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Meet the GB women's basketball team

07 Jun 2012 11:09 am
  • Meet the GB women's basketball team
    Day 2: GB struggle against the USA despite a fine display from the sharp-shooting Amy Conroy

Wheelchair basketballer Louise Sugden will be competing in her second Paralympic Games after she was named in the ParalympicsGB team for London 2012. 


So we thought she would be the ideal person to introduce her Games-time team-mates.

Sarah McPhee, 32, category: 4.0

She’s always talking – if she’s not talking you know something wrong.  Let's just say she’s a very sociable person. She's also an excellent shooter.  She's still learning the game as she hasn't been playing for that long. However, she's picking it up really quickly and she'll be thrilled about competing at the Paralympics.


Laurie Williams, 20, category: 2.5

She is a great character, very witty with a sharp sense of humour to match - she's a lot of fun. She came straight into the squad and become a starting squad player from probably her first tournament. She reads the game so well and has a lot of speed and agility. Laurie's currently studying psychology at Louughborough University.

Clare Strange, 32, category: 1.5 

She's so passionate about wheelchair basketball and the perfect role model to the younger players. She’s so experienced and so knowledgeable and she likes to pass that on to the younger players. London will be her fourth Paralympic Games. She's also sat right next to me as I speak so I'd better be careful what else I say about her!

The fact she doesn’t know she’s funny makes her even funnier - Lou Sugden on Amy Conroy


Maddie Thompson, 17, category: 4.5 

She’s very similar on court as she is off court – a massive ball of energy. She’s currently studying for her A-Levels and has one more exam to do. She’s so mature considering she’s only 17. She was thrown into the team at such a young age and has had to learn that very quickly but she has coped ever so well and is a vital member of the squad.


Caroline McLean, 37, category: 2.0

She is such a great team-mate, always supportive. She’s like "Team Mum" as she likes to take care of us off court. She’s a very caring person and wants to make sure everyone is happy. Like Clare, she has so many years of experience. She’s someone the opposition cannot leave open as she’ll nail her shot every time. She's such a great team-mate.

Amy Conroy, 19, category: 4.0

Amy is living with me at the moment, I just keep getting new house-mates! She’s an absolute nutter. She’s so energetic, a great sense of humour and constantly entertaining people. The fact she doesn’t know she’s funny makes her even funnier. She’s very proud of her Nissan Note (pensioners' car of the year). She loves it so much I make her drive all the time. It’s a little dirty inside but I’ll let her off. On court she’s a fantastic player but she doesn’t know it yet.  If we can get her to play with the personality she has off the court, she will be one of the best players in the world, without a doubt. We are all working with her to improve  her confidence. If she could bring a little bit more to her game she would be unstoppable. 


Sarah Grady, 28, category: 2.5

She’s my best friend so I have to be careful about what I say! She’s a very good team member who gets on with everyone. She had five years out having given birth to her son but has recently returned to the squad and fitted back in really well, working really hard at her game which is a great achievement.


Judith Hamer, 21, category: 4.0 

I lived with her last year, she’s a good person to have around. She’s always in the middle of anything that’s happening. We had a lot of fun living together sharing the cooking. Another solid, reliable player on court.

I’m very feisty – or tenacious, as some might say - Lou Sugden on Lou Sugden

Helen Freeman, 23, category: 4

She's probably our main attacking threat and has improved so much during her time in the States. She plays for the University of Illinois and you can really see the improvement in her play. She's another great person to have around in the team and also has valuable experience from Beijing. 


Natasha Davies, 21, category: 1.0

She's quite new to the GB squad after playing the game as a hobby for a couple of years. She reads the game really well. She knows what her role is on the team and she does it very well. She's currently studying at Loughborough University.  

Helen Turner, 34, category: 3.5

She's a very laid back, chilled out character and another very motherly player who looks after the whole group. On court she's very similar to as she is off court, she doesn't get easily wound up. As a player, she's a forward so she gets inside the key and shoots the close shots. She's a mother of a boy of seven and will be competing in her third Paralympics. 

Louise Sugden, 27, category: 2.0

I’m a very team-orientated person. I’m passionate about the squad - I’ll do anything for my girls. I’m very feisty – or tenacious, as some might say. I can be appropriately aggressive but I’ve grown up quite a lot of late. I'm generally working hard for other players. I don’t get credit for what I do but I’m fine with that because I’m all about the team.

- Watch our 60-second guide to wheelchair basketball 

- The BT Paralympic World Cup will be streamed on this website from Wednesday 23 to Saturday 26 May. Channel 4 will show the action live on Saturday, along with daily highlights. Full coverage details here

- For all your latest news ahead of the 2012 Paralympics, follow @C4Paralympics on Twitter and like the C4Paralympics Facebook page

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Wheelchair basketball classification

  • Players are assigned points for classification ranging from 1, 2, 3, and 4, along with 0.5 additions.


    One is the most severest disability while a 4.5 is considered the least impaired player on court. The total number of points allowed on court at any time is 14.0 with five players in action.


    If a team has more than 14.0 points on court at any given time, they will be penalised by a technical foul on the bench. 

    A more detailed explanation of classification can be found on the British Wheelchair Basketball website.

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