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Myles Hesson has had to wait a long time to compete in a major tournament on home soil and but it has been worth it after a perfect start to Birmingham 2022.
England’s 3×3 basketball team enjoyed a dream opening day with Hesson leading the way in their wins over New Zealand and Trinidad & Tobago, scoring 14 points and adding seven rebounds.
And for Hesson, who used to go to the Smithfield market, where the basketball is taking place, with his grandmother, these Games have lived up to the hype.
“For me, being from Birmingham, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in an arena like this in the middle of town in front of my family and friends. It doesn’t get any better than this,” said Hesson, who was part of the wider squad for Team GB at London 2012 before missing out on final selection.
“It’s a dream start and what we’ve been working towards. The second game was a different atmosphere to the first but the crowd was behind us the whole way and we took care of business.”
England’s campaign began with an impressive 21-10 win over New Zealand, with the quartet of Hesson, Jamell Anderson, Orlan Jackman and Jaydon Kayne Henry-McCalla following that up with a convincing 21-5 win over Trinidad & Tobago.
That guaranteed a place in the knockout stages before the final group match against Australia, as England look to claim a medal in this format of basketball which is being held for the first time at the Commonwealth Games.
Hesson added: “The job is not done so after the euphoria of these two wins, we’ll stay level-headed.”
Like England, Scotland opened their campaign with a pair of victories, including a 21-20 success over Canada, raising the possibility of a meeting in the knockout stages between the home nations in the battle for the podium.
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