Indian U18 Men’s Basketball team gears up for Asian Championship
Indian U18 Men’s Basketball team gears up for Asian Championship
New Delhi/ Bengaluru, 21st July 2016: India is all set to participate in the prestigious 24th FIBA Asia U-18 Championship for Men that will be held at the Azadi Sports Complex, Tehran, Iran from the 22nd to 31st July 2016. As reigning champs from the South Asian Qualifiers that were held in Dhaka, Bangladesh earlier this June, the junior Indian side had coasted through to Asia’s premier basketball championship by winning all games by a margin of over 50 points. However, the continental stage presents a much greater challenge. In the preliminary rounds, India is grouped with Asian powerhouses China (WR-12) and Philippines (WR-28), as well as the higher ranked Chinese Taipei (WR-27). However, with two lesser ranked teams — Thailand (WR-67) and Iraq (WR-62) — included in their pool the 52nd ranked India has a good opportunity to advance to the quarterfinals. The team will be captained by Tamil Nadu phenom P Baladhaneshwar, and head coached by Mr Dilip Gurumurthy, a former Indian Olympian from the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
Selection Process
25 players for the Indian U18 Men's Team were initially picked based on their performance at the 67th Junior National Basketball Championship for Men and Women held in Puducherry earlier this May. The final 12 were then selected at the end of the National Coaching Camp at Satyabhama University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, which was held from 27th June to 20th July, 2016. The kit distribution ceremony was conducted by Dr Marie Johnson, Director of Sathyabama University.
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
The U18 Men's Team at the training camp for the 2016 FIBA Asia Championship 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
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 Schedule [Timings in IST]
vs Thailand – 22nd July, 5:00 PM vs China – 23rd July, 1:00 PM 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 atwww.basketballfederationindia.org.