This past weekend saw the best U13 and U15 junior basketball players in the country descend on the National Basketball Performance Centre in Manchester to compete in the Aspire All-Star Tournament, where Basketball England’s four Super Regions – North, South, Central and London would compete for the National Title in front of England selectors.
There were 7 Breakers juniors in action, as well as Breakers’ U14 Boys & Girls Head Coaches Mitchell Timmins (South U15 Boys Assistant Coach) and Bjorn Westman (South U13 Girls Assistant Coach).
Emmanuel Onwuneme represented the South U13 Boys team, leading them to the title with a 54-51 comeback victory over London in the final. Emmanuel, who played for the Breakers U14 Boys this season, was instrumental in the victory, posting 22 points and 10 rebounds to earn the Most Valuable Player award.
The South U13 Girls also won their competition, going undefeated all weekend, with 3 Breakers Girls on the team. Luna Etienne earned MVP honours with 12 points and 9 rebounds in the final, whilst Chantelle Okoli was named to the All-Star 5 for the tournament. Alessia Dinu also made strong contributions for the victorious team.
Athena Thompson, who will join the Great Britain U16 Girls team this week, represented the Central U15 Girls. After helping the team to 3 victories on Saturday, they came up short in the final on Sunday against the North. Athena was a standout performer, leading the competition in scoring with 22.3 points per game across the weekend, earning a spot on the All-Star 5.
Kaiya Bateman (who also reports to Great Britain U16 camp this week) and Lila Birtwisle competed for the South U15 Girls who had a challenging weekend, finishing 4th in their competition.
MK Breakers General Manager Josh Merrington commented “It’s great to see our junior players and coaches having success at the Aspire All-Star Tournament. It shows the investment that we have made and will continue to make in to developing young players and coaches. A huge amount of credit should go to our coaches who volunteer their time to coach the Junior National League teams, the parents who are so supportive of their children and the club, and of course the players who work extremely hard each week.”
Emmanuel Onwuneme – South U13 Boys – Winner (Most Valuable Player)
Alessia Dinu – South U13 Girls – Winner
Chantelle Okoli – South U13 Girls – Winner (All-Star 5)
Luna Etienne – South U13 Girls – Winner (Most Valuable Player)
Athena Thompson – Central U15 Girls – Runner-up (All-Star 5)
Kaiya Bateman – South U15 Girls – 4th Place
Lila Birtwisle – South U15 Girls – 4th Place
Photo Credit: Basketball England
