Devon Van Oostrum has had enough.The Great Britain U20 guard says he is "fed up" of playing in Division B of the European Championship for Men, meaning nothing less than promotion at this summer's tournament in Sarajevo is going to satisfy the 18-year-old. "To win the European Championship is my only target," the (Spanish club) Caja Laboral youngster told Basketball World News.
"I'm fed up of playing in Division B. You don't get much respect out of it, especially with me playing here in Spain. You say, 'I play for Great Britain', but Spain are the best team in Europe so they don't have a lot of respect for a Division B team. To win the tournament is my only target this summer", said Van Oostrum.
Whether or not the status of GB's youth teams will be of concern to Van Oostum beyond this summer is actually far from certain. The teenager has already trained with the senior squad and, with point guard an ongoing position of concern for Chris Finch, a full call-up is possible.
"They said they're going to keep me involved every year, and if I do well they'll put me on the roster," Van Oostrum said. "I've not set a target for getting a full call-up. The most important thing for me is just whatever is next. That is the U20s, so I want to play well, help my team and win. Hopefully then, GB might call me in again and I can impress them and show them I'm something they need."
Having begun his career with the Sheffield Sharks in the British Basketball League, Van Oostrum has spent the last two years in Spain with Caja Laboral, playing for both their second team and their junior squad. His main goal this season has been to bulk up, having had his eyes opened by the physical strength of the senior GB team during last year's camp. "I've been to the gym a lot this year," he said. "I realised with the senior squad last year that I need to bulk up, gain some upper body weight so getting stronger is my main target."
Van Oostrum has travelled a well-worn path of Britain's brightest prospects moving overseas to develop their game due to a lack of facilities at home. He believes it is something that needs to be addressed for the game to take the next step in the UK, but admits it will take time. "It's so much more professional here," he said. "In Sheffield, I would basically have to choose to train by myself, but here you don't get time to think about anything like that because I have my personal coach, training with the ACB team, training with the juniors...there's always something so you can train every day. In Britain, football is so big and basketball is kind of unknown to a lot of people, but after the Olympics maybe that can change. It's difficult, but it's possible. All the teams will need to be on the same page, looking to develop rather than just win now, because it's not the same thing."
The London Olympics promises to be a watershed moment in British basketball, and Van Oostrum is hopeful of forcing his way into the senior set up in time to take part. "It's going to be a huge event," he said. It's going to be a unique opportunity to show people what basketball is all about. You will have all these stars coming from around the world, and hopefully that will get more people interested in the BBL and playing for youth teams. It's definitely one of my targets to be there."
FIBA Europe