In another first, NBA D-League Prospect Amjyot Singh to headline India heavy squad at FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals
In another first, NBA D-League Prospect Amjyot Singh to headline India heavy squad at FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals
(With inputs from Adarsh D Rao)
India international basketball player Amjyot Singh Gill, who has also entered his name in this year’s NBA D League draft, is competing at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 27-28 October.
The FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals is a hugely prestigious event and is the equivalent of a World Cup for 3x3 basketball for professional players.
The team comprises 2 other Indian-origin players: Inderbir Singh Gill (USA) and Bikramjit Gill (Canada) apart from a fourth from Japan.
The three Indian players (aka ‘Team Gill’) have just completed training at the world-class Jaypee Greens facility in Greater Noida and flew out to Abu Dhabi earlier this morning (Wednesday, 26th October).
L to R- Amjyot, Inderbir and Bikramjit. Image credit- FIBA.com website. Exact source URL.
Delhi, 26th October, 2016: With the NBA D-League draft around the corner, Indian basketball phenom Amjyot Singh Gill is all set to compete at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals to be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 27-28 October. This will be the first time an Indian player will be competing at the 3x3 World Final stage, and is yet another historic milestone in India Basketball and for Amjyot’s skyrocketing career.
Amjyot is part of an international city based side from Japan (Team Hamamatsu), comprising two other Indian origin players and one from Japan. The FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals is a very prestigious event that is the equivalent of a World Cup for 3x3 basketball for professional players.
The full squad is as follows: Amjyot Singh Gill (India), Bikramjit Gill (Canada), Inderbir Singh Gill (United States), Chihiro Ikeda (Japan). Delhi based basketball loving entrepreneur Rohit Bakshi was instrumental in putting the team together, building on Amjyot’s participation in Japan’s National Basketball Development league in the 2015-16 season.
Amjyot will be competing in this event before flying to the US for the D-League draft. It is to be recalled that only last week it was announced that the 6ft 9 inch 24 year old Amjyot had signed the standard NBA Developmental League player contract making him eligible for the D-League draft. The draft will be held on 30th October via teleconference. If Amjyot gets drafted he stands to be the first Indian national to get directly drafted into the D League, the official nursery for aspiring players wishing to get elevated into the NBA, the world’s most prestigious basketball league.
The three Gills- Amjyot, Bikramjit and Inderbir have just completed training at the world-class Jaypee Greens facility in Greater Noida and flew out to Abu Dhabi earlier this morning (Wednesday, 26th October).
Inderbir Gill drives against Amjyot Singh during practice at the Jaypee Greens facility in Greater Noida and Bikramjit Gill looks on.
“Playing 5 on 5 (in Japan) was a very good experience as it was my first professional league. Playing in 3 on 3 was a whole new game for me but because of Inderbir and Bikram bhai they modified my game and helped me a lot to do what I’m doing now. We are prepared for the World Tour and we think we will do good,” said Amjyot. “We are hopeful of reaching at least the semis and after that whichever team sets up its plays better will win.”
“We got 6th place in the first tour (Utsunomiya) and 3rd place in China (second tour). Going into Abu Dhabi we are going to rely on our experience, talent and athleticism to do even better. Hopefully we play our best basketball and make Indians even more proud,” said guard Inderbir, the team’s floor leader. “Offensively we are talented enough to score points, the question is going to be if we can be physical enough and not make many mistakes on defence. That will be key.”
“I never thought I’d get the opportunity to train in India. I got a day to go back to Amritsar and visit my grandparents. It’s good to come back after 10 years and see how different things are now. It’s been a really good experience,” said Bikramjit.
About the 2016 FIBA 3x3 World Tour
Abu Dhabi Finals
There will be 12 teams competing in the World Tour Finals, divided into 4 Pools of three teams each:
Pool A: Novi Sad Al Wahda (UAE); Belgrade (Serbia); St Petersburg (Russia)
Pool B: Ljubljana (Slovenia); Sao Paulo DC (Brazil); Chicago (USA)
Pool C: Piran (Slovenia); Gdansk (Poland); Hamamatsu (Japan)
Pool D: Saskatoon (Canada); Kranj (Slovenia); Caguas (Puerto Rico)
The teams within each pool will play against each other in a round-robin first round. The top two placed teams from each pool advance to a standard knock-out round which starts at the quarter-finals stage. The winners are crowned FIBA 3x3 World Tour champions and earn a ticket to the FIBA 3x3 All Stars.
The competition will also feature dunk and shootout contests.
For more details, visit: www.fiba.com/3x3worldtour/2016/abu-dhabi
How to Watch
For those not attending the games at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex in Zayed Sports City (free entrance) – the games will be available from 17.00 local time (GMT+4) on Thursday 27 October live on FIBA 3x3's official YouTube channel and Facebook Live. The top-two placed teams from each pool advance to a standard knock-out round which starts at the quarter-finals stage, from 17.00 local time on Friday 28.
Qualification Rounds
The FIBA 3x3 World Tour Abu Dhabi Final features the winner of the 7 stops, (Mexico DF, Utsunomiya, Prague, Lausanne, Debrecen, Beijing and Rio de Janeiro) plus the 5 best teams in the World Tour standings at the end of the season (between 5 and 11 depending if a team has won more than one Masters).
The Amjyot starring Team Hamamtsu qualified via the latter route, having finished 6th in the first Utsunomiya leg (30-31 July) followed by a 3rd place finish at the Beijing leg (16-17 September). This gave them an overall world ranking of 11 (as of 17.10.2016 at the time of the draw) to make the cut in the 12-team field at the World Tour Finals.
About FIBA’s 3x3 Basketball Programme
As sourced verbatim from www.fiba.com/3x3/faq
3x3 basketball is already today the number one urban team sport in the world. (*According to an IOC-commissioned study.)
In line with FIBA's vision to make basketball the most popular sports community in the world, FIBA is embracing 3x3 with the aim of further promoting, uniting and developing the game of basketball. FIBA believes that 3x3 presents an excellent opportunity to attract new people to basketball and to raise awareness that everyone can play basketball, anywhere in the world. Embracing an additional stand-alone discipline offers the opportunity to extend the reach of participating or hosting countries in international competitions.
FIBA’s vision is to establish a pro FIBA 3x3 World Tour that allows 3x3 stars to make a living out of 3x3. Create the largest sports community in the world by having all 3x3 events worldwide included on 3x3planet.com.
The goal is to eventually make 3x3 Basketball an Olympic sport.
For more details visit: www.fiba.com/3x3/faq
About 3x3 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.
12 second shot clock
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.
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.
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.
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).
For full text of latest official FIBA 3x3 rules, visit: www.fiba.com/documents/2016/01/29/3x3%20Rules%20of%20the%20game%202016%20text.pdf
About Amjyot Singh Gill
The 6ft 9inch Gill made the entire Indian sports fraternity take notice when he slammed home a powerful two handed alley-oop dunk during India’s historic win over China in the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup. Since then, the 24-year-old “Sultan of Swat” has grown from strength to strength. As a “stretch four” Amjyot is a matchup nightmare, able to post up, rebound, block shots, handle the ball and score from the outside.
The versatile power forward went on a scoring spree during India’s memorable quarterfinal run in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship for Men, proving himself to be among Asia’s finest hoopsters. 2016 proved to be an equally significant year, as he, along with fellow Punjab baller, Amritpal Singh, made the brave decision of moving to Japan. The duo led their Tokyo Excellence team to the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) Championship. Amjyot in particular, averaged 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game over 35 games, playing 21 minutes per game.
Most recently, Amjyot had starred at the FIBA Asia Challenge, posting tournament high numbers in various key statistical categories. Amjyot was number 1 overall in freethrow shooting (90.3%) hitting 28/31 freethrows. His 8.3 rpg was 3rd among forwards and 8th overall. His 2 double doubles (i.e. when a player crossed double digits in any two statistical categories in a single game) was 3rd among forwards and 7th overall. His 12.8 ppg was 6th best among forwards. His .6 blocks per game is 3rd best among forwards. His +14.1 effpg is 6th best among forwards. His 2.4 apg is 5th best among forwards. His 37% from the field is 10th among forwards.
About Pursuit
Amjyot Singh Gill is represented by Pursuit, India’s leading basketball talent management and scouting entity. Pursuit’s aim is to find and create the right opportunities for budding athletes with the talent and potential to succeed at the international level. Through its grassroots network, Pursuit is able to spot athletic talent from a young age and help them along their playing careers, whether in India or abroad. Pursuit is headed by Vishnu Ravi Shankar and is India’s pre-eminent and pioneering basketball scouting and talent management agency.
For more information visit: www.pursuitindia.com