Team Hamamatsu to compete in FIBA 3x3 All-Stars
Indian basketball player Amyjot Singh had competed as a member of Team Hamamatsu (Japan) in the 3x3 FIBA World Tour Finals last month.
Hamamatsu finished runners up, staying undefeated until the finals.
Subsequently, Amjyot was named as the highest ranked 3x3 player in the rest of the world category.
This achievement qualified him and Team Hamamatsu to participate in the season ending FIBA 3x3 All-Stars tournament taking place on 18th November in Doha, Qatar
There will be 8 teams participating in a direct knockout contest.
Hamamatsu has been seeded 4th and will face hosts Team Doha in the opening quarterfinal game on 18th Nov, from 8:30 pm IST.
L to R Bikramjit, Chihiro, Inderbir and Amjyot. Image credit- FIBA.com. New Delhi, 11th November, 2016: Last month, India’s most skilled basketball player Amjyot Singh created history by becoming the first Indian national to compete on the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals stage. Amjyot’s team Hamamatsu, which also featured two Indian-origin players and one player from Japan, memorably finished runners up. The feat enabled Amjyot to end the tournament as the highest ranked player in the Rest of the World category (Asia, Africa and Pacific regions combined). This distinction has now allowed his Hamamatsu team to proceed to the season ending FIBA 3x3 All-Stars event in Doha on 18th November, at the Al Gharafa Sports Complex. There will be 8 teams participating in a direct knockout contest. Hamamatsu has been seeded 4th and will face hosts Doha in the opening quarterfinal game on 18th Nov, from 8:30 pm IST. This will be followed by the semifinals and finals later that same day. Besides Amjyot, the other members of the team are: Bikramjit Gill (Canada), Inderbir Singh Gill (United States) and Chihiro Ikeda (Japan). With such an eclectic lineup, Team Hamamatsu in fact enjoyed the unique distinction of being the only side in the World Tour Finals to comprise players from four different nationalities. Rohit Bakshi, a Delhi-based entrepreneur, was instrumental in bringing the team together earlier this year. About the FIBA 3x3 All-Stars
General Selection Criteria
The FIBA 3x3 All Stars is the season-ending event of 3x3 basketball and rewards the top players in the FIBA 3x3 Individual World Ranking from all around the world. It sees 8 teams meet, starring the:
#1 player in Europe #1 player in the Americas #1 player in Qatar #1 player in the rest of the world #1 team at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour 3 Guest teams: FISU 3x3 World University League Winners, Dew NBA 3x winner and an All-Star Filipino team
For more details visit: http://www.fiba.com/3x3/all-stars
List of Participating Teams this Year
1. Novi Sad Al Wahda, UAE (qualified based on the fact that Dusan Domovic Bulut is the #1 player in Europe) 2. Saskatoon, Canada (qualified based on the fact that Nolan Brudehl is the #1 player in Americas) 3. Doha, Qatar (qualified based on the fact that Erfan Ali Saeed is the #1 player in Qatar) 4. Hamamatsu, Japan (qualified based on the fact that Amjyot Singh is the #1 player in the rest of the world) 5. Ljubljana, Slovenia (#1 team at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour) 6. NY Harlem NBA, USA (Dew NBA 3X Tour Winners) 7. McGill U, Canada (winners of FISU 3x3 World University League) 8. Manila, Philippines (All-Star Filipino team) For more details on the upcoming 2016 All-Stars visit: http://www.fiba.com/3x3AllStars/2016
Past Edition Details
Three editions have been held so far. 2013: Brezovica, Kosovo (Winners) 2014: Novi Sad Al Wahda, Serbia (Winners) 2015: Novi Sad At Wahda, UAE (Winners)
Hamamatsu’s Road to the All-Stars
The road to the FIBA 3x3 All-Stars is long and arduous, involving a series of regional qualification rounds, leading up to the World Tour Finals, from where only the best of the best make it to the All-Stars stage. During the initial regional rounds, Hamamatsu continuously grew from strength to strength, finishing 6th in the Utsunomiya leg followed by a third place finish in the Beijing, China leg. Based on these results, Hamamatsu qualified to the World Tour Finals as the 11th ranked team out of the 12 participating teams. Once the tournament began, Hamamatsu cruised into the knockout rounds after going undefeated in its two preliminary league round games. In the elimination rounds, the side first outclassed favoured Chicago before memorably stunning two time defending champions Novi Sad in the semis. It was only in the finals that Hamamatsu faltered, literally falling short against Ljubljana from Slovenia, who were the tallest side in the tournament. The Indian-heavy side ended up winning USD 20,000 for its second place effort.
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. · 12 second shot clock · 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. · Scoring: o Traditional three point shots from behind the arc will be awarded 2 points. o Every shot inside the arc is awarded 1 point. o Every successful freethrow is awarded 1 point. o 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. · 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). For full text of latest official FIBA 3x3 rules, visit: www.fiba.com/documents/2016/01/29/3x3%20Rules%20of%20the%20game%202016%20text.pdf
About Amjyot Singh Gill
The 6ft 9inch Gill made the entire Indian sports fraternity take notice when he slammed home a powerful two handed alley-oop dunk during India’s historic win over China in the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup. Since then, the 24-year-old “Sultan of Swat” has grown from strength to strength. As a “stretch four” Amjyot is a matchup nightmare, able to post up, rebound, block shots, handle the ball and score from the outside. The versatile power forward went on a scoring spree during India’s memorable quarterfinal run in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship for Men, proving himself to be among Asia’s finest hoopsters. 2016 proved to be an equally significant year, as he, along with fellow Punjab baller, Amritpal Singh, made the brave decision of moving to Japan. The duo led their Tokyo Excellence team to the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) Championship. Amjyot in particular, averaged 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game over 35 games, playing 21 minutes per game. Most recently, Amjyot had starred at the FIBA Asia Challenge, posting tournament high numbers in various key statistical categories. Amjyot was number 1 overall in freethrow shooting (90.3%) hitting 28/31 freethrows. His 8.3 rpg was 3rd among forwards and 8th overall. His 2 double doubles (i.e. when a player crossed double digits in any two statistical categories in a single game) was 3rd among forwards and 7th overall. His 12.8 ppg was 6th best among forwards. His .6 blocks per game is 3rd best among forwards. His +14.1 effpg is 6th best among forwards. His 2.4 apg is 5th best among forwards. His 37% from the field is 10th among forwards.
About Pursuit
Amjyot Singh Gill is represented by Pursuit, India’s leading basketball talent management and scouting entity. Pursuit’s 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 spot athletic talent from a young age and help them along their playing careers, whether in India or abroad. Pursuit is headed by Vishnu Ravi Shankar and is India’s pre-eminent and pioneering basketball scouting and talent management agency. For more information visit: www.pursuitindia.com