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Cambridge Cats player Chloe Edwards helps England’s Super South to glory at Basketball England’s Aspire All-Star National event in Manchester

07:00, 13 July 2024

updated: 20:33, 13 July 2024

The father of a 12-year-old basketball players believes that his daughter is destined to be a future England player following her triumph at the Basketball England’s Aspire All-Star National tournament at the weekend.

Chloe Edwards, who plays for the Cambridge Cats, was selected to represent England’s Super South Under-13s side at the three-day competition in Manchester, to mark the end of her 2023/24 campaign in Basketball England’s Aspire Programme – which highlights and develops the best young players in the country.

Alongside the programme this season, Edwards, who began playing basketball at 10 years old, helped the Cats Under-14s to achieve a third-placed finish in the National League Conference East Division last term – the highest they have ever reached.

Chloe Edwards won England's All Star tournament in Manchester at the weekend. Picture: Colin Edwards
Chloe Edwards won England's All Star tournament in Manchester at the weekend. Picture: Colin Edwards

Her Super South side were victorious in all of their round-robin matches against the All-Star London, Central and North teams, before they eventually defeated the latter 74-43 in the final on Sunday to deservedly claim the trophy.

And all of this has been achieved in her first full season playing the sport.

“She found it absolutely amazing. I don’t think it has settled in how well she’s done and what she’s achieved,” said Chloe’s father, Colin, who qualified as a basketball coach 26 years ago.

“We (her parents) said to her that her name will always be in history in junior basketball, that will always be something she can look back on.

“She can go all the way. Whenever I speak about Chloe and her basketball, I always speak as a coach and not her dad, just because it’s an accurate perspective of where she is and where her abilities are. One hundred per cent, there’s not a shadow of a doubt, she’ll definitely be a future England player.

“She’s taken it all in her stride. I have to remind myself that she’s 12. Chloe’s five foot 10 inches at 12 years old. Obviously that’s really tall and she’s crazy strong. She’s just embraced everything, she’s smashed it with the Cambridge Cats and she’s not been daunted by any of it.”

Edwards, who is a forward and has also represented Cambridge Cats’ Under-16s side, is currently playing the highest level of basketball that she can for her age, and is classified as an ‘elite junior’.

In September, her Aspire journey is set to start again, this time in the under-15s team, and Edwards hopes to achieve an early status in the England junior set-up next term, which will see her able to travel abroad with the national side.

“Chloe’s dedication and attitude towards the sport made this all possible and we couldn’t be prouder of her achievements,” said her father.

“She came home from school one day and said ‘can I have a basketball for Christmas?’. And that was it.

“I took her to the court, and for someone who had never bounced a ball before, she was naturally so good at it and it just developed from there.

“Chloe trains a lot and trains hard. To reach the level that she’s got to in just one season, you can’t achieve the level of success without putting in the hard work and dedication.

“Whilst I of course do a lot of training with her, credit must also go to the awesome coaching team at the Cats who have supported her throughout, and have been amazing since she joined.

“It’s just epic for her and a dream come true.”

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