Palpreet Singh Brar and Team Agleymina win fifth round of Japanese 3X3 PREMIER.EXE league
Palpreet Singh Brar and Team Agleymina win fifth round of Japanese 3X3 PREMIER.EXE league
India international Palpreet Singh’s team AGLEYMINA.EXE has won round five of the PREMIER.EXE league in Kobe Harborland, Kobe City, beating YOKOHOMA CITY.EXE 21 – 18 in the final.
Next up, Team AGLEYMINA.EXE will play in the sixth round at Shonan, Kanagawa Prefecture, on 5th and 6th August 2017.
In May, Indian international star and 2016 NBA D-League draftee Palpreet Singh Brar had moved to Japan to play professional 3x3 basketball for Team AGLEYMINA.EXE in Hamamatsu, replacing fellow Punjab and India player Amjyot Singh Gill.
Palpreet’s team had got off to a dream start in the PREMIER.EXE league, winning the first round in Tachikawa, Tokyo, and reaching the finals of the second round in Shingawa-ku, Tokyo.
Palpreet Singh Brar with Team Agleymina. Image credits: 3X3 PREMIER.EXE league
Bengaluru/Kobe City, 26th July 2017: On Saturday (22nd July), India international Palpreet Singh’s team AGLEYMINA.EXE won round five of the PREMIER.EXE league, in Kobe Harborland, Kobe City.
In the group stages, Team AGLEYMINA.EXE conceded a walkover against YOKOHOMA CITY.EXE because they missed the game, but won 21 – 20 against CRAYON.EXE. They cruised through the semi final, winning 21 – 9 against TOKYO WINGS.EXE, before beating YOKOHOMA CITY.EXE 21 – 18 in the finals. Teammate Bikramjit Gill was adjudged MVP of the weekend again.
Earlier this May, Palpreet, who is an Indian international star and 2016 NBA D-League draftee had moved to Japan to play professional 3x3 basketball for Team AGLEYMINA.EXE, replacing fellow Punjab and India player Amjyot Singh Gill.
Team AGLEYMINA.EXE represents the city of Hamamatsu, and was brought together in 2016 by Rohit Bakshi, an entrepreneur of Indian origin who was born and brought up in Japan. He recruited Inderbir Gill (a US national of Indian origin) and Bikramjit Gill (a Canadian of Indian origin) whom he knew through mutual acquaintances; the team was rounded off by Amjyot Singh Gill, the rising star of Indian basketball, and Rohit Bakshi himself.
Last year, playing under the banner of Team Hamamatsu, Bakshi’s team earned a spot at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals in Abu Dhabi in October 2016. Chihiro Ikeda (Japan) took Rohit’s place as he was deemed to be a better fit against the opposition that they would face at the Finals. The tournament featured the winners of the seven stops of the World Tour (Mexico DF, Utsunomiya, Prague, Lausanne, Debrecen, Beijing, and Rio de Janerio), as well as the five best teams in the World Tour standings at the end of the season. Team Hamamatsu qualified because they were ranked 11th overall at the time of the draw (October 2016), having finished 6th in the Utsunomiya leg (July 2016) and 3rd in the Beijing leg (September 2016).
At the World Tour Finals, Amjyot Singh put on a string of showcase performances, leading his team to a runners-up finish. They pulled off a stunning upset over two time defending champions Novi Sad Alwahda, UAE in the semi finals, before going down in the finals against the 2013 champions Ljubljana from Slovenia. Amjyot’s performances at the World Tour Finals took him to the top of the 3x3 player rankings in the rest of the world category.
Once again this year, with Palpreet replacing Amjyot, team AGLEYMINA.EXE had got off to a dream start in the PREMIER.EXE league. They won the first round in Tachikawa, Tokyo (17th – 18th June), and reached the finals of the second round in Shingawa-ku, Tokyo (24th – 25th June).
Asked about their performances this season, Inderbir Gill said, “After last year, we started this tournament as favorites. We have done well so far, and we are looking to keep getting better every day and every tournament.”
For Palpreet, the PREMIER.EXE is his first experience playing 3x3 is new to the speed and strategy of the game. That hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm, as he says, “I am up to the challenge and I am working hard every day to get better. I know the 3x3 style will help me become a more skillful player and more dominant in the way I play.”
Next up, Team AGLEYMINA.EXE will play in the sixth round at Shonan, Kanagawa Prefecture, on 5th and 6th August 2017.
About the 3X3 PREMIER.EXE
The 3X3 PREMIER.EXE is a Japanese basketball league comprising 18 teams divided into three conferences (Southern, Eastern, and Central). The league is administered by the Japan Basketball Association, and officially endorsed by FIBA.
The league will be played over weekends from June to September, and the games in each conference will be played one day at a time. The games are scheduled in 12 different locations such as shopping malls and town squares, concluding with the playoffs in Roppongi Hills Arena in Minato-ku, Tokyo.
The league’s philosophy is to make basketball more accessible to players and more attractive to the public. This is sought to be achieved by providing more opportunities to compete, and infusing the competition with music and fashion. There is a desire to integrate basketball into the Japanese culture and utilize it to raise the quality of life.
There is a lot to play for, as the team on top of the rankings at the end of round 4 will be entitled to participate in the World Tour Masters in Utsunomiya in July, and the team that wins the playoffs will be entitled to participate in the World Tour Masters in Beijing in September.
Official website: www.premier.3x3exe.com
About Pursuit
Pursuit India Sports & Entertainment Pvt Ltd is an Indian sports management company that is working towards revolutionizing India’s alternate sports starting with basketball. The aim is to find and create the right opportunities for budding athletes with the talent and potential to succeed at the international level. Through its grassroots network, Pursuit is able to scout athletic talent from a young age and help them along their playing careers, whether in India or abroad. Pursuit regularly ties up with leading media companies and brands to leverage greater mainstream recognition of our sportspersons. Besides player management and scouting, Pursuit is also working towards improving India’s sporting infrastructure and competitive structure.
For more information visit: www.pursuitindia.com