Indian Men’s Team win qualifying games at 3×3 World Games, advance to quarterfinal
Guard Akilan Pari (right, in blue) with the ball
CHENGDU, CHINA, 24 October 2015: The Indian Men’s Team had a successful day of qualifying games at the 3x3 PREMIER.EXE World Games 2015 taking place in Chengdu, China. The squad, comprising of guards Akilan Pari and Vinay Kaushik, and forwards Arvind Arumugam and Gurvinder Singh Gill, won both their qualifying games against Korea Jeonju and Japan Dreams in Pool C.
Competing at Ito Yokado (Gaoxin Mall) in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China, India’s first game was against Korea Jeonju, which they won comfortably 20-11. With a small break in between games, India geared up for its second game against Japan Dreams. Using the size of their forwards Gurvinder Gill and Arvind Arumugam to their advantage, India cruised to their second victory of the tournament against the Japan Dreams team.
Forward Gurvinder Gill (in blue) gets high up to reject a shot
After the victories, guard Akilan Pari, who is also the starting point guard of the Indian Senior Men’s Team, said, “It was competitive. We took some time to get settled in the first match but we ended up winning comfortably. In the second game, our taller players played well against a good Japanese side to lead us to the victory.” The Indian team have now qualified to the knockout stages. They will play in the quarterfinal to be held tomorrow.
Results
Game 1: Indian National Men’s Team bt Korea Jeonju 20-11
Game 2: Indian National Men’s Team bt Japan Dreams 21-12
L to R: Gurvinder Gill, Vinay Kaushik, Akilan Pari, Arvind Arumugam
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
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