brighton proved to be Eliteโ€™s biggest rival in 2022/23, with both Teams fighting to stay at the top of Division 2, culminating in a top of table match-up in January at Capital City Academy. The Team battled hard, perfectly executing our game plan to win 91-74 and crucially, secure a better head-to-head result against our nearest rivals for the D2 crown.

With only 2 games left, London Elite hosted a talented and well-coached Ipswich side, in a crucial game that would ultimately decide Division 2. The game promised to be a nail-biter and it did not disappoint! Ipswich were in control until halftime (54-51), but astute adjustments made by  Coach Daniel resulted in what we had all dreamed of โ€“ a 90-80 win (26-4 record overall), to secure London Elite as DIVISION 2 SOUTH CHAMPION, 2022/23!

M.Bashir, H.Kelleher and L.Campbell enjoyed plenty of minutes at Mens level.

94 weeks, 658 days, and 30 league games since the journey began, Danielโ€™s ambition is close to realisation, and we will now complete our application to Division 1. Daniel said:

โ€˜I still canโ€™t fully believe what this group of players has achieved for our club. From the start of the season, we knew we could do โ€“ it wasnโ€™t going to be easy, but we were all determined and had a confidence that comes from having such a great, balanced squad. The mix of talented and hungry young players alongside experienced players like Walid Mumuni and Mike Quamina, resulted in a really competitive Team that was fully committed to winning. The coming months will be a real test in terms of organization, budgeting, and admin for the club as we submit our Division 1 application. Thank you to our London Elite Family โ€“ Players, Coaches, Sponsors and Supporters – none of this would be possible without you.โ€

The Menโ€™s Team still have Play-Offs approaching, with the first game taking place on 8th of April at Capital City Academy โ€“ we hope to see you all there so we can celebrate together!

3 DAYS, 4 COUNTRIES, 23 GAMES – 1 CLUB.

Yes, you read it right โ€“ on the weekend of 4th – 5th February, London Elite Basketball Club played 23 games across 4 different countries.

Our recent Sure Shoot U18 National Cup victory is still fresh in the mind, but for the players and coaches there has been little time to celebrate. With the National League season in full swing and preparation for the Play-Offs underway, the hard work never stops!

The Club is always seeking unique opportunities for our playersโ€™ development, and this season we entered Teams in four different age groups to the prestigious European Youth Basketball League (EYBL). The EYBL includes 175+ Teams, allowing our players to test themselves against the best young talent in Europe.  Teams are required to travel twice each season and for the first time, we embarked on three separate European trips in the same weekend:

Our U13 Team flew to the Hungarian capital of Budapest looking to build on their EYBL Stage 1 performances (2-2 record, with Quentin McKelvey voted into the All-Star 5). They didnโ€™t disappoint, achieving an improved 3-1 record that included a fairy-tale win against previously undefeated Serbian club, KK Borac Zemun. Despite being down by 17 points in the game, our boys fought back to secure an important 79-77 victory. Special congratulations to Omer Zardok-Shemer (awarded Team MVP), and Quentin McKelvey (averaged 26.8 points per game, and once again voted to the All Star 5).

Our U17 squad flew to the small town of Ploesti in Romania, where they sought to banish memories of EYBL Stage 1 (1-3 record).

 Our squad looked strong with Star Point Guard Connor James continuing his great EYBL season (24.4 points per game, 2nd overall in EYBL), and the valuable addition of Sebastien Emanelo (22 points per game, 5th overall in EYBL).

Despite tough opening games, the boys fought back to finish Stage 2 with a hard-fought win over Inter Bratislava. Congratulations to Connor and Sebastien who were awarded joint Team MVP.

Our U20 squad (Eliteโ€™s oldest Junior Team) headed to the historical town of Levice in Slovakia. Led by coach Kelson, the Team had a point to prove in the EYBL, one of Europeโ€™s most hotly contested U20 competitions.

The tournament started with marginal losses to Orange Lions Academy of Amsterdam and host team SBKL Junior Levice, but our boys showed real resilience to claim back-to-back wins on day 2 and finish with a respectable 2-2 record.

Congratulations to Muddathir Bashir who recorded 10.8 points/8.8 rebounds per game and was voted Team MVP.

Back home our National League season is gathering pace and we are grateful to those coaches who did not travel โ€“ they had the tough task of covering multiple fixtures across all of our age groups. 

This weekend represented a true milestone in London Eliteโ€™s history, demonstrating the huge growth we have achieved since our inception in 2019. Thank you to our London Elite Family – Coaches, players and parents who all played their part in making this momentous weekend happen!

The Sure Shot U18 National Cup belongs to London Elite!

London Eliteโ€™s U18 squad have made club history by securing our first National Title.

The Team battled their way to the Final with a series of hard-fought wins over Bracknell Cobras II (129-32), Brighton Cougars (105-51), Reading Rockets (98-79), Solent Kestrels (91-80), Bracknell Cobras (94-86) and Milton Keynes Breakers (89-82). All of the boys showed great dedication throughout the journey, enduring long trips on the motorway, and often playing double-headers across the weekend.

The Final took place on the 22nd of January at Manchesterโ€™s National Basketball Performance Centre, with the boys squaring up against local rivals London Legends – an experienced and high-performing team that we know well.

A slow start saw London Legends jump to a 7-0 lead, but the Team responded quickly, with Kelleher and Arifkhanov regaining control of the game and establishing a 15-11 lead by the end of the 1st Quarter.

The 2nd Quarter saw Campbell and Kelleher put on a show and widen our lead to 10 points by half-time. The Team refused to slow down, continuously extending our lead throughout the 2nd half, and finally securing the National Cup with a resounding 70-53 win.

The London Elite Family is proud of all our boys, with special congratulations to Hunter Kelleher (recording a double-double in the first half), and Liam Campbell (named finals MVP).

Liam Campbell was selected Finals MVP

U18โ€™s Head coach Kieran Matthews said: โ€œAll the guys really did a great job, everyone got on the court, played their role and helped secure this championship. I’m really proud of all the guys and the monumental impact they have had on the growth of the program as a whole.

The boys did a great job of controlling the controllables, which when mixed with their desire to win, really made the difference.โ€ (LE had a total of 81 rebounds compared to Legends 47).

Visit our YouTube channel to see what happened behind the scenes, and enjoy the fairytale journey one more time:

(578) LONDON ELITE vs LONDON LEGENDS | Sure Shot U18 2022/2023 Men’s National Cup Final – The Story – YouTube

London Elite VS London Legends

London Elite is excited to welcome Melita Emanuel-Carr to our coaching staff!

After months spent searching for the right candidate to lead our U-16 Girlsโ€™ team, our patience has finally paid off with the appointment of Melita, a well-respected figure within GB Basketball. 

Melitaโ€™s vast experience on the international stage includes playing professionally in Spain and Belgium, representing GB at EuroBasket, and winning silver medal at the Commonwealth Games!

Melita also played for 4 years at NCAA Div. 1 team University of Illinoisโ€™ Chicago Flames, where she averaged nearly 10 points per game.

London based Melita recently launched her coaching pathway, fulfilling a long-held ambition to share her knowledge and experience with a new generation of players.

 Melita said: โ€œIโ€™m super excited to start my new basketball journey with London Elite. When I became a proโ€™ I made a promise to myself to support, educate, and inspire the younger generation, especially in the West and North-West London area, where there is a lack of programmes for girls. These girls have what it takes to be champions, and I hope to carry them to their first chip!โ€

Melita will take over the Head Coach role with our talented U16 team for the upcoming season, a fantastic addition to our coaching board!

GM Daniel Szatkowski said: โ€œHaving seen a rapid rise in numbers and quality of girlsโ€™ basketball at Elite, we were waiting for the right person to guide, inspire and lead our project. In Melita, I am certain that weโ€™ve found the very best – she is a role model for all London basketball players, and I canโ€™t wait to see fruits of her work. London Elite is truly blessed to have Melita onboard!โ€

Star in making

Star in Making

Nathaniel Djanogly. Product of our London Elite development program. A player who through constant hard work and God-given talent, has achieved what seems to be impossible for many.

What could come Nathanielโ€™s way if not an opportunity to join Brewster Prep. Yes, Brewster prep! One of the USAโ€™s leading basketball programs. Brewsterโ€™s Prep basketball team won their 7th National Prep basketball Championship ( 2010,2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019,2020).

Eighteen alumni have played in the NBA, including 10 who have been selected in the NBA draft since 2010. One of the most famous players who attended school in New Hampshire is Donovan Mitchell who recently has been traded to Cleveland Cavaliers.

Since 2001, the program has sent over 170 players to Division I schools, including Stanford University, Georgetown University, University of North Carolina, University of Kansas, University of Michigan, Syracuse University, University of Kentucky, University of Virginia, University of California-Los Angeles, Vanderbilt University, Brown University, Princeton University, Cornell University, Harvard University, and Columbia University.

Nathaniel Joined London Elite at age of 13 and quickly showed what calibre of talent he is. From day one he became a leader of our talented team. His performance was truly outstanding and led to him being called up for the England U15 squad.

Coach Mauro Di Nunzio said:โ€ I am really happy for the opportunity he will have, I believe it is more than deserved. It is been a pleasure to be part of the journey of a talented, hard worker, and coachable player! I wish him all the best and I will be his first follower and fan.โ€

Nathaniel was a vital part of our successful squad that has been promoted to the U16 Premier league. He contributed a lot to our EYBL U16 campaign and we will for sure miss him. His unbelievable talent, great performances, tones of smiles and memories. We are beyond proud of his journey and will look out for his further progress. Once Elite, always Elite.

Best of luck Nathaniel!

Higher Purpose

At London Elite you know we are all about basketball, championship titles, international trips and obtaining scholarships for the most talented, but there is more to us than just hoops, we have plenty of heart! We have a passion for making a deeper impact, not just using catchy wording and social media posts, but real action aimed at trying to make a genuine lasting difference in the world and particularly the community we are truly blessed to be in.

Time and time again we see how it is not a lack of ability that holds young people back from success, but a lack of opportunity. So, with that in mind, we have some wonderful news to share. Ladies and gentlemen, we are very excited to announce that the London Elite are teaming up with The Felix Project for the next two years! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’š

The Felix Project is a truly dynamic charity, itโ€™s the biggest food redistribution organisation in London, fighting food waste and hunger across the capital. We know this is quickly becoming one of biggest issues across our society right now. Access to fresh and healthy food is becoming increasingly difficult for people because of the unprecedented levels of inflation and rising of living costs we are all facing.

This is where The Felix Project steps in. The charity works with thousands of organisations, schools and community groups, helping disadvantaged adults and children get access to high-quality food. They provided food for 30 million meals in 2021, and their operation is growing rapidly to try to keep up with the increasing demand. The latest figures found 2 million Londoners live in poverty and the capital has the highest rate of child poverty in the country with 700,000 children living in families struggling with poverty. Meanwhile, our food industry generates 2 million tonnes of good surplus food each year. The Felix Project is here to tackle both issues.

Our GM Daniel Szatkowski said:โ€ Since โ€˜Day 1โ€™ of London Elite we have been motivated to be more than just basketball mad. With difficult times upon us, we knew it was time to step up and prove this desire to our neighbours and the local community. But we needed the right support and guidance to achieve this. Having The Felix Project was a God send, a blessing in strengthening our potential. I am so excited about our future cooperation.

โ€œOver the coming months London Elite players will be undertaking various activities to support The Felix Project, so make sure you watch our social media channels. The first is having a team participate in THE BIG HALF on Sunday 4th September.โ€

โ€œOther fundraising activities will include our Menโ€™s team playing in a Felix-inspired alternative kit and some our ticket sales going towards Felixโ€™s work. What is more, our club will design a unique T-shirt for our partnership, these will be sold and all the profits will support The Felix Project.โ€

โ€œWe strongly believe this opportunity can have a significant impact on young people’s minds, personal development and future life chances, so I hope you can all show your support.โ€

Finally please read what The Felix Project CEO, Charlotte Hill has to say about the new partnership with them:

โ€œWe are so grateful to London Elite and look forward to showing them what The Felix Project does. This kind of support helps us enormously, not only with fundraising but also with raising awareness of our work. We are delighted to have so many members running in this yearโ€™s Big Half for us and we look forward to the next two years of working together. I am sure their hard work will demonstrate to their local community just how much the team want to make a difference.โ€


Gniezno, Thank You!

Thank you. This is the first thought that comes to our mind when we look back on a recent trip to Poland for the Gniezno cup. We could not be luckier to be able to travel across the continent to take part in one of the biggest youth basketball festivals in Europe. Despite the fact that taking 34 teenagers for 5 days in Poland could be a very difficult logistic task, our coaches stood up to the challenge and made this trip happen. And what trip that was! Watching players bond, support each other, making life friendships while doing what they do best, playing basketball.

Having arrived on Thursday 30th June, our players checked in to a very nice Hotel and after a few hours set off for their shooting session. Friday morning saw our teams starting their tournament.

U15 boys started their tournament with a convincing victory 50-12 over 3rd Israel team Maccabi Ashod. Not long after the first win our youngest team in this tournament faced the German team White Wings. The good all-team effort saw our boys secure 2nd win of the day with a good win 43-20. Our girl’s team faced MKS Piaseczno from Poland in the first game of the tournament. Despite being close in competition our girls fell to the polish side 24-30. Friday evening saw us playing LA BAsketba Warsaw. Girls started really hot with great shooting from Mila Piscitelli and Elia Ando and controlled the game for majority of game however mistakes towards the end saw our side with a heartbreaking 40-37 loss.

Boys U17 set the tone with a big win over Israel Maccabi Ashod. The game remained close till the mid-3rd quarter when our boys went on a big run and secured a 47-26 win! The same day saw our team face home team MKK Gniezno where our boys fell 58-56 in a very dramatic ending. 3rd game of the day for our oldest squad was what to be possibly the most dramatic game for our club at Gniezno Cup. Very well and physical German side Fortuna Logabirum pushed our boys all the way. very slow start 0-13 put our boys in a difficult situation. But amazing support from Girls and U15 boys plus great coaching tips from coach Kieran and coach Daniel saw our boys improve their game with a great comeback. The late3 shot failed and we were to head to overtime against the German side. Both teams traded baskets but it was our boys holding their nerves and collecting a very important win 58-56. Well done!

Day 2 saw our girls play home side. Our girls stayed within a few points for 3 quarters but the experienced polish team secured 46-26 win with a big run in the 3rd quarter. Our girls never gave up and went into the 4th game with a great attitude and collected the first win over Maccabi Ashod. Girls played really well-organised basketball and sealed 49-26 win. Much deserved for our girl’s side who was improving with every minute of basketball played.

Our U15 boys faced a team that later on won the whole cup, the Latvian side Brivsolis Tukums. The boys went head to head and pushed the Eastern European team all the way but came short and lost 45-53. In late Saturday afternoon, our team faced Maccabi Ashod II in-game that would define 2nd place in their group and the right to compete for 3rd place in Gniezno Cup. A closely contested team saw Coach Mauro DiNunzio’s troops playing possibly best basketball also far and claiming a very important win 53-47! truly amazing to see our boys come together.

U17 team could not allow any more losses if they were thinking about winning Cup. After game vs younger polish side Bombardier Szczecin which our boys won easily 55-18, our team went to play previously undefeated Twarder Pierniki Torun. The level of focus, togetherness and effort was absolutely unmatched and our team secured a convincing 59-31.

Sunday was the final day of competition saw our girls losing to MKS Wroclaw which is one of the better polish U17 teams. Despite the great first half, our girls could not keep up with the well-organised and talented team. In our first-ever international tournament, our girls finished 5th overall but the results do not reflect the progress and quality of basketball our girls played. Really impressive!

Our U15 boys faced Swedish side Trellborg Pirates in a 3rd place game. But this was not our game. fatigue took its toll and despite the fight, our boys fell to Swedes 31-47 but overall finished 4th out of 11. Progress made is unreal, the work coach Mauro did, will bring great fruits to this team. The boys made our club very proud!

Our most experienced side, U17 boys. the team that has swept the EYBL stage. Boys’ team are by far the most improved squad London Elite ever had. The team that despite main player A.Willson being injured, stayed together. The team that CLAIMED 1ST PLACE in a very competitive Gniezno Cup. words can’t describe the feeling coaches, parents and club have just from the reflection of these boys’ journey. Devante Sanusi picked all-tournament MVP after displaying amazing performance throughout all 3 days.

Girls Coach Merlin Piscitelli said: “What an incredible weekend! It was a true honour and pleasure to coach the London Elite U17 girls basketball team this past weekend at an International Basketball tournament in Gniezno, Poland that included 3 London Elite teams. With over 30 kids in total, it was a special bonding trip for the players and allowed them to test their talents against some of the strongest basketball countries in Europe ( and beyond) such as Germany, Latvia, Sweden, Poland, Ireland, Israel and more. As a coach, it was inspiring to watch our kids represent the club, country and city at the highest standard both on and off the court, truly proud to be involved and to be able to give back to the kids and sport of basketball”

Countless memories, 34 players, 15 games, multiple dramatic ends, 3 teams. 1 club. 1 family. Gniezno cup, Thank you and see you next year!