Rajesh Patel, the most-decorated basketball coach in India, passes away at 62

This article was first published in my column for The Times of India Sports on May 8, 2018. Read the original piece here.

I vividly remember one of the first times I saw Rajesh Patel—coach and spearheading force of Chhattisgarh basketball—in action on the side-lines of a basketball court. It was the 2010 Junior National Basketball Championship in Vashi, Maharashtra, the annual tournament featuring the top under-18 players in the nation. By then, Patel had already turned Chhattisgarh’s junior, youth, and sub-junior level girls into the most successful programme of the decade, winning dozens of medals across the various competitions. He was Chhattisgarh basketball secretary, its chief talent scout and recruiter, it’s media relations-person, and on this day in Vashi in a preliminary round game against Delhi, he was there in his favourite role: head coach.

Chhattisgarh had begun the game in a blitz, leading 25-2 after the first quarter. But as the girls walked back to the bench, Patel still seemed unhappy.

“You slowed down in the end,” he told them. “This is a 40-minute game, and we have only played 10. We lead by 20 now, I want us to lead by 50 by the time the game's over.”

With ruthless efficiency, they followed his command, and by the game ended, Chhattisgarh had secured a 69-48 victory. Not quite the margin he had envisioned, but it would be good enough.

Ironically, the 2010 Junior Nationals were one of the few years when Chhattisgarh’s girls didn’t win a medal. For Patel, such failure was a rare, almost alien occurrence. For 33 years, he dedicated his life to coaching the game to youngsters from Chhattisgarh’s rural, tribal, and other nearby regions. As head coach of Chhattisgarh since 2001, he delivered 104 medals, including 69 gold medals, to the state in the 17-year stretch in National Basketball Championships, National Games, and the Federation Cup. In 2015, he was named India’s Most Successful Basketball Coach by the Limca Book of Records.

It was en route to another Junior National Championship—the 2018 Junior Nationals in Ludhiana, Punjab—that he breathed his last. Patel got a sudden cardiac arrest during the train journey on Monday, May 7, and passed away in Panipat. He was 62-years-old, and was reportedly diabetic and suffering from kidney issues.

Patel will be remembered as one of the most dedicated and hard-working leaders in Indian basketball. In his youth, he played for Madhya Pradesh and joined the Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) in 1980. By 1985, he turned all of his efforts into coaching the basketball recruits at Bhilai.

In 2000, Chhattisgarh gained independent statehood from Madhya Pradesh and Patel became the state’s basketball secretary the following year. He set up a residential basketball academy in Bhilai and recruited dozens of players from nearby regions—many of whom were from tribal or underprivileged backgrounds—to teach them the game. His mission was simple: to help these young girls earn employment through the sports quota.

He found astonishing success. Patel’s Chhattisgarh teams were renowned for their speed and efficiency, running lesser prepared opponents off the floor with ease. They won or were in the mix of winning every under-age championship in Indian domestic basketball for nearly two decades, and it was only when his top players were successfully recruited by units like the Indian Railways that the senior level Chhattisgarh teams saw a dip in results.

Over the years, he helped 85 young women secure jobs under the sports quota at the Indian Railways. 41 of his alumni have represented the Indian national team at various age levels, and seven have been Indian national team captains. Some of the top players to have risen under Patel’s tutelage include Anju Lakra, Bharti Netam, Seema Singh, Poonam Chaturvedi, Kavita Akula, Akanksha Singh, Maddu Pushpa and many more. Several male players like Ajay Pratap Singh also credit Patel and the BSP for their rise to prominence.

Notable stories among these players include that of Poonam Chaturvedi, originally from Kanpur, was discovered by Patel and grew to be the tallest woman basketball player in India at 6-foot-11. Chaturvedi was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2014 but made a comeback to the game and continued to be a major part of Patel’s Chhattisgarh state team. On the other side of the “height” spectrum is 22-year-old Kavita Akula, a five-foot-six point guard who earned scholarship to the IMG Academy in Florida at 14 and, last year, became the first Indian to be offered a full basketball scholarship in an NCAA Division 1 university, the Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.

For his contributions to grassroots basketball in India, Patel was felicitated at the FICCI sports summit in 2010.

Twice during his tenure, Chhattisgarh’s Senior teams reached the finals of the prestigious National Championship. In 2014, Chhattisgarh pulled off a stunning upset of Railways in the final of the National Championship in New Delhi, ending Railways’ ten-year winning streak. The victory inspired Bollywood, too, and a production team led by Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi has since shown interest in making a film about Patel and his squad.

Patel continued to lead and coach until his last days, and his sudden death on Monday brought an outpouring of respect an emotion from Indian basketball veterans on social media and in the news.

The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) wrote in a statement: “The Indian Basketball family lost a legend today as former Indian team Head Coach and current Chhattisgarh team Head Coach Mr. Rajesh Patel passed away. Coach Rajesh Patel was one of the best Basketball Coaches in India and was a true gem of a person. May his soul rest in peace.”

“His dedication to basketball is beyond everything,” wrote India’s veteran coach, former player, and referee Shiba Maggon. “His life is a complete journey of basketball. His efforts gave hundreds of families food in the house, jobs to the girls. He raised hopes for the girls to make something out of life.”

Anju Lakra, one of the many success stories of Patel’s programme, summed up the coach’s extraordinary influence: “He helped us break free.”

Patel will always be synonymous with Chhattisgarh Basketball, and will particularly be remembered for leading the charge to help female athletes in a culture where their efforts are often undermined and their opportunities few and far between. He exemplified the potential of the sport, it’s power to provide both excellence on the court and hope off of it.

On the way to the Junior Nationals, Patel passed away doing what he loved best, leading a group of young women to more basketball opportunities. His legacy will now be carried forward by the athletes whose lives he transformed.

26th Federation Cup tips on a high note for Southern Railway and Chhattisgarh Women

An exclusive collection of India’s finest club and state teams tipped off the 26th edition of the All India Federation Cup Basketball Championship for Men & Women at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi (Kerala) on Wednesday. Champions of the Women’s division last year Chhattisgarh continued their hot streak with a big win on their opening game, while perennial contenders Southern Railway also started strong in their first match-up.

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India's Best Descent to Chennai: National Basketball Championship Preview!

It's back! After a year filled with basketball tournaments around India - from the sponsored club championships to the National junior-level competitions - it is finally time for the most prestigious trophy of them all. India's finest Men and Women Senior teams from states and units all across the country are set to battle for the 62nd Senior National Basketball Championship for Men & Women, set to be held in Chennai (Tamil Nadu) from December 16th-24th, 2011.

The tournament will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, the same courts that hosted the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship for Women. A total of 26 Men's teams and 23 Women's teams have confirmed participation in the event, organised by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) in association with the Tamil Nadu Basketball Association (TNBA).

The participating teams are:

Men (26): Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Pondicherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Services, Indian Railways.

Women (23): Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Pondicherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Indian Railways.

It wasn't even a year ago when, in the capital city of Delhi, India's most powerful basketball forces added another feather in their caps and another stripe on their basketballs. On January 4th, 2011, Indian Railways completed a three-peat double of National Basketball Championship victories: it was the third consecutive year that both the Men's and the Women's team from Indian Railways won their respective divisions. It was the third consecutive victory for the Men, and an incredible eight consecutive chance to hoist the trophy for the women. Railways have become an unstoppable force, completely dominating Senior Basketball in India.

In the Women's division in the last championship, Indian Railways faced Delhi for the ninth consecutive time in the Final, and had no trouble cruising to a huge 99-55 victory behind a big game by legendary Center Geethu Anna Jose (29) and Anju Lakra (23). In the Men's division, Indian Railways were given a stiffer challenge by Services, but a 27-point outburst by point guard Arjun Singh in the final gave his side a 74-62 win. Tamil Nadu (Women) and Punjab (Men) finished at third place in their respective divisions.

For the National Championship in Chennai, it seems that Indian Railways' Women's squad will once again be the favourites: some of their biggest stars - including Geethu Anna Jose and Anitha Paul Durai - play for the local Southern Railways side, and will feel the home advantage in this championship. After her trial with the WNBA, expect Geethu to be stronger this time around, and expect big contributions by Chhattisgarh's sharp-shooter Anju Lakra and Anitha. Delhi, powered by the 'Singh Sisters' - Prashanti, Pratima, Akanksha - and growing star Raspreet Sidhu, will once again pose the biggest threat to the holding champions. But one of the most improved teams in the Women's side will be Kerala, who will be able to feature several of their superstars that have been making waves in the Junior and Youth divisions and haven't yet been scooped up by Railways.

Indian Railways Men may lose a little bit of their shine, however: two of their biggest stars and starters for India's international squad Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Yadwinder Singh have transferred to ONGC, immediately tipping the power scales further up north to Uttarakhand. The Men's division is wide open now, as Services and Punjab will come to Chennai believing that they could walk away with the gold.

Another major feature at the Chennai Senior Nationals will be that India's three world-class national coaches - the Americans Kenny Natt, Pete Gaudet, and Zak Penwell - are all planning to hosts clinics for other Indian coaches as well as players gathered in Chennai for the Nationals.

Team managers will be reporting at the venue in Chennai on December 15h, and a Referees Clinic is slotted to be held the same day, on the eve of the tournament's opening tip.

Basketball fans from Chennai and nearby (and even those not so near!): This is your golden opportunity to watch the best basketball that India has to offer. Games will be held all day (usually from 8 AM - 8 PM) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, and entry is free! All of India's biggest superstars, including Jagdeep Singh, Yadwinder Singh, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Hareesh Koroth, Trideep Rai, TJ Sahi, Geethu Anna Jose, Prashanti Singh, Anitha Paul Durai, Akanksha Singh, Raspreet Sidhu, Kokila Subramani and MANY more will be taking part.

Who do you think will be the last team standing?

Basketball stars align for shooting and dunk show in Mumbai

It was a curious scene – outside the Mastan YMCA court, was the poor Nagpada area, that of thin lanes, population outbursts, and some of the best kebabs known to man. Enter the court and it was a slightly different world, where the finest Men & Women basketball stars from all across the country gathered together for a novel Indian All Star event. They wore fancy new jerseys, participated in glittering photo shoots, and signed autographs.

But this was a scene where these two world’s aligned beautifully. The Nagpada area has long been known for being a major hub of basketball activity in India, and it has overseen some of the greatest players, rivalries, and basketball tournaments that have been held in the country over the past several decades. That frenzied energy and fandom for the game is the perfect platform for the two-day All Star event.

On Friday night, the best shooters in the Men’s and Women’s categories took part in a three-point shooting competition. This was followed by the fan-favourite, Slam Dunk contest, which saw more than one major surprise. And the high-point of this high-energy night came when Punjabi’s point guard Talwinderjit Singh “TJ” Sahi brought out a Mumbai Kali-Peeli (Black & Yellow) taxi to the basketball court, had it parked below the basket, caught a pass from a friend sitting atop the taxi’s carrier, and proceeded to slam it home.

But the night was about so much more than that – all of the stars of the two teams, which included Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (India Men’s captain), local legend Riyazuddin, Jagdeep Singh, Trideep Rai, Yadwinder Singh, Indian Women’s captain Prashanti Singh, Anitha Paul Durai, Anju Lakra, and many others were presented with their new all star jerseys. They proudly took part in several photo-shoots and were fawned over by the local basketball aspirants. Unlike most of India, the kids in Nagpada don’t want to grow up and bat like Sachin or bowl like Zaheer; they have dreams of dribbling like Riyaz and shooting like Manisha.

“Mumbai is the best place to promote, not only basketball, but to promote anything at all,” said Prashanti Singh, “In India, basketball is biggest in this city.”

And the biggest platform in India was presented with India’s biggest performers. A large crowd, comprising of young children, older basketball players, and hundreds of locals from the nearby areas swelled up the court, finding their seats on the ground and on the stands around the court. The night began with the Women’s three-point shooting competition, a large field where 13 of the All-Stars participated.

Four of the shooters tied with seven three-pointers made in one minute each after the first round – Maharashtra’s own Manisha Dange, and three sharpshooters from Chhattisgarh – Seema Singh, Anju Lakra, and Akansha Singh. When the second round got on for the women, it was Akansha who stood last, making a last second three-pointer to give herself the edge and the win. Dange finished second and Lakra came in third.

The men’s competition followed, and the field of participants was only half of the women. It made for a stiffer battle, and in the end Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, who made eight threes under a minute, was crowned Men’s three-point champion. TJ Sahi finished second.

Vishesh came out again to take part in the Slam Dunk competition, and he was joined by Yadwinder Singh, Jagdeep Singh, and TJ Sahi. The rules of the competition were simple – three judges give each player their score out of 10 for each dunk, and there are three rounds. All four of the dunkers wowed the crowd with their athletic ability. And the crowds played happy volunteers, too – it didn’t take more than a slight nudge from Vishesh before several young kids took a seat below the basket for the dunker to jump over them and slam the ball in.

Sahi, who brought on Mumbai’s famous icon – the Kali-Peeli – had many of the kids sit inside the car to watch him jump and dunk over them. The meter stayed up, and so did Sahi, who brought the house down with his effort. It was unfortunately not enough as Vishesh was able to spring out his own surprise - dunking over a motorcycle - and in the end and score just enough. In the end, the competition ended in a tie for both of India’s top dunkers.

With the playful festivities of the first day over, the All Star Weekend moves into its main event for Saturday night, when both the women’s and the men’s All Star Games will be played at the Mastan court. The brand new kit has been ironed, the players have practiced, and the crowd is going to start jostling for their seats: are you ready?

All Star Friday night results

Three point shooting competition (Women): 1. Akansha Singh 2. Manisha Dange 3. Anju Lakra

Three point shooting competition (Men): 1. Vishesh Bhriguvanshi 2. Talwinderjit Singh Sahi

Slam Dunk contest (Men): Talwinderjit Singh Sahi & Vishesh Bhriguvanshi

Punjab Men & TN Women win National Games Basketball Tournament

The basketball tournament at the 34th National Games in Ranchi came to an end on Tuesday, February 22nd, as Punjab Men and Tamil Nadu Women won their respective final games at the Harivansh Tana Bharat Indoor Stadium at city's Mega Sports Complex.


Led by explosive and experienced point guard TJ Sahi (28) points, Punjab sped past a hapless Uttarakhand side in the Final, leading the entire way to aa massive 97-57 win. The twin towers for Punjab, Jagdeep Singh and Yadwinder Singh had big games with 20 and 19 points respectively. Muralikrishna had 19 points for Uttarakhand in a losing effort.

The Women's game was a see-saw affair between Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh, the winners of the recent Federation Cup in Raipur. After trailing by two at the end of the first quarter, Tamil Nadu's legendary Center Geethu Anna Jose caught fire, scoring at will to end the game with 34 points and dominate the next three quarters. TN beat Chhattisgarh 79-45. Renjini Jose added 21 for TN. For Chhattisgarh, captain Anju Lakra had a valiant 25 points.

Earlier in the day, in the third-place match-ups, Tamil Nadu Men won bronze after defeating Services 81-68. Delhi Women got third place after a win over Maharashtra 79-59.

With Chhattisgarh's first indoor stadium, Raipur bids to enter the Basketball world

There is one side of India that the world knows well and recognizes. This is the side that features the wide roads and super-fast Metro trains in New Delhi, or the Bollywood stories and the glamour from Mumbai, or the burgeoning IT/BPO spheres in cities like Hyderabad and Bangalore.

But then there is another India, which houses the large majority of the Indian people, and which has overseen a quiet but incredible economical surge. This is Middle India: the bread-basket from where we get our people, our rice, and one of our most valuable produces, Iron.

And a little left to the middle of Middle India is the state of Chhattisgarh. Formed from separation off of Madhya Pradesh 11 years ago, the state of Chhattisgarh has had an accelerated rise in its economical profile. Once the country’s major agricultural processing centre, Chhattisgarh’s capital city of Raipur has now evolved into a commercial hub for coal, power, steel, and aluminum industries. There are hundreds and hundreds of steel rolling mills and iron and steel plants around this growing city.

As a state, Chhattisgarh has also made its mark felt in the sports sector, and especially in the world of Indian basketball. For the past decade since the new state’s Chhattisgarh Pradesh Basketball Association (CGPBA) became affiliated to the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), the state has been basketball’s best kept secret.

The state team is collected, trained, formed, and housed in and around the city of Bhilai: the Bhilai Steel Plant has had a major influence in shaping the face of basketball in the state. But in the state’s capital city of Raipur, though, the step towards basketball seemed a long way away.

But it seems that things have turned a corner for this city: A little more than a week ago, on the 3rd of February, Chhattisgarh’s first indoor stadium, built by the city’s municipal corporation, was inaugurated in Raipur. Within a week, the brand new Budhatalab Indoor Stadium in Raipur was ready to be tested. For the first time, the city of Raipur is playing host to a national level basketball championship, as the 25th IMG-Reliance Federation Cup National Basketball Championship tipped off at the stadium on Feb 10th. For six days, the best teams and players in the country will be competing for this prestigious championship, and they will be competing in Raipur.

“It feels great to finally have a top quality indoor stadium in the state,” said Rajesh Patel, the honorary secretary of the CGPBA and one of the most dedicated coaches and talent scouts in the country, “Chhattisgarh has performed well over the years just by practicing on the outdoor courts. Now with better infrastructure, we hope that it will translate to more success for our teams.”

The new stadium had an inauspicious start: According to Patel planning and work began 15 years ago, but was stalled in the middle due to several complications. A year ago, it was picked up by the city again, and was finally completed in time for this tournament.

Apart from basketball, the stadium also has facilities for other indoor sports like Handball, Volleyball, Table Tennis, and Badminton. It can fit a maximum audience capacity of 5,000.

Earlier, Bhilai had played host to three major basketball nationals, but none of them were Senior events: the Junior championship in 2001, Sub-Junior championship in 2005, and Youth championship in 2008. Patel added that, now equipped with this indoor stadium, the next step would be to bring the Senior National Championship to Chhattisgarh and to Raipur.

“We would also like to hold Indian national team camps here in the future,” Patel added.

And another thing that Patel and the rest of the Chhattisgarh will be hoping is that through these efforts, the city of Raipur, which has so far been a relative stranger to basketball, begins to morph into a city with a healthy basketball culture. “This city still doesn’t have an official basketball coach for this court who will help guide young players,” Patel said, “Of course, there are good basketball players from here who have developed their game in Bhilai and even made it to the national level, but now we need more players to develop from Raipur itself. The talent is here, and so is the infrastructure, all that is needed now is the right kind of guidance.”

After the Federation Cup’s inauguration ceremony on Thursday night, the Chhattisgarh Girls’ team put on a resounding show of confidence in front of the state’s Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh on their first official game on this new court. Chhattisgarh defeated Tamil Nadu by an easy 30 points, after which the team’s captain Anju Lakra seemed more than happy with the new setting for basketball.

“Early on, we thought that this court was going to be different,” Anju admitted, “But as we got into the flow of the game, we started to enjoy playing there. And since we won the game, the court also won our hearts!”

It might just be the first of many crucial steps, but Chhattisgarh’s basketball fraternity will be hoping that the game can win over the hearts of the city, so that one day the city known for its coal, iron and agriculture will be known for its bouncing rubber balls, too!

Chhattisgarh star Anju Lakra set to defend her home ground in the Federation Cup

With the Indian basketball fraternity focusing more and more towards the youth and the future of the game, 27-year-old Anju Lakra became an outcast to the system. After being part of several senior teams, including the FIBA Asia Basketball Championships (ABC) for Women in Chennai in 2009, Anju was snubbed from the side when selections were made for India’s first ever appearance in the Asian Games in Guangzhou after a 28-year-gap.

But with age comes maturity: Anju, who has been playing the game for 15 years now, has taken the snub as a motivation to make it to the biggest stage again. “Maybe this time I wasn’t good enough for the team, but the Asian Games will take place again in four years, and now, I will be aiming for them,” she said. With the next edition of the ABC to take place in August this year, Anju also wishes to get a call-up to the camp for the squad that will head to Japan.

Back in domestic action though, Anju continued her Midas touch with the game this year: she was part of the Indian Railways side that again won the National Championship in Delhi last month, and towards the end of January, she carried her home state Chhattisgarh to the final of the Savio Cup in Mumbai, only to lose in the final to Southern Railway. For her extraordinary efforts in the tournament, Anju was named the Savio Cup’s Best Women Player.

Anju had a curious start to basketball – back at age 11, the tomboy approached her PT teacher at her school in Billai, hoping to get a chance to learn Hockey. The PT teacher recommended Anju towards Handball instead. It was her another year of learning Handball in her school until one day, Chhattisgarh Basketball’s Secretary Rajesh Patel spotted her playing. “You should try basketball,” he suggested.

And Anju was hooked.

Patel has a formidable reputation for building basketball in Chhattisgarh - Around 120 players have received training from him and received government jobs under sports quota. He has been the coach of the Indian Junior and Youth women basketball teams and 25 players trained by him have represented the Indian national team.

Luckily for Anju, she wisely took up his suggestion and shifted sports. Back then, before the formation of Chhattisgarh as a separate state, Anju played at the Sub-Junior and Youth level for the Madhya Pradesh side. When asked if it was strange to separate into a new state in 2000, Anju replied that on the contrary, it was a positive thing. “We had so many good players from the Chhattisgarh area who couldn’t make it to the talented MP side back then,” she said, “When Chhattisgarh was formed, I was happy that so many other players who were playing with me in Billai got a chance to represent the state.”

And in less than a year, Anju was back playing National Basketball – this time for Chhattisgarh, and in the Women’s Festival in Haldia, West Bengal. It didn’t take long for her to face her former teammates and her former state when Chhattisgarh faced MP in the third place playoff of the tournament. Anju and Chhattisgarh prevailed. “It was very exciting to play them and beat them for the first time!” she said.

Since her youth, Anju has been a mark of consistency, and a model for many young girls out of Chhattisgarh hoping to choose basketball as a way forward. She played her first game for India in the Junior ABC in New Delhi in 2000. Her first Senior call-up came a year later for the ABC in Bangkok. She played in more major tournaments, including the Senior ABC in 2005 and the ABC back home in Chennai, 2009.

Her versatile skills and ability to lead on court has made her a valuable asset to whoever she has represented – be it Indian Railways or Chhattisgarh. Anju is a 5 foot 4 forward, equally adept at playing as a playmaker and a scorer, although the strongest part of her game is definitely her accuracy from the long range.

Chhattisgarh lost to Southern Railway in the final of the Savio Cup, where Anju had to face several of her Indian Railways opponents like legendary Center Geethu Anna Jose and Anitha Pau Durai. “We have been going to the Savio Cup a lot and performing well – but to beat Southern Railway, we have to find a way of stopping Geethu,” Anju admits, “We can match up to them in other ways but still don’t have that size. It will take a couple more years before we can develop some talented tall girls to represent Chhattisgarh.”

“For now, our tactic is to try and outrun our opponent to score,” she said, “I have been playing well offensively, but whenever you focus too much on offense, your defense suffers. This is an area of my game which I feel needs the most improvement.”

Next up on Anju’s plate will be protecting her home turf, as the 25th Federation Cup, featuring the best eight teams from last year’s National Championship, is set to take place in Chhattisgarh from 10-15th of February. It will be a chance for Chhattisgarh and Anju to get immediate retribution from their rivals. “We will be playing on our home court,” Anju said, “So we will be extra motivated to play harder. Our main rivals are Indian Railways and Delhi, and these are the two teams that we have to keep our eye on.”

Even after 15 years in the game, Anju still remains hungry for more success in basketball and continues to dominate, especially since her performances at the Savio Cup. She credits everything to the game for helping her become who she is. “It is basketball that has brought me here,” she says, “In basketball, I have found a place where I can clear my mind. As I’ve grown with the game, I have become more independent and confident.”

“Every time I’m on a basketball court I have felt a great, family atmosphere,” she added, “All the coaches I have worked with have been supportive and helped me improve. That is why this game is so important.”

With no shortage of confidence and motivate, Anju will definitely be one to watch once the Federation Cup tips off in Raipur next week!

Indian Railways and Southern Railway win Savio Cup 6

In an exciting finale to eight days of mesmerising basketball at the Don Bosco–Matunga in Mumbai, Southern Railway (Women) and Indian Railways (Men) pulled off impressive victories to hoist the sixth edition of the United Phosphorous Limited (UPL) All India Savio Cup on Sunday, January 30th. Southern Railway relied on the talents of legendary Geethu Anna Jose to help beat Chhattisgarh in the Women’s final, 76-66. In the Men’s game, National Champions Indian Railways rallied behind an explosive game by Vishesh Bhriguvanshi as they pulled an improbable 91-79 upset over the strong American side, Shooting For Success (SFS).

For his consistent dominance throughout the competition, Bhriguvanshi was named player of the tournament. Anju Lakra, the Chhattisgarh captain, took the honour in the Women’s division.

In a tournament that has been gathering momentum and fan-following over the past few years, the Savio Cup 6 featured six Men’s teams (Indian Railways, SFS, IOB Chennai, Services, Punjab, Maharashtra) and four Women’s teams (Southern Railway, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka) who played in a league system from January 23-29th, with the final held on January 30th.

Trailing at the end of the first quarter in the Women’s final, Geethu, Anitha P., Renjini Peter, and the rest of the Southern Railway squad began to turn the game around against Chhattisgarh. Geethu led the game with 29 points while Anitha and Peter added 16 each for Railway as they won by 10 points. For Chhattisgarh, star players Pushpa M (27) and Anju Lakra (20) shined in the final.

Undefeated thus far, American side SFS were strong favourites to win the Men’s final as they faced the Indian Railways side who had won the National Championship in New Delhi a few weeks ago. Instead, Railways kept the game close in a face-paced, back-and-forth match-up. Trailing by two at the end of the third quarter, Railways played their strongest basketball behind Vishesh 33), Yadiwinder Singh (20) and Gagandeep Singh (16) to stand as 91-79 winners. Terry Fields (29) was the high man for SFS.

The winning teams in both divisions were rewarded Rs. 50,000 and the runners-up with Rs. 25,000.

A dunk competition was also held on the penultimate day of the Savio Cup, which was won by Terry Fields of SFS. Amjyot Singh (Punjab) and Anwar Ferguson (SFS) finished second and third respectively.

Final Scores

Women: Southern Railway 76 (Geethu Anna Jose 29, Renjini Peter 16, Anitha P. 16) bt. Chhattisgarh 66 (Pushpa M. 27, Anju Lakra 20).

Men: Indian Railways 91 (Vishesh Bhriguvanshi 33, Yadiwinder Singh 20, Gagandeep Singh 16) bt. Shooting For Success 79 (Terry Fields 29, David Jones 13).

Best Players Awards

Women: Anju Lakra (Chhattisgarh).

Men: Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (Indian Railways).