3×3 Basketball World Games: India lose to Japan in the quarterfinals
Indian team made it upto the quarterfinals. Standing L to R Gurvinder Gill, Vinay Kaushik, Akilan Pari and Arvind Arumugam. Image courtesy: Rohit Bakshi
CHENGDU, CHINA, 25 October 2015: The very nature of the shortest format of basketball is such that a team which is ahead can race away to a win in the matter of a few possessions. After delighting with back to back opening day wins, the Indian men’s basketball team lost to the Japan National team 13-21 earlier this morning at the quarterfinal stage of the PREMIER.EXE 3x3 Basketball World Games 2015 in Chengdu, China.
The squad, comprising guards Akilan Pari and Vinay Kaushik, and forwards Arvind Arumugam and Gurvinder Singh Gill, had won both their qualifying games against Korea Jeonju and Japan Dreams in Pool C yesterday to go through to the knockouts.
The Indian side was solid in the paint, led by forward Arvind Arumugam, but Japan’s hot outside touch made the difference. Japan would progress to the finals, only to fall to Canada by the same 13-21 margin. The winners and runners up won USD 5000 and 3000 respectively.
Young forwards Arvind Arumugam and Gurvinder Singh Gill shared their experiences from the tournament:
“Barring Akilan, we are new to this format but still performed very well. We are happy to have made it to the knockout stages in our first attempt. If we familiarise ourselves with this version of the game, I’m sure we can become one of the top teams in Asia,” said Arumugam. 19-year-old Gill chimed in. “Personally, I have gained a lot in confidence and experience over the last two days, since 3x3 is a lot faster than traditional 5 on 5.”
India Results
Quarterfinals: Indian National Men’s Team lost to Japan National Team 13-21
Game 1: Indian National Men’s Team bt Korea Jeonju 20-11
Game 2: Indian National Men’s Team bt Japan Dreams 21-12
About the 3x3 PREMIER.EXE World Games 2015
The Indian Men's Team is participating in the 3×3 PREMIER.EXE World Games 2015. The squad consists of key members of the Indian national team that participated in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship. The four-member team comprises of guards Akilan Pari and Vinay Kaushik, and forwards Arvind Arumugam and Gurvinder Singh Gill. The two day tournament will see all the preliminary round matches played on 24th October, with knockout games the next day.
The venue of the Games is Ito Yokado (Gaoxin Mall) in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China. 12 teams from across the globe are participating in this shortest format of competitive basketball, divided into four Pools of three teams each. Besides India, there are teams from Japan, China, Korea, Canada, Greece and Slovenia. India is placed in Pool C alongside Korea Jeonju and Japan Dreams.
The tournament is structured in a preliminary league cum knockout format. The top two teams from each Pool qualify to the knockout stages. The winners and runners up will be awarded prize money of USD 5000 and 3000 respectively, while a supplementary prize will also be given to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament.
Participating Teams:
Pool A: Greece Tigers, China Turn Up, Japan Stars
Pool B: Japan National Team, China 30+, Slovenia SportClub
Pool C: Korea Jeonju, Japan Dreams, India National Team
Pool D: China Dalishuishou, Korea Busan, Canada Prime
INDIAN SQUAD FOR THE 3x3 PREMIER.EXE World Games 2015
Jersey No Name Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy) Place of Birth (City &State) Height (cm) Weight (Kg) Position 03 Vinay Kaushik 30/08/1991 Lakhan Majra Haryana 189 88 F 15 Arvind Arumugam 28/01/1991 Mandya Karnataka 197 94 PF 66 Akilan Pari 20/07/1989 Chennai Tamil Nadu 180 70 PG 96 Gurvinder Singh Gill 21/01/1996 Chandigarh Punjab/ Haryana 200 90 PF
*PG - Point Guard / Feeder, G - Guard, F - Forward, G/F - Wing, PF - Power Forward, C - Centre, PF/C - Pivot
About 3×3 Basketball- Basic Rules*
Four members per team. Three active players on court at all times, with one rolling substitute.
Played using only one half of a traditional basketball court.
Scoring:
Traditional three point shots from behind the arc will be awarded 2 points
Every shot inside the arc is awarded 1 point.
Every successful freethrow is awarded 1 point.
Match duration:10 minutes (with stoppages for dead ball situations and freethrows)
The team which scores 21 points or more within the match duration, wins the game. If neither team is able to reach 21 points, then the team with the higher points after the conclusion of 10 minutes is declared the winner.
If the scores are tied, then an extra period of time is played. Here the first team to score 2 points in overtime wins the game.
Each offensive possession will be for 12 seconds only.
Following each successful field goal or made free throw, a player from the non-scoring team will resume the game by dribbling or passing the ball from inside the court directly underneath the basket (not from behind the end line) to a place on the court behind the arc.
If the defensive team steals or blocks the ball, it must return the ball behind the arc (by passing or dribbling).
* Actual Tournament rules may vary