Kozhikode to host Kerala's Youth Basketball Championship & Junior 3x3 Basketball Championship

The Kerala Basketball Association has announced that the city of Kozhikode is set to play host to two exciting basketball championships over the next week. The 30th Kerala State Youth Basketball Championship will be held from April 2-7, 2013 and the inaugural 1st Kerala State 3x3 Junior Basketball Championship will be held on April 6-7. Both competitions will be held in the boys' and girls' divisions.

Games will be held at the Silver Hill Indoor Stadium in Kozhikode. The championships are being held for the Sam Joseph, Shahil Muhammed, and Velandi Achu Master Memorial KBA tropies. A total of 14 teams each in both the boys' and girls' divisions have been chosen for the Kerala Youth Championship. The participating teams are:

Boys

Pool A: Kozhikode, Thrissur, Thiruvanathapuram, Pathanamthitta.
Pool B: Ernakulum, Kottayam, Kannur, Kasargod.
Pool C: Alapuzha, Wayanad, Malapuram.
Pool D: Kollum, Idukki, Palakkad.

Girls

Pool A: Kozhikode, Kollum, Ernakulam, Alapuzha.
Pool B: Kottayam, Thrissur, Thiruvanathapuram, Kannur.
Pool C: Pathanamthitta, Malapuram, Palakkad.
Pool D: Kasargod, Wayanad, Idukki.

The top three teams from Pools A and B and top teams from Pools C and D will qualify for the knockout round, which will begin on April 5.

Hosts Kozhikode are the reigning champions in both divisions. The teams to represent Kerala State at the National Youth Basketball Championship in Kolkata (West Bengal) from April 30 - May 7 will be determined on their performance at this tournament.

India is also holding its first ever national-level 3x3 basketball championships this year. The Junior (U18) National 3x3 Championship is set to be held in Ludhiana (Punjab) on April 18-19. Kerala's team for the tournament will be picked from the state-level performances at Kozhikode.

On April 6, Kozhikode basketball legends will be honoured at the event by PJ Sunny, the Chairman of the Kerala State Selection Committee.