Australia win the FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Foshan; winless India finish bottom

First-timers in the Asian circuit, Australia, routed hosts China in the final to win gold at the delayed FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Foshan on Sunday, April 8, 2018. The tournament, originally slated to be held last year, brought together the best youth players from Asia/Oceania from 13 national teams.

India's youth squad also took part in the tournament, but had a disappointing outing, losing all of their preliminary round games and finishing at last place.

Australia got off to a slow start in the final on Sunday, as China build up a 6-point lead after the first quarter. But then the tides change, and the Aussies' offensive arsenal took control. Led the unstoppable trio of Luke Travers (22), Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (21), and Tamuri Wigness (20) Australia beat China 91-67 to win the championship. Haoqin Sun had 16 for China in the loss.

Another newcomer - New Zealand - secured third place in the tournament by defeating the Philippines 76-70 in the bronze medal game on Sunday. The win was fuelled by a 24-7 second-quarter run by NZ. Marvin Williams-Dunn (17) and Mitchell Dance (16) were New Zealand's top performers, while Terrence John Fortea scored a game-high 18 for the Philippines in the loss.

The top four finishers above qualified to represent FIBA Asia to the 2018 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup.

India were placed in Group D of the preliminary stage of the tournament, the only group with four teams, making it mandatory for the team to win at least one game to move on to the next stage. India sent a squad of the best young players in the country, headlined by Harshwardhan Tomar, the captain, Princepal Singh, and coached by Vibhor Bhriguvanshi.

It was a difficult outing from the very start. India opened their campaign against reigning champs Korea, who immediately pulled out to a 27-12 first quarter lead. Despite matching the Koreans blow by blow for the rest of the game, the early hiccup was too much for India to overcome, and Korea went on to win 92-71. Jae Hyeon Kim scored 19 for his side in the win. India's top player was Princepal, who had 28 points and 17 rebounds in a heroic losing effort.

India faced another Asian powerhouse - Japan - in their second game. This time, India started better, and the score was tied at 17-all after the first quarter. But Japan took complete control from there on, taking a sudden 24-point lead in the second quarter and continuing their strong defence and tough shooting to notch a 109-57 win. Keisei Tominaga (27), Chikara Tanaka (22), and Keijiro Mitani (18) led Japan. India's top player was again Princepal, who had 26 points and 13 rebounds.

The team's final contest, against Lebanon, would prove to be the closest, to determine which team would join Korea and Japan in the next round. Once again, after a good first quarter, India slipped, and Lebanon turned a 2-point lead to a 15-point advantage by halftime. Despite a strong second-half surge, India couldn't close the gap and lost the game 88-81. Rayan Raine Zanbaka scored 27 for Lebanon while India were led by Rajveer Singh Bhati (22) and Priyanshu (16) in the loss.

The loss dropped India to 0-3 to finish at last place.

Although it was a disappointing outing overall, India can be encouraged by the performances of Princepal, who has improved a lot after spending the past year with the NBA India Academy in Greater Noida. The 6-10, 17-year-old Center led the team in scoring (22.7) and rebounds (13.0) and is sure to be a force for India's frontcourt in the future. Other top performers included Bhati, the team's second leading scorer, and the captain Harshwardhan, both of whom will surely be a part of the national U18 team in the next major FIBA tournament.

Final Standings

• 1. Australia
• 2. China
• 3. New Zealand
• 4. Philippines
• 5. Korea

India's youth boys' squad sets off for FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Foshan, China

The U16 level is the youngest official stage of international basketball competition. For teenage basketball stars in India that hope to become future leaders of the game, it's their first chance to wear the team's national jersey, to travel for a major event abroad, to give a preview of their potential.

Unfortunately, for many of India's next generation their dream FIBA champsionship debut was delayed. FIBA's official event for the continent's youth boys' squads - the 2017 FIBA U16 Asian Championship - was postponed from its original scheduled dates in Fall 2017.

Now, the long-delayed opportunity finally presents itself. The 2017 FIBA U16 Asian Championship is set to be held in Foshan, China, from April 2-8, 2018. India is among the 13 squads taking part in this tournament, a fray of teams that includes hosts China, reigning champions Korea, the 2015 silver-medallists Chinese Taipei, and competitive new additions from Oceania: Australia and New Zealand. The tournament will serve as Asia's qualifier for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018 in Argentina.

India will be hoping to overturn the disappointments of the 2015 U16 FIBA Asia tournament in Jakarta, where the squad finished with a 3-5 record and dropped to 13th place among the 15 participating teams.

This year's squad will be led by a couple of young players who have already started to make a name for themselves in Indian hoop circles, including the captain Harshwardhan Tomar and big man Prince Pal Singh. Both these players played a prominent role in helping India win the 2017 U16 South Asia Basketball Championship in Nepal. Prince Pal, who plays for the NBA Academy India, was named the MVP of that tournament and has also been part of the NBA/FIBA's Global Basketball Without Borders camp during this year's NBA All Star Weekend. Tomar was notably a young prospect at the Stellazzurra Academy for basketball in Italy. Another player to watch in Indian colours is Priyanshu, who showed some great potential at the championship in Nepal last year.

The squad will be led once again by head coach Vibhor Bhriguvanshi, who helped deliver the dominant 2017 South Asia Championship triumph.

2017 FIBA U16 Championship Groupings

• Group A: China, New Zealand, Hong Kong.
• Group B: Australia, Philippines, Malaysia.
• Group A: Iran, Chinese Taipei, Macau.
• Group A: Korea, Japan, Lebanon, India.

India's roster for 2017 FIBA U16 Championship

• Prashant Tomar
• Jerome Prince
• Rajveer Singh Bhati
• Nitish Beniwal
• Vigneshwar Upadhyay
• Manikanta Manuri
• Divyaraj Singh Rathore
• Harshwardhan Tomar
- Captain
• Priyanshu
• Prince Pal Singh
• Ajmer
• Head Coach: Vibhor Bhriguvanshi
• Assistant Coach: Babu Davis
• Manager: Ajeet Singh Rathore

India's preliminary round schedule - all timings IST

• April 2 - India vs. Korea - 5:30 PM
• April 3 - Japan vs. India - 3:30 PM
• April 4 - India vs. Lebanon - 12:30 PM

FIBA will stream all the games in this championship LIVE across their social media channels.

"We are proud of your achievements so far and expect a lot more from you in the coming days," said K. Govindraj, the president of the Basketball Federation of India, to the young players. "It as an incredible achievement to represent the country at such a young age but we hope that all of you keep on learning and improving so that in future we can see you representing the Senior team as well. I wish you all the best and hope that you make the country proud."

India are in a difficult group, the only group of four, and will surely struggle in their first two matchups against the faster and more athletic Korea and Japan. India's best opportunity for a victory might be against Lebanon, and if they can pull it off, they will move on to the playoffs stage. Regardless of result, this tournament will provide a good chance for India's young players to show their standings against others of their age group in Asia, and hopefully can some experience and confidence for future events.