East Kent Crusaders junior Kalil Irving has been named in the England Under 16 squad preparing for the 2008 European Championships. Irving, a 6′2 guard, currently plays for the Crusaders Under 16 team as well as training with the Kent Crusaders men’s team. Crusader’s head coach Mads Olesen has been impressed by Irving noting, “Kalil has joined the men’s squad with full commitment to work hard and develop his game to prove he can play at this level.”

Irving first joined the Crusaders 8 years ago, aged only 7 years old, joining older brother Angelo at the club. Kalil credits Angelo and then junior head coach Jesse Sazant as the main influences on his success. Sazant, currently the Crusaders’ Director of Basketball, took an early notice of Irving as, “one of the toughest defenders to come through Crusaders. His desire and passion to play defence and work hard really set him apart from his peers from a young age.”

Irving quickly progressed through the Crusaders due to his work ethic and passion. He has represented the Crusaders at National League level since he was 12 competing against older and more mature competition. He also represented the South East at Under 13 and Under 15 level on his way to the National squad.

He recently attended 1 of 5 nationwide trials for the current Under 16 team. Once again, his passion and athleticism got him noticed. Last week, he was officially named in the squad. He will now attend weekend training camps in November and December before the squad is further narrowed down.

He aims to be 1 of the 12 players selected to attend the European Championships in Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovenia in August. If he does, it will mark the 3rd straight summer the Crusaders will be represented on the Under 16 team, following in the footsteps of 6′11 star Ryan Richards (now based in Gran Canaria).

His current coach with the Crusaders Under 16 team, Damian Lyons, credits Irving’s accomplishment stating, “It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication he has shown in the past year.” Irving plans on enrolling in the Crusaders Basketball Academy (based at Canterbury High School) in September, where he will continue to play for Lyons.

Irving summed up his success best, saying, “I’m proud because I’ve worked for everything I’ve achieved.”

This entry was posted on Friday, November 23rd, 2007 at 8:29 am and is filed under Club News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.