KAREEM QUEELEY

Junior England international and Real Madrid rising star St.Kitts’ Kareem Queeley jetted off to the USA Tuesday to play in the Jordan Brand Classic International Game at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Good Friday (April 14th).

The St.Kitts raised Queeley was earmarked as one of the elite-level European players for his age group at the Jordan Brand Classic Tour in Barcelona last month, when he and nine of his continental peers were selected from an original group of 40.

The ex-Leicester Warriors guard is then in line to become the third British player to participate in the Jordan Brand Classic International Game this decade and duly follow in the footsteps of Jules Christian Dang Akodo and Josh Steel, who played in this stateside showpiece in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

“Firstly, I would like to congratulate Kareem on being recognised as one of the top 10 junior players in Europe and his subsequent selection for the Jordan Brand Classic International Game,” said Basketball England’s Technical and Performance Manager Vladan Dragosavac.

“It is a tremendous achievement and honour for both Kareem himself and everyone that has supported him throughout his basketballing journey so far.

“I feel sure that this whole experience will be of great benefit to Kareem’s development and only serve to spur on the very encouraging progress he has already made to date.”

Queeley’s selection naturally will be a great source of pride to his family, friends and his former coach at the Leicester Warriors Karl Brown, who continues to be an important figure in his burgeoning career and life overall to this day.

Queeley first came to prominence two years ago when, at just the age of 13, he emerged from Spain’s Minocopa Endesa with the MVP accolade while representing Real Madrid.

That eye-catching display (36-point, 13-rebound double double, with a 43 efficiency rating) in the tournament final – which Real won 83-60 against Unicaja – convinced the Spanish giants to sign the 2001-born player shortly thereafter and he has since gone on to win the U16 Madrid/Regional Championship with them last May.

Queeley averaged 12.3 points and seven rebounds for England U16s at the European Championships last summer.

It was his second appearance in that particular competition, despite still being a year younger than most of his international team-mates and opponents at that stage.

Queeley is the son of businessman Sherlock Queeley and the Grandson of Trinity Inn proprietor