London 2012 Olympics: Temi Fagbenle to take centre stage for British team after being fast-tracked from juniors Fagbenle, 20, who is studying at Harvard University, has been fast-tracked from the Junior GB team straight into the Olympics mix by coach Tom Maher, who describes the athletic 6ft 4in centre as one of the most "exciting young talents" he has seen during his long and distinguished coaching career around the world. Fagbenle was born into a large Nigerian family in Baltimore, and has 11 brothers and sisters. The family moved to London when she was an infant and Fagbenle learnt her basketball at Haringey Angels before deciding at 15 to move to Blair Academy in New Jersey, plotting the same path as Chicago Bulls and Great Britain star Luol Deng before her. "I've been very independent from an early age, I wanted to leave home, and basketball offered the escape and freedom I needed at that time," says Fagbenle. The academics were good, the drama department was thriving and frankly basketball made all that possible. While at Blair Academy Fagbenle was voted on to the McDonald's All American High School team but also returned every year to play for Great Britain age group sides. "London is my home, Great Britain is my country, it's just that I am getting my education in the States because it offers the best outlet for my talents such as they are," continues Fagbenle, who is expecting to major in social anthropology when she starts her second year at Harvard in October. It's an amazing opportunity, being promoted so quickly, and I am so excited about the next three months. Being the personality I am I love working hard in camp with the girls, travelling abroad to matches, being on the move constantly and hopefully playing to big crowds in London. As a player I know my strengths. I'm pretty quick and agile, drive to the basket well and defend strong. In fact I love aggressive defence. And I know my weaknesses. I need to work really hard on my general fitness and endurance and I need to improve my shooting out of the arc to become a more complete player. I've made no career decisions yet, I've got a lot on my hands juggling various interests at Harvard but of course I would be interested if a WNBA [Women's National Basketball Association] offer came along at some time. The drama side of things is still important to me. My last production? Edgar Allan Poe's Graveyard Opera. I was the corpse who rises from the dead to sing a song. I would prefer to at least start my next production in the land of the living.