Holly Winterburn: 'Basketball has so much to offer' Credit: United Kingdom Basketball
Treble has been a buzzword in recent weeks as Manchester City achieved a rare feat last weekend, but there is an English team from another sporting field that has fared even better this season and completed a quad.
The London Lions of the British Women's Basketball League won the cup, trophy, championship and playoffs, collecting all four trophies for the second consecutive season.
Holly Winterburn played a key role in the success of « Lions since joining from Leicester Raiders in 2021 and believes the work ethic of major British players is critical to replenishing the trophy cabinet.
“That's what makes us so great, it's the British work ethic… We work really hard,” she says. “This culture comes from people taller than me who have lived here for many years. We play the British way and work harder than other teams.”
Expect to see more of this trait at the EuroBasket tournament in Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital, on Thursday.
The British women have only qualified for the fifth time and they are starting their campaign against the hosts ahead of the game against France on Friday and Germany on Sunday.
“You are very lucky to be playing EuroBasket – it is a truly prestigious event – and that's the first thing I'm going to experience,” says Winterburn. “We are a really talented team. We didn't have the level of training that others have, but it can work in our favor and I'm excited to see what we can achieve.”
“We play very unpredictably – we don't have a well-established way of playing like France. We work hard and we have a lot of threats on the court. Other teams spend six to eight weeks at camp, which can be exhausting after a long season. We were able to rest, prepare for the tournament in body and soul.”
Success on the international stage could spark a resurgence of interest in basketball in the UK. It is already the second most played sport in England after football, according to Sport England's Active Lives Survey, which found that over a million children under 16 play once a week.
“We have so much untapped potential”< p>However, Winterburn believes that work needs to be done to keep this at an adult level.
“I read all the statistics that this is the second most attended sport and there are so many opportunities that basketball has to offer, a scholarship in America can be life changing and you have so much untapped potential.”
“At a younger age, you need to train better. There is a lot of participation, but it does not go to the elite [level]. I've spent a lot of time in Spain and there five and six year olds do hard exercises, really learn… immersed in basketball, it's like football here.”
“They watch basketball, their fathers play basketball , at a younger age more involvement. It is also an opportunity to watch basketball. Sky Sports has released a few of our games and NBA games, but it would be nice to have regular programming.”
Wider adoption also helps create role models, players who can inspire the next generation. Winterburn may still consider herself a young player, but at last year's Hoopsfix All-Star Classic, which gives players under 19 the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of scouts from elite teams and American colleges, she garnered attention on the court.
“Hoopsfix is the unsung hero of our sport with the platform they give us. The best against the best,” says Winterburn, who won the event's MVP in 2019.
“ This year, for the first time, people said: “I want to play like you” or “I look at your game.” I'm still 22 years old and I look at the people in front of me, so it was really special for me that people are doing this for me now. This is a great opportunity to inspire others, a new generation.”
Winterburn also has big ambitions. Playing in the WNBA in America is among her future goals, but right now the quarterback is focused on continuing to improve her game.
“I'm still evolving and I've changed quite a lot in just a few years. When I was younger, I was more of a scorer, very aggressive and very dynamic.”
“Now I'm learning to be smarter, lighter more and successfully counter defense. I'm a smarter player, I find the right options and work hard.”
This hard work is definitely paying off.
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