The sport enjoyed an immensely successful last season as both the men"s and women"s teams gained promotion to EuroBasket Division A, achieving the first step on the road to London 2012. That ultimate goal is driving everyone involved with British Basketball forward and there is a real air of optimism, according to Gray.
"It"s going to be a new ball game in Division A but we are looking forward to competing amongst Europe"s elite,"€ he said. "With the performance plan we have in place however, we are confident that we will be playing in the top division not just next season but the season after that as well."€Â
Chris Finch echoes Gray"s sentiments when he says: "All the factors are now in place to be successful. However this is not just about qualification for London 2012, this is about setting the sport up to be successful in ten, 15, 20 years down the line."€Â
The new season gets underway in the summer and, as is explained by Moody, there is also real excitement amongst the players about what the future holds.
"We have a great group of girls here and it was a fantastic feeling when we gained promotion,"€ she said. "I can"t wait to get back on the court in the summer and we are determined to show that Britain is a force to be reckoned with."€Â
Gray also explains the difference made by the added investment into the sport and the establishment of British Performance Basketball (BPB). The organisation came to life in January 2007 following an agreement by UK Sport and the British Basketball Federation (BBF) and the sport has continued to go from strength to strength.
"UK Sport have been hugely supportive and really encouraged us to get on with things, and we have also had great support from the home nation associations as well"€ he says. "As a result we have been able to concentrate on moving things forward."€Â
