Indian U16 Boys Basketball Team set to leave for FIBA Asia Championship
The Indian U16 squad receives its national kits from Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma, Secretary General BFI.
Bengaluru, 26 October 2015: The final 12 member Indian U16 boys squad under the helm of Head Coach Mahendra Singh Rathore is all set to participate in the 4th FIBA Asia U16 Championship that will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 29th October to 7th November 2015.
The players, along with the coaching staff, were presented their kits by BFI Secretary General Shri Chander Mukhi Sharma at a distribution ceremony held earlier today at the Kanteerava Stadium complex in Bengaluru. The FIBA Asia Championship serves as the qualifying event to the FIBA U17 World Championship, with three slots allotted for the top three finishers.
Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma, Secretary General BFI addresses the Indian contingent.
Addressing the players, Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma said, “You are the top talent in the country at your age group. The coaches have imparted their knowledge over the last few weeks to all of you. It is now your duty to perform to the best of your abilities and make the nation proud.”
In the preliminary league round, India is in Group D along with reigning champs China, Korea and Iraq. The top three teams from each Group qualify to the second round, followed by the knockout stages of the competition.
Preliminary Round Groups
Group A: Japan, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Malaysia
Group B: Chinese Taipei, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Lebanon
Group C: Philippines, Bahrain, Democratic Republic of Korea and Thailand
Group D: China, India, Korea and Iraq
The Indian Contingent
The 12 member Indian squad comprises two players each from Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, New Delhi and Kerala, and one player each from Haryana and West Bengal (Sourav Singha, who is born in Kolkata but now plays for Delhi). The side will be captained by P Baladhaneshwar of Tamil Nadu.
Besides Head Coach Mahendra Singh Rathore, Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) women’s coach Aju Jacob will be the assistant coach and Dr Binish Babu is the team physiotherapist. The team will be managed by Mr Venkata Siva Naga Prasad Takasi.
Captain P Baladhaneshwar receives his kit from Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma, Secretary General BFI.
Support by NITTE University
Like with the senior women’s and men’s team earlier this year, NITTE University, Karkala in coastal Karnataka continued to play host for the U16 boys’ final round of training.
INDIAN CONTINGENT FOR THE 2015 FIBA ASIA U16 CHAMPIONSHIP
Jersey No Name Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy) Place of Birth (City & State) Height (cm) Weight
(Kg)
Position* 00 Swapnil Sharma 18/01/1999 Jalandhar Punjab 192 102 C 04 Manoj Singh Sisodia 05/12/2000 Ratlam Madhya Pradesh 178 63 PG 05 Hansraj 04/03/1999 New Delhi New Delhi 178 64 PG 06 Sorav Singha 19/08/1999 Kolkata West Bengal 178 66 PG 08 Ankit Joshi 03/01/1999 Faridabad Haryana 181 66 F 12 Muhammad Shiras Noushad 04/07/1999 Alappuzha Kerala 190 81 C 13 Harshwardhan Tomar 01/02/2001 Gwalior Madhya Pradesh 208 81 C 14 Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi 07/12/1999 Ullikkottai Manargudi Tamil Nadu 181 68 F 24 Joshua Jaison George 17/05/1999 Cherthala Aleppey Kerala 184 75 F 43 Amit 23/10/1999 New Delhi New Delhi 178 62 F 35 Adarsh Premsan Jayakumar 23/05/1999 Coimbatore Tamil Nadu 190 83 C 99 Kanwar Gurbaz Singh Sandhu 30/10/1999 Ferozepur Punjab 185 90 C
*PG - Point Guard / Feeder, G - Guard, F - Forward, G/F - Wing, PF - Power Forward, C - Centre, PF/C - Pivot
13) Team Manager: Mr Venkata Siva Naga Prasad Takasi (Andhra Pradesh)
14) Head Coach: Mr Mahendra Singh Rathore (Gujarat)
15) Assistant Coach: Mr Aju Jacob (Kerala)
16) Team Physio: Dr. Binish Babu (Karnataka)
India’s Championship schedule*
Preliminary Round
vs China- 29th October, 12:30 IST (14:00 local time). Venue: Kelapa Gading Sports Mall
vs Korea- 30th October, 16:30 IST (18:00 local time). Venue: GOR Pulogadung
vs Iraq- 31st October, 16:30 IST (18:00 local time). Venue: GOR Pulogadung
Second Round will be held between 1st and 3rd November
Final Round will be played on 5th, 6th and 7th November.
*See below for tournament format, history, and India’s past participation.
About the 4th FIBA Asia U16 Championship for Boys 2015
Venues
(Sourced verbatim from: http://www.fiba.com/asia/u16/2015/venues)
The 2015 FIBA Asia U16 Championship will be staged in 2 different venues, both located in Jakarta, Indonesia. The primary venue will be the Britama Arena, Sportsmall Kelapa Gading and the secondary venue will be GOR Pulogadung.
As per the competition schedule, 41 games will be played in the primary venue (Britama Arena) and 21 in the secondary venue (GOR Pulogadung). (Total of 62 games)
The Championship is also expected to be streamed live here: http://www.livebasketball.tv/
Competition Format
(Sourced verbatim from: http://www.fiba.com/asia/u16/2015/competition-format)
Group phase (16 teams, 6 days)
Day 1 to 3: The first round of the tournament will be played in a round robin format, with the sixteen (16) teams divided into four (4) groups of four (4) teams. Every team will take on its three (3) opponents in its respective group.
The top three (3) teams from each group advance to the second phase. Others will play Classification Games 13-16 (on Day 4 and 5).
Day 4 to 6: For the second round, the twelve (12) remaining teams will be divided into two (2) groups of six (6). Each team will play against the three (3) new teams in its group. The top four (4) teams from each group advance to the Quarter-Finals. Others play Classification Games 9-12.
Day 7: Rest day.
Final phase (day 8 to 10) The tournament will be played in a knockout format from the Quarter-Finals onwards. Day 8: Quarter-Finals and Classification Games 9-12. Day 9: Semi-Finals and Classification Games 11-12, 9-10 and 5-8. Day 10: Final, Third-Place Game and Classification Games 7-8 and 5-6.
Competition history & India’s participation
Prior to the upcoming iteration, 3 editions of this biennial championship have been held so far, dating back to 2009. China has won all three editions, followed by South Korea (2 silver), Philippines (1 silver) and Japan (2 bronze).
India has participated in all three editions so far. The side finished 10th in 2009 and 2011, and 11th in 2013. The Indian team is currently ranked 51 in the world.