India U18 lose to defending champs China - Still in the hunt for QF berth
New Delhi/Bengaluru, 23rd July, 2016: Coming off a promising opening win against Thailand yesterday at the 24th FIBA U18 Men’s Championship 2016 underway in Iran, the Indian U18 Men’s Team faced a surging China on Day 2. The defending champions China were still riding high on their own Day 1 victory over Iraq, where they had managed to separate themselves by 65 points. As the game got underway, India held its own in the first quarter, taking a 3-point lead. It hit 3 of their 11 3-pointers in this period alone, compared to China’s solitary shot from downtown. India was also neck and neck with China when it came to points in the paint, with both sides scoring 12 points each. China used the second quarter of the game to really separate itself, outscoring India by 20 points The Indian lads put up a fight in the 3rd quarter and managed a smaller deficit, but it was not enough as the side eventually fell short, 66 to a 106. Tamil Nadu shooting guards Hariram Ragupathy and captain P Baladhaneshwar were the bright spots in today’s competition. They scored 31 and 25 points respectively and had 3 assists a piece. They, along with centre Vishal Kumar Gupta played the entire 40 minutes of the match. Additionally, Hariram finished the game hitting 6 out of 15 3-pointers, managing 40% accuracy.
India shot better from the 3-point line, shooting almost 30% to China’s 25%. The damage though, was done on the inside. China ended the contest with 20 more rebounds (38-18) and with 76 points in the paint. The game will likely serve as a learning experience for a young squad that is on the rise in Asia. With a 1-1 record, India is still in the running for a quarterfinal spot despite this small setback. The side will take on Chinese Taipei tomorrow (24th July) at 5:00 pm IST. China (J Taruike 20 pts 4 rbs, J Man 18, Z Fan 13 pts 9 rbs) bt India (Hariram Ragupathy 31 pts 8 rbs, P Baladhaneshwar 25 pts) 106-66 [27-21, 30-10, 26-18, 33-17]
Indian Squad for the 24th FIBA U18 Men’s Championship 2016
Jersey No
Family Name(s) /Last Name First Name(s) /Given Name Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy) Place of Birth Height (cm)(ft and inches) Weight (Kg) Position 5 Hansraj 04/03/1999 New Delhi 178 (5’ 10”) 64
PG
9
Sayyed Saqlain Jamir 15/02/1998 Kada, Maharashtra 190 (6’ 2”) 78 SG 11 Rachit 16/09/1998 Delhi 186 (6’ 1”) 75
SG
13
Gupta Vishal Kumar 04/01/1998 Village Chapar, Uttar Pradesh 199 (6’ 6”) 78 C 14 Mohammed Ali 06/04/1998 Samo Ki Dhani, Rajasthan 194 (6’ 4”) 70
PF
15
Deepak 13/04/1998 Israna, Haryana 185 (6’ 1”) 78 F
24
Poiyamozhi Baladhaneshwar 07/12/1999 Ullikkottai Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu 180 (5’ 10.8”) 71
SG
25 Ragupathy Hariram 24/04/1998 Chennai, Tamil Nadu 184 (6’) 72
SG
30
Arthur Wilson Daniel Richards 25/10/1998 Chennai, Tamil Nadu 180 (5’ 10.8”) 74
SG
32
Benny Gineeb 09/03/1998 Potta, Kerala 194 (6’ 4”) 78 C
52
Noushad Muhammed Shiras 04/07/1999 Alappuzha, Kerala 190 (6’ 3”) 83
PF
55 Sahil 02/02/1999 Kalkha, Haryana 184 (6’) 69
SG
*PG - Point Guard / Feeder, G - Guard, F - Forward, G/F - Wing, PF - Power Forward, C - Centre, PF/C - Pivot
13) Team Manager: Mr. Ashok Sahu 14) Physio: Dr. Kannan Ratinasamy Bose 15) Head Coach: Mr. Dilip Gurumurthy 16) Assistant Coach: Mr. Paramdeep Singh 17) Referee: Mr. Imran Ali Baig 18) Referee: Mr. Ramesh Koppanathi
About the 24th FIBA U18 Men’s Championship 2016
Venue: Azadi Sports Complex, Tehran, Iran There are 12 participating teams that have been divided into two preliminary groups: Group A – China, Chinese Taipei, India, Iraq, Philippines and Thailand. Group B – Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea and Lebanon. Each team shall play all the other teams within its own group and the top 4 teams from each group qualify for the quarter-final round, followed by the semi-finals and finals. Additionally, placement matches will also be held for positions 3-8. The significance of this Championship is that the top three teams progress to the FIBA Under-19 World Championship that will be held in Cairo, Egypt from 1 to 9 July 2017.
India’s Upcoming Schedule [Timings in IST]
vs Chinese Taipei – 24th July, 5:00 PM Rest Day – 25th July vs Iraq – 26th July, 9:00 PM vs Philippines – 27th July, 9:00 PM Rest Day – 28th July Knockout & Placement Rounds – 29th to 31st July For more details see: www.fiba.com/asia/u18/2016/fullschedule All the matches are expected to be streamed live on www.livebasketball.tv
Championship History
The Asia U-18 Men’s Championship was first held in 1970 in Seoul and has since been held every 2 years (or 3 years in certain cases). China is the most storied team at the Asian level, having won gold 11 times, followed by Philippines (6) and South Korea (3). Coming into this edition, China is the defending champion, followed by Iran (silver) and South Korea (bronze). For info on all time medallists, see: www.fiba.com/asia/u18/2016/all-time-medalists
India’s Record
Prior to the upcoming edition, India has participated in the Asian Championship 18 times, with its best finish coming at the 1972 Championship held in Manila, Philippines, where the side finished 4th. As hosts, India had conducted the 1998 and 2004 iterations in Kolkata and Bengaluru respectively. From 2006-2010 and in the last 2014 edition, India finished in 13th place, while in 2012, India managed a higher 10th place finish.
About Basketball Federation of India
The Basketball Federation of India or BFI is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India, and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. BFI has been involved in conducting camps, clinics, events, and training sessions at its academies for the development of basketball. BFI came into being in 1935 and took complete control over Indian basketball in 1950. Prior to that time, the Indian Olympic Association handled the conduct of Indian basketball championships. Since 1950, the BFI has been conducting various such championships, from the grassroots to senior team participation in international tournaments. In addition, the BFI has been responsible for the establishment of strong sub-junior and junior level programs. The BFI has to its credit produced several international players of repute, among them 17 have been bestowed with the honour of Arjuna Awards. Earlier in June 2015, 19-year-old Satnam Singh Bhamara made history by becoming the first Indian national to be drafted by an NBA team, when he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks. More information at www.basketballfederationindia.org.