32nd Youth National Basketball Championship: Defending champs Tamil Nadu girls register victory
Teams assemble at the opening ceremony.
Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 14th September 2015: Day 1 of the 32nd Youth National Championship started with 5 games taking place in the morning at M.K. Bhavnagar University at Bhavnagar, Gujarat. The first half of the day saw defending champions in the girls’ category Tamil Nadu cruise to an easy victory over southern neighbours Andhra Pradesh. In the other Level 1 game in the girls’ category, Haryana pulled off an unlikely victory against last year’s runners up Kerala, on the back of Meena’s 22 points. In the only Level 2 girls’ game of the morning, Chandigarh handily beat Telangana 47-8. In the boys’ category, two Level 2 games took place in the morning, which were close contests. In their Group F fixture, Chandigarh edged past West Bengal 72-65 led by their captain Amit who scored a massive 42 points. Goa held on to a 7-point lead to clinch a 49-42 victory against Himachal Pradesh in their Group E game.
Haryana player (in dark blue) attempts a jumper against Kerala (in white)
The second half began with the opening ceremony for the tournament. All the teams participated in a march-past led by a trained marching band comprising of young children. The Chief Guest for the ceremony was Shri Nanubhai Vanani, the Sports Minister of Gujarat. Other dignitaries present included Shri Mansukhbhai Mandaviya (M.P., Rajya Sabha), Shri Jitubhai Vaghani (M.L.A., Bhavnagar West), among others. From the Basketball Federation of India, Secretary General Shri Chander Mukhi Sharma was present and addressed the crowd. He requested all coaches to ensure maximum output from their team players as the selection committee was watching all games and all teams. Dr. Shailesh Zala, Vice Chancellor, Bhavnagar University, declared the event open. The ceremony was also brightened by a traditional Dandia dance performance by a local dance troupe and balloon and fireworks display. The basketball action in the second half began with two boys matches. The Karnataka boys comfortably defeated the Jammu and Kashmir team 57-12 in their Level 2 fixture.
Dandia performance at the opening ceremony by a local dance troupe
Karnataka player (in white) works in the post against Jammu and Kashmir
Subsequently, a rain interruption delayed proceedings by close to two hours. Matches began after the rain cleared and the courts were dried up. We will get you the results and reports from the late evening games on Day 1 tomorrow.
Results from Day 1 up to 6:30 pm
Girls:
Level 1: Group A: Tamil Nadu (Amritha 11, Mirudhula 8) bt Andhra Pradesh (SK Chandini 4) 49-12 (19-3, 15-0, 13-4, 2-5) Group B: Haryana (Meena 22, Suriya 12) bt Kerala (Sreekala R. 11, Aneesha 11) 61-49 (18-14, 10-9, 19-10, 14-16)
Level 2: Group E: Chandigarh (Amrit Kaur 20, Ramya Sharma 12) bt Telangana 47-8 (15-6, 16-0, 12-2, 4-0)
Boys:
Level 2: Group C: Karnataka (Akshay Prasad 12, Pavan Bhat 9, Dev Mishra 8) bt Jammu and Kashmir (Shivam 5) 57-16 (26-7, 13-5, 12-2, 6-2) Group E: Goa (Ray Cortez 16, Shaan Adanje 12) bt Himachal Pradesh (Ankush 16, Saksham 6, Chetan 6) 49-42 (13-14, 13-8, 9-9, 14-11) Group F: Chandigarh (Amit 42, Anuj Soni 11) bt West Bengal (S. Hussain 24, H. Singh 13) 72-65 (21-7, 21-17, 6-23, 24-18)
About 32nd Youth National Basketball Championship
The 32nd Youth National Basketball Championship is being conducted in Bhavnagar, Gujarat from 14th to 20th September 2015 by the Gujarat State Basketball Association in association with the Bhavnagar District Basketball Association and the Youngsters Basketball Club, Bhavnagar under the aegis of the Basketball Federation of India. The tournament shall see the participation of 43 teams from different states, which includes and 22 teams in the boys’ category and 21 teams in the girls’ category, in the ‘16 and under’ age group. Last year’s Youth National Championship was held in Chandigarh. The winners of the 2014 version were Tamil Nadu, in both the boys’ and girls’ categories, while the first runners up position was secured by the boys’ and girls’ teams from Kerala. The third place winner in the boys’ category last year was the team from Haryana. In the girls’ category, the third place winner last year was Karnataka. This year’s tournament is being held on two outdoor courts at Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University. KARP Impex Group, involved in the business of diamond polishing, crafting and sale and based out of Surat, Gujarat, is the title sponsor for the event. Other sponsors include Sheetal Group, Acrysil Limited, Madhu Silica, HVK, Rudra TMX, Mono TMT Bar, Leela Worldwide, Maruti Metal Industries, Priya Blue Industries Private Limited, Navyug Pharma Chemical Private Limited, NBM – Iron and Steel Trading Private Limited and Kiran Diamonds.
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 at www.basketballfederationindia.org