Indian cagers finish creditable 3^rd at Hong Kong Invitational

·         The 21^st Best Mart 360° Super Kung Sheung Cup International Basketball Invitation Championship is being held in Hong Kong at the Queen Elizabeth stadium between 13^th to 18^th December.

·         India easily beat Eastern Long Lions, Hong Kong to 90-60 to end the Championship on perhaps its best ever third place.

Hong Kong, 18^th December 2016: Earlier today, the Indian senior men’s basketball team comfortably secured bronze at the 21^st Best Mart 360° Super Kung Sheung Cup International Basketball Invitation Championship that is underway in Hong Kong.

Southern California Fukienese Association Basketball Team (USA) beat SCAA (Hong Kong) 88-82 to repeat as champs.

India beats Hong Kong 90-60 to finish third

India had no trouble whatsoever again Eastern Long Lions, Hong Kong. With as many as four players scoring in double digits, India had an exceptional second half to make whatever appeared to be a close game, an eventual no contest.

The Hong Kong side was within striking distance 30-33 at the half, before India enjoyed 32-19 and 25-11 scoring periods to win 90-60. Hong Kong’s Poon Chi Ho hit four straight threes to start the game (6 threes overall for 18 points) but couldn’t prevent the loss.

India’s third place finish is perhaps its best ever at this event, going one better than when it finished 4^th in 2010.

India suffer 89-93 heartbreak in semis

Late last night (17^th December), India suffered a 4 point heartbreak vs Southern California Fukienese Association Basketball Team (USA). India captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi led from the front and fought valiantly with his 35 points. But the USA team showed grit in the clutch and better staying power, especially in the fourth period, outscoring India 25-16.

India enjoyed a 6 point lead at the end of the first quarter before USA came fighting back to trail 45-46 at halftime. The third quarter saw India move ahead again before the final period ended the game in USA’s favour.

RESULTS

3^rd- 4^th Place Match (on 18^th December): India (Amritpal Singh 24, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi 23, Rikin Pethani 16, Pratham Singh 10) bt Eastern Long Lions (Hong Kong) (Poon Chi Ho 18, Christopher Barnes 12, Lee Ki 10) 90-60 [20-17, 13-13, 32-19, 25-11]

Semifinals (on 17^th December): Southern California Fukienese Association Basketball Team (USA) (Taylor Statham 26, Donald Lee 21, Van Girard II 10) bt India (Vishesh Bhriguvanshi 35, Rikin Pethani 21, Amritpal Singh 17) 93-89 [19-25, 26-21, 23-27, 25-16]

Squad

The 12 member roster was finalized during the National Coaching Camp at National Basketball Academy (Indore, Madhya Pradesh), which took place from 28th November onwards.

During the Indore camp, former Australian National Women’s team assistant coach Mr Damian Cotter paid a visit, conducting special training sessions. His visit was coordinated with the assistance of Bengaluru based sports management company Pursuit India Sports & Entertainment Private Limited.

“Ours is a settled line up and we have been performing well against top Asian sides in the last few years. We are hopeful of winning both our league matches and progressing to the semifinals,” said Head Coach S Bhaskar.

Indian Squad for 21^st Best Mart 360° Super Kung Sheung Cup International Basketball Invitation 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
4	Bhardwaj	Ravi	31/10/1992	Chandigarh	Chandigarh	207 (6’ 9.5’’)	100	C
7	Bukanere Krishne Gowda	Anil Kumar	31/07/19898	Mandya	Karnataka	185 (6’)	68	F
8		Pratham Singh	01/10/1991	Bhilai	Chhattisgarh	189 (6’ 2”)	82	G
9	Bhriguvanshi	Vishesh (c)	13/09/1991	Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh	195 (6’ 4.5’’)	95	G/F
10		Amritpal Singh	05/01/1991	Ganna Pind	Punjab	207 (6’ 9.5’’)	110	C
14	Singh	Yadwinder	30/12/1986	Rasulpur Khurd	Punjab	198  (6’ 6’’)	95	F
15	Pethani	Rikin	02/12/1990	Sajiavadar Amreli	Gujurat	203  (6’ 8”)	104	C
23	Annadurai	Aravind	05/07/1993	Tanjore	Tamil Nadu	200  (6’ 7”)	95	C
24	Poiyamozhi	Baladhaneshwar	07/12/1999	Ullikkottai Mannargudi	Tamil Nadu	180 (5’ 10.8”)	71	SG
25	Arumugam	Arvind	28/01/1991	Mandya	Karnataka	197	94	PF
46	Sivakumar	Prasanna Venkatesh	25/09/1992	Gobichettipalayam	Tamil Nadu	186  (6’ 1”)	85	G/F
66	Pari	Akilan	20/07/1989	Chennai	Tamil Nadu	180 (5’ 10.8’’)	70	PG

*PG - Point Guard / Feeder, G - Guard, F - Forward, G/F - Wing, PF - Power Forward, C - Centre, PF/C - Post

13) Head Coach: Bhaskar Sappaniambalam

14) Assistant Coach: Srinivasa Murthy

15) Physio: Raj Kumar Dubey

16) Team Manager: Ashok Kumar Sahu

17) Referee: Rakesh Ramalingaiah

About the Super Kung Sheung Cup International Championship

The 21^st edition of the Super Kung Sheung Cup will be played at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong.

Participants

1.       National Team of India

2.       National Team of Malaysia

3.       National Team of Singapore

4.       National Team of Thailand

5.       Southern California Fukienese Association Basketball Team (USA)

6.       Guangxi Wei Zhuang Basketball Club, China

7.       National Team of Hong Kong, SCAA

8.       National Team of Hong Kong, Eastern Long Lions

9.       National Team of Hong Kong, Winling

Format

The 9 participating teams are split into three groups (A, B & C). The initial stage is being played in the typical round robin fashion. The best team in each group and the 2^nd best team among the remaining teams qualify for the semi-finals.

Groupings

Group 1: National Team of Malaysia, Guangxi Wei Zhuang Basketball Club (China), National Team of Hong Kong (Eastern Long Lions)

Group 2: National Team of Hong Kong (SCAA), National Team of Singapore, Southern California Fukienese Association Basketball Team (USA)

Group 3: National Team of Thailand, National Team of India, National Team of Hong Kong (Winling)

Immediate history

Southern California Fukienese Association won the 20^th Super Kung Sheung Cup 2015.

India’s History at the Championship

India last participated in the 17^th iteration of the Championship in 2010 and reached the semifinals, before eventually finishing fourth, behind SC Fukienese Association, Philippines and Hong Kong.

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.