Dominant hosts Australia win double basketball golds at 2018 Commonwealth Games; Indian contingent return winless

Before the first jump-ball was tipped up, all signs already pointed towards Australia to be a dominant force at the 2018 Commonwealth Games basketball tournament. Both Australian Men and Women's squads had won the gold on home soil the last time basketball featured in the CWG back in 2006. Both squads had already made a mark on the Olympic stage, the Asian basketball stage, and of course, in the regional Oceania bracket. Now, at the 2018 edition of the tournament in Gold Coast, they had the home support and the talent to secure the golds once again.

And that is exactly what happened. Over the weekend on April 14-15, Australia's Women and Men both won their respective finals at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in the last two days of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in impressive fashion. Both finished their outings at GC2018 undefeated.

Australia's Women's squad played their final on Saturday, April 14, against England and blew past them for an easy 99-55 win, led by Kelsey Griffin (16) and Cayla George (16).

Australia's Men won their final with similar ease, using a balanced offensive attack to defeat Canada 87-47 on Sunday, April 15.

New Zealand won both bronze medals at GC2018 Basketball. NZ's women - led by Natalie Taylor (18), Charlisse Leger-Walker, and Micaela Cocks (18) - beat Canada 75-58 on Saturday. Ceejay Noefuente had 18 for Canada in the loss. NZ's men needed a strong 26-point performance by Thomas Abercrombie to beat Scotland 79-69 on Sunday.

While Indian athletes at Gold Coast generally enjoyed a lot of high points and success during the Commonwealth Games, the same couldn't be said about the basketball squads. Despite giving themselves several weeks of preparation and naming the best-available healthy players in both the Men and Women's teams, India returned from Australia having lost all of their games in both divisions.

Led by Serbian coach Zoran Visic, India's women's team featured many of the heroes from the FIBA Asia Cup second-division triumph, including Jeena Scaria, Grima Merlin Varghese, Raspreet Sidhu, and Rajapriyadarshani Rajaganapathi. Missing in action was India’s most experienced player and captain, Anitha Paul Durai. But taking charge in her absence will be the hero of the Kazakhstan final herself—Shireen Limaye—who has been handed captain’s mantle and will hope to inspire the squad to more heroics at this prestigious stage.

India got off to a fraught start against Jamaica. Despite staying neck to neck with their opponents all game, India never quite had the extra level to push ahead. Jennifer George scored 19 for Jamaica in a 66-57 win, while India were led by Limaye's 18.

India's biggest disappointment would probably be the Game 2 loss to Malaysia, who are familiar rivals on the Asian stage that India has often defeated in the post. It was an up-and-down game, with India trailing only by four before the start of the final quarter. But Malaysia finished with a flurry and raced away to an 85-72 win. Fook Yee Yap scored 18 for the winning side while India were led by Scaria's 19 points and 13 rebounds.

India's final game was another loss to eventual bronze-medallists New Zealand. NZ outscored India 31-12 in the first quarter and kept a command of the game throughout, cruising to a 90-55 victory. Cocks scored 21 for the winning side.

India Women ended the tournament 0-3, knocked out out of the preliminary round.

Coach Rajinder Singh was at the helm of India's Men's roster, which came headlined by internationally experienced bigs like Amjyot Singh, Satnam Singh, and Amritpal Singh. Amritpal, unfortunately, injured his ACL in the run-up to the tournament and was ruled out. India were already shaky in the backcourt in the absence of the injured Vishesh Bhrighuvanshi. The development of another big, Aravind Annadurai, provided some hope for the national squad. Experienced forward Yadwinder Singh was named the team's captain.

Led by Amjyot (23), India got off to a strong start in their first game against Cameroon, even leading by 24 points halfway into the contest. But Cameroon weren't deterred, and led by Arnold Akola Kome (21) and Robert Songolo Ngijol (17), made a memorable comeback to tie and then overturn India's lead. In the end, India stared down a massive collapse as Cameroon held on to win 96-87.

The collapse took fizzled out India's energies, and the team played uninspired in their second game, a 100-54 loss to England. Adam Thoseby had 20 points for the winning side while Annadurai showed some flashes of offensive prowess for India, ending with a game-high 22.

India played better against Scotland in their last game, trailing just by 8 at halftime. But a 29-11 third-quarter run by the Scots snatched the game away, and despite a late run by India, it wasn't enough to avoid the 96-81 loss. Scotland's top player was Nicholas Collins (16). India's trio of bigs came up huge in the loss, led by Annadurai (27 points, 14 rebounds), Amjyot (26 points), and Satnam (16).

Like the Women, India's Men also ended 0-3 and were knocked out of the preliminary stage.

CGW-2018 Final Standings

Women

• 1. Australia
• 2. England
• 3. New Zealand

Men

• 1. Australia
• 2. Canada
• 3. New Zealand

Hoopdarshan Episode 58: India's FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and more with Yash Matange

Last week, India hosted two FIBA World Cup Qualifiers on home soil, at Bengaluru's Sree Kanteerava Stadium. A "clerical error" of epic proportions forced India to field undermanned squads, and eventually, lose both games to Jordan and Lebanon. In Episode 58 of Hoopdarshan, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok welcome SportsKeeda writer Yash Matange to blast-off on this strange situation, break down where India went right and wrong in the two match-ups, and discuss the NBA's interest in hosting a preseason game in the country.

Additionally, we shout-out Amjyot Singh and Jeena Scaria winning The Times of India Sports' Basketball Awards, as well as give our reviews of the updated NBA All Star Game.



Hoopdarshan is the truest voice of Indian basketball, and since we're such hopeless fans of the game, it will become the voice of everything basketball related we love, from the NBA to international hoops, too. On every episode of Hoopdarshan, we will be inviting a special guest to interview or chat to about a variety of topics. With expert insight from some of the brightest and most-involved people in the world of Indian basketball, we hope to bring this conversation to a many more interested fans, players, and followers of the game.

Make sure to follow Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud or search for 'Hoopdarshan' on the iTunes Store! Auto-sync Hoopdarshan to your preferred podcast app NOW!

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• - iTunes: Hoopdarshan 
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• - On Twitter: @Hoopdarshan 
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India, in turmoil, lose 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers to Jordan and Lebanon at home

The odds were already stacked against India before the February window of 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. Despite having two games scheduled on home ground, India returned to the qualifiers after losing their previous two games in November and without the services of their lead guard - Vishesh Bhriguvanshi - due to injury. But a self-inflicted catastrophe, followed by an uninspiring performance, led the national men's team to more turmoil. The short-handed Indian side failed to deliver again and lost two more qualifying matches at home over the past week to Jordan and Lebanon to fall 0-4 in the qualifiers.

This is the first time that FIBA - the international basketball federation - is holding their new qualifying format for the World Cup. India was drawn in Group C for the First Round of the 2019 World Cup’s Asian Qualifiers, along with Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. To qualify for the Second Round, India have to finish within the top three of their group.

Last week, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) announced the roster for these two matches with some good news: two of India's finest players, Amjyot Singh and Amritpal Singh who play in the NBA G-League and NBL Australia respectively, were set to return home for the week to boost the team. Led by interim head coach Rajinder Singh, the squad also featured the likes of Aravind Annadurai, star for India at the Asian Games Test Event in Indonesia, and Satnam Singh, the first Indian to be drafted to the NBA. The competition would be tough, but there was some optimism in the Indian camp with both games scheduled to be held at the Sree Kantaveera Stadium in Bengaluru.

Alas, confusion and a technical tragedy played a cruel joke on India's plans. Due to a clerical error between the federation and the players, FIBA didn't receive Amjyot and Amritpal's names in the official team list for India's two games. Despite being fully prepared for these games, the two star Singhs were unable to suit up for India. The rest of the team were forced to make do without all of their "Big Three".

New heroes had to emerge for India, and in the first game against Jordan on Friday. February 23, those heroes were Annadurai (28 points, 11 rebounds) and Satnam (20 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists). While Jordan kept a steady lead, the two bigs did their best to keep India in the contest. India trailed only by five, 66-61, before the beginning of the final quarter, before a deeper Jordan team finally pulled away, exploding offensively to finish the game with a 102-88 victory. The trio of Mohammad Hussein (19), Mahmoud Abdeen (18), and Dar Tucker (18) led Jordan to the win. Apart from Annadurai and Satnam, India got a positive contribution from newcomer Justin Joseph (16) in the loss.

The loss and official mix-up deflated the squad before their second game, against Lebanon on Monday, February 26. Lebanon had already defeated India in November 107-72 in Zouk Mikael back in November. On Monday, it was more of the same. Now also missing point guard Akilan Pari due to personal reasons, India struggled mightily on offence, committing 20 turnovers and converting less than 29 percent of their field goal attempts. Led by Ater Majok (17), Bassel Bawji (16), and Amir Saoud (16), Lebanon cruised to a 90-50 victory.

India will have a break from FIBA Qualifiers and turn their attentions to another major international tournament, the 2018 CommonWealth Games scheduled in Australia in April. Hopefully, the BFI can mend their differences with the star players and field a full-strength squad - otherwise, the entire exercise will be a waste of time, effort, and resources again. The next round of FIBA World Cup qualifiers are scheduled in late June and early July, both away games to Syria and Jordan respectively. At the bottom of their group, it is now virtually impossible for India to qualify for the Second Round of qualifiers.

The 2019 FIBA World Cup will be held in China in August/September 2019.

Hosts Indonesia win Basketball tournament at 2018 Asian Games Test Event over India in the final

Looking forward to hosting the Asian Games later this year, Indonesia needed a tournament to prepare for the big sporting festival. Looking forward to big FIBA Asia Qualifiers, India needed some international basketball experience. And at the 18th Asian Games Invitational Tournament 5x5 Basketball Test Event in Jakarta over the past week, both the nations got their wishes fulfilled. At the finale of this invitational four-team event, it was the hosts, eventually, who added the cherry on top, defeating India in the gold medal game on Monday.

After losing to India earlier in the group stage, Indonesia put up a stronger performance in the final, outscoring India 18-10 in a crucial second-quarter run that eventually decided the result. Despite a monster game by forward Aravind Annadurai (25 points, 19 rebounds) India's attempt at a late comeback fell short. Indonesia won 78-68 to win the gold, led by Andakara Prastawa's team-high 18. India, who had finished the group stage 2-1, settled for the silver medal.

The basketball tournament at the Asian Games Test Event was held from February 8-12, 2018 at the GBK Hall Basket in Jakarta, Indonesia. Led by Coach Rajinder Singh, India sent a 12-man squad to this event, featuring the likes of the aforementioned Annadurai, Satnam Singh, and Akilan Pari. The 2018 Asian Games are set to be held in Jakarta and Palembang in Indonesia from August 18 - September 2 this year. In the 2014 edition of the Games in Korea, the host squad won gold in both the Men and Women's divisions. India's Men finished the tournament at 12th place while the Women at 6th.

India had a slow start to the tournament. In their first game Nutchapong Pattharapisan (20) led Thailand to a 79-72 win, despite a 27-point outing by Annadurai. Led by Joginder Singh (19), India got back in the win column against Indonesia in Game 2, 66-55. India's final group stage victory was a blowout over Timor-Leste 145-50. Nine Indians hit double digit scoring in this win while Timor-Liste were led by Gilberto Soares Pinto (22).

Before the Indonesia-India final, Thailand defeated Timor-Leste 139-76 on Monday to win the bronze medal. The game featured an incredible 65-point scoring outburst by Thailand's Guntapong Korsah-Dick, and 27 by Chatin Rattanawiwatpong. Abrito Guimaraes countered with 39 for Timor-Leste in the loss.

This little tournament was perfectly-timed for the Indian national squad, who have spent the past week in camp in Bengaluru preparing for the next round of FIBA World Cup qualifying games later in the month. After losing the first two qualifying games in November, India will hope to bounce back as they host Jordan and Lebanon on February 23 and 26, respectively.

It's not known yet whether any of India's top players - namely Amjyot Singh (NBA G-League), Amritpal Singh (NBL Australia), or Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (injury) will be available for the crucial qualifiers in a couple of weeks. For now, India can take heart in the experience provided by these few games, and particularly, in Annadurai's performances as the team's top offensive option.

Chennai's Indian Overseas Bank win 4th Mulki Ram Sunder Ram Shetty basketball tournament in Bengaluru

Continuing the recent purple patch of performances for Tamil Nadu basketball after the state's victory at last month's Senior Nationals, the Indian Overseas Bank squad from Chennai won gold at India's first major club competition of 2018, the 4th Mulki Ram Sunder Ram Shetty All India Basketball Tournament. IOB won the tournament's finale at the Sri Kantaveera Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday, February 4, with an impressive victory over another Chennai squad, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF).

The Mulki Ram tournament was organised by Vijaya Bank in Bengaluru from January 31 to February 4, featuring several of India's top men's club squads, featuring the hosts Vijaya Bank themselves (Bengaluru), IOB, ICF, Income Tax, Customs (all from Chennai), Rail Coach Factory (Kapurthala, Punjab), and the Karnataka State Team. Vijaya Bank defeated IOB to win the tournament last year.

In this year's final, IOB proved to be too big and too fast for ICF, and were led by Indian international Aravind Annadurai (23) en route to a comfortable 77-50 victory.

Vijaya Bank won the third-place playoff against Customs in a close contest, 81-76. S. Karthickeyan scored 21 to lead the hosts, while Chennai were led by Justin (27) and Hari Ram (23) in a losing effort.

IOB received ₹1,00,000, while ICF took home ₹50,000. RA Sankara Narayanan, Vijaya Bank CEO and Managing Director, gave away the prizes.

A number of individual awards were also given at the end of the tournament, including:

• Player of the tournament: GA Anto Bethle (ICF)
• Most popular player: Justin (Customs)
• Most promising player: Navin Raj (Vijaya bank)
• Best defender: Aravind Annadurai (IOB)