Karnataka State to play the Chief Minister’s Cup at Malaysia
Bengaluru, 31st May, 2016: With two India stars in its ranks, the Karnataka State basketball team will embark on an international assignment, the Penang Chief Minister's Cup basketball championships, to be held in Penang, Malaysia, from June 3rd to 7th, 2016. The 12-member team leaves by a Malaysian Airlines flight on the 1st of June , 2016, midnight.
Teams from China, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines and hosts Malaysia, are the other teams in the fray. Karnataka State took part in the above championships in 2015 as well and ended up fourth among six nations.
Arvind Arumugam, 25, was part of the Indian team which won the South Asian Basketball Championship in Bangalore last year. Arvind is a power player and is capable of three-point shooting, picking up rebounds and has a fine sense of timing, coupled with effective footwork.
Rajesh Uppar was part of the Indian team that won the 3x3 South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) Championship in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Rajesh was also in the camp with Arvind for the SABA event but did not get in. However, he made the 3x3 team and the point guard made it a memorable story for him, the state and the country. With the 3-a-side testing the physical fitness and core skills of players, Rajesh is therefore more than a utility man in the regular format.
Aravind A (IOB) and Akilan Pari (Income Tax), both internationals from Chennai, have been permitted by the BFI to represent Karnataka State as guest players.
With a number of experienced and talented players waiting for an opportunity to prove their credentials, this Karnataka State team is pretty excited. Coach Dilip, himself a 1980 Moscow Olympian, has a fine bunch to fall back upon and could even have problems of plenty as he charts out the course of action. "The boys have trained well and I am sure they will perform very well," Dilip said.
The following is a list of the players:
Arvind A (Vijaya Bank)
Rajesh Uppar (Vijaya Bank)
Roby Thomas (Vijaya Bank)
Karthickeyan S (Vijaya Bank)
Ganesh S Gowda (Forest Sports Board)
Chethan Kumar (Beagles)
Mufeez Ahmed (Sports Hostel, Bangalore)
Abhishek (NGV)
Shivaraj Kumar (IBBC)
Prajwal Shetty (Beagles)
Aravind A (IOB)
Akilan Pari (Income Tax)
Coach: G Dilip
Manager: Ashwath (Kolar)
About Karnataka Basketball
The official recognition to the game of basketball was given in the year 1934 by the Indian Olympic Association. This gave a fillip to the game, and the first National basketball Championship was organized in 1934 by the Indian Olympic Association.
Basketball was introduced to the Mysore State by Y.M.C.A. in 1920s. The Y.M.C.A. has played a vital role not only in spreading the message of sports in Bengaluru, but also developing organized system to promote sports. Mr. A.C. Das, Director of Physical Education and General Secretary Y.M.C.A. took up the primary responsibility. The Mysore State team did not participate in the first National Basketball Championship conducted by the Indian Olympic Association that was held at Delhi. It was in 1936 for the first time Mysore state basketball team was selected and fielded by A.C. Das at Lahore National Championship.
Captain M.G. Vijayasarathy, a product of Y.M.C.A. Chennai was another officer who rendered a great service in popularizing the game in the state. He was like a fatherly figure in the field of Mysore State sports and was responsible for promoting basketball along with his friends and colleagues in Colleges and other Institutions.
Basketball in Karnataka achieved New heights in the year 2014, because for the first time in its history, the state men's team participated in a six nation International Basketball Tournament along with teams from Australia, Philippines, Singapore,Taipei and hosts Malaysia, for The Chief Ministers trophy at Penang, Malaysia .