Indian Bank win 2019 PSG Trophy in Coimbatore

It was the second basketball trip this year for the Indian Bank side to Coimbatore. And for the second time, the journey ended with victory.

After securing the 54th Nachimuthu Gounder Cup in Coimbatore earlier this year, Indian Bank (Chennai) returned to the city in Tamil Nadu and bagged first place in the 2019 PSG Trophy on Tuesday, August 13 at the PSG Sports Club. The prestigious invitational basketball tournament was held between eight teams from around the country from August 9-13, 2019.

Indian Bank secured the title win a 79-61 victory over Indian Army (Delhi) in the final on Tuesday. Hari Ram of Indian Bank scored 29 points to lead his squad to the win.

KSEB (Thiruvanathapuram) defeated Indian Air Force (Delhi) 76-73 and secured third place, led by Jishnu G Nair 19. Ajay Hooda scored 19 for Air Force in the loss.

Eight teams took part in this five-day event: Indian Bank (Chennai), Indian Army (Delhi), Indian Air Force (Delhi), KSEB (Thiruvanathapuram), RCF (Kapurthala), Indian Navy (Lonavala), Customs (Chennai), and last year's winners, Income Tax (Chennai).

Hari Ram of Indian Bank was rewarded the tournament's Best Player award.

PSG Institutions Managing Trustee L. Gopalakrishnan presided the prize giving ceremony and City police commissioner Sumit Sharan gave away the prizes. The winning team earned Rs. 1 lakh, the runners-up Rs. 50,000, and third place received Rs. 25,000.

Indian Bank (Men) and Southern Railway (Women) win 2019 All India Basketball Tournaments in Coimbatore

Two of the most prestigious invitational basketball in India came to a conclusion on Saturday after six days of high-level hoops action in Coimbatore. Indian Bank (Men) and Southern Railway (Women) won the 54th Nachimuthu Gounder Cup and 18th CRI Pumps Trophy respectively after a couple of close finals. The tournament was held from May 27 - June 1 by the Coimbatore District Basketball Association (CDBA) at the VOC Park Basketball Court.

Indian Bank from Chennai defeated Income Tax in the finale 74-64 to secure the gold medal.

In the women’s category Southern Railway (Hubli) managed to maintain the lead from the beginning over South Central Railway and won the match and trophy by two points 57-55.

India Army defeated Indian Air Force 72-62 for third place in the men's division, while last year's women's champions KSEB finished third with a 46-33 win over Arise Steel.

There was Rs.1.85 lakh prize money and Cup for men and Rs.1 lakh and trophy for women’s teams. Customs (Chennai) and KSEB (Thiruvanathapuram) won last year's iterations of the tournament.

Haryana (Boys) and Kerala (Girls) take home the gold at the 2019 Youth Nationals in Coimbatore

India's biggest national under-16 basketball tournament - the 36th Youth (U16) National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls - came to a conclusion in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) on Tuesday, with Haryana (Boys) and Kerala (Girls) sitting atop the rankings. It was a major improvement for both these sides, as neither of them finished in the top three in last year's edition of the tournament.

Organised by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) in association with the Tamil Nadu Basketball Association (TNBA), the Youth Nationals were held at the PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore from May 14-21, 2019. 26 teams each in the boys' and girls' divisions took part from all over the country.

Kerala were well-represented in the final stage, featuring a team in each of the two championship games on the day. In the boys' final, Kerala were halted in their tracks by Haryana and their star player Sahil Taya, who continued his impressive play as it had been through the course of the tournament with 31 points. His teammate Akshay added 17 to aid Haryana's 81-74 victory. Pranav Prince and Jim Paul Kothulil each scored 19 for Kerala in the loss.

Kerala's girls faced off in their final against hosts Tamil Nadu. Led by experienced youngster Ann Mary Zachariah's 40 points, Kerala were able to create the separation needed to win 80-69. Zachariah added to her strong form all tournament, coming on the back of her appearance at the NCAA Next Generation camp in the USA earlier this year. For TN, Sathya scored 31 points in a losing effort.

The high scorers in the finals for each of the winnings teams - Haryana's Sahil Taya and Kerala's Ann Mary Zachariah - were named the Best Players of the tournament.

Rajasthan won third place earlier in the day in both the boys' and girls' divisions. Rajasthan Boys were led by Digvijay Singh (36) and Amendra (23) in a 92-68 win over Karnataka. Karnataka's Achintya had a game-high 38 in the loss, while Manoj added 18.

Rajasthan's girls sneaked past Punjab in a low-scoring affair, 48-47, to win the bronze, led by Manvi Srivastava's 18 points. Harsimran Kaur, the Punjabi player who turned a lot of heads after her performances at the NBA Academy Women's camp earlier this year, had 29 her side.

Final Scores

• Boys: Haryana (Sahil Taya 31, Akshay 17) bt. Kerala (Pranav Prince 19, Jim Paul Kothulil 19) 81-74.
• Girls: Kerala (Ann Mary Zachariah 40) bt. Tamil Nadu (Sathya 31) 80-69.

Final Standings

Boys

• 1. Haryana
• 2. Kerala
• 3. Rajasthan

Girls

• 1. Kerala
• 2. Tamil Nadu
• 3. Rajasthan

India's National Youth (U16) National Basketball Championship 2019 tips off in Coimbatore

As many as 700 players young Indian basketball players, fresh faces set to be the future of Indian hoops, have gathered in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) this week for the 36th Youth (U16) National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls. The tournament tipped off in Tuesday and is scheduled to be held from May 14-21 at the PSG College of Technology indoor stadium in Coimbatore. It is being organised by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) in association with the Tamil Nadu Basketball Association (TNBA).

In October last year, hosts Rajasthan (Boys) and Punjab (Girls) won the respective golds at the 2018 Youth National Basketball Championship in Udaipur. Rajasthan's Boys will again be among the favourites this year, along with strong units from Maharashtra and hosts Tamil Nadu. For the girls, watch out for all of last year's top three finishers - Punjab, Karnataka, and Maharashtra - to put on a good show.

This year's participating teams are:

Girls
• Level 1 - Group A: Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Delhi.
• Level 1 - Group B: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh.
• Level 2 - Group C: Haryana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh.
• Level 2 - Group D: West Bengal, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir.
• Level 2 - Group E: Chandigarh, Assam, Jharkhand, Telangana.
• Level 2 - Group F: Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry.

Boys
• Level 1 - Group A: Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi.
• Level 1 - Group B: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, Chhattisgarh.
• Level 2 - Group C: Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh.
• Level 2 - Group D: Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand.
• Level 2 - Group E: West Bengal, Chandigarh, Jharkhand, Telangana.
• Level 2 - Group F: Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Puducherry.

Boys' reigning champions Rajasthan started off their campaign in style on the first day of action, dismantling Delhi with a 85-29 scoreline. Hosts Tamil Nadu stumbled in their first match, losing to Haryana 82-65.

In the girls' division, Punjab began their claim for a repeat title with an exciting 74-69 win over Delhi. Last year's finalists Karnataka defeated Uttar Pradesh 63-36.

You can find the full schedule of games here.

Income Tax (Chennai) win the 54th All India PSG Trophy in Coimbatore

It's been the second major tournament victory for India's "Taxmen" in two months. The Income Tax squad from Chennai came up atop at the 54th All India basketball tournament for the PSG Trophy in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The tournament was held from September 9-13 at the PSG Tech Indoor Complex, featuring eight top Men's basketball teams.

In the close final on Thursday, Income Tax defeated Bengaluru's Vijaya Bank 82-78. Jeeva Nandham was dominant in the finale, scoring 36 points in the victory for Income Tax, while Ram Kumar added 17. International player Aravind Annadurai and Anil Kumar each scored 26 for Vijaya Bank's losing effort.

The winners of the tournament were rewarded 1 lakh rupees, while 50,000 was given to the runners-up.

Eight of India's leading men's basketball teams head to Coimbatore for PSG Trophy All India Tournament

One of India's most prestigious invitational basketball tournaments will return to Tamil Nadu this week, featuring several of India's top players vying for the highest honour. The 54th All India basketball tournament for the PSG Trophy will begin at the PSG Tech Indoor Complex in Coimbatore on Sunday, September 9 featuring eight teams from around the country. The final of the tournament is scheduled for September 13.

Participating teams will include Indian Army (Delhi), Indian Bank (Chennai), Indian Railways, Income Tax (Chennai), Vijaya Bank (Bengaluru), Customs (Kochi), Integral Coach Factory (Chennai) and Indian Air Force (Delhi). Indian Army finished runners-up in this tournament last year. Last year's champs IOB (Chennai) will not be taking part this year.

The winners will get Rs one lakh, the runner-up Rs 50,000 while the best player will receive Rs 10,000

India's top squads to play at Federation Cup basketball tournament in Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh)

If the Senior Nationals of Indian Basketball is a showcase of the quantity of Indian basketball, the Federation Cup is a highlight of the game's quality. This prestigious annual tournament brings together only the best state and unit teams from around the country, featuring India's top players in both the men and women's divisions.

This year, the 32nd Federation Cup National Basketball Tournament will be held at the District Sports Authority in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh from May 1-6, 2018. The best club/state teams from the top 8 states in both the Men’s and Women’s category will take part, along with hosts Andhra Pradesh. The championship is being organised by the Andhra Pradesh Basketball Association under the aegis of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).

The men's category of the Federation Cup has been dominated for ONGC for several years. The Dehradun-based squad has won the past five iterations of the Federation Cup, including last year's championship in Coimbatore. Chhattisgarh women won the 2017 women's category with a final's victory over Southern Railway.

The winner of the men’s championship will represent India in the 2018 FIBA Asia Champions Cup, which is tentatively slated to be held somewhere in China in late September.

Participating Teams

Men

• ONGC Dehradun (Uttarakhand)
• IOB Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
• Punjab Police
• BSF Jodhpur (Rajasthan)
• Custom and Central Excise, Kochi (Kerala)
• Hissar Club (Haryana)
• MEG Bangalore (Karnataka)
• Western Railways (Indian Railways)
• Andhra Pradesh

Women

• Eastern Railway (Indian Railways)
• Kerala
• Chattisgarh
• Tamil Nadu
• Karnataka
• Telangana
• Delhi
• Maharashtra
• Andhra Pradesh

University of Calicut complete three-peat at 2018 All India Inter University Women's Basketball Championship in Chennai

It took a thrilling overtime battle, but heroics, experience, and sheer will for success helped the University of Calicut state their claim to an incredible three-peat at India's most prestigious national women's collegiate title - the 2018 All India Inter University Women's Basketball Championship for Women - in Chennai on Tuesday. Calicut defeated Bharathiar University in the final to win the gold medal at Chennai's Sri Sai Ram Engineering College.

University of Calicut, from Malappuram in Kerala, faced a tough opponent against Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) based Bharathiar University. Bharathiar led 21-12 in the first quarter, but Calicut made a strong comeback to reverse the scores by the end of the fourth period to lead 61-52. Bharathiar equaled the scores at 84 at the end of regulation, but the tall duo of Elizabeth Hilarious (21) and Mayuka R. (18) rose to the occasion in overtime to hand Calicut the close 91-90 victory. Keerthi (31), Shreyanka (24), and Surya Dhaarshini (17) led the way for Bharathiar in the loss.

MG University from Kottayam (Kerala) won the bronze medal for the second consecutive year over Kannur with a 59-40 victory, led by Rose Mary (17).

2017 Federation Cup: ONGC Men secure 5th consecutive title; Chhattisgarh Women win gold

There are many different types of celebrations, and at the finals of the 31st Federation Cup National Basketball Tournament in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) on Sunday, the winners felt various degrees of joy. In the men's final, Dehradun's ONGC won their fifth-consecutive title, securing their legacy as one of the greatest units in Indian Basketball history. In the women's game, Chhattisgarh buried two years of disappointments by winning in the final stage and bagging the gold medal.

The Federation Cup - organized by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the Tamil Nadu Basketball Association (TNBA) - was held from March 22-26 this year at the PSG Indoor Sports Complex courts in Coimbatore. The tournament is a sort of elite club of Indian basketball, featuring only the best eight each of men and women teams from the previous year's Senior National in competition.

ONGC were tested to the brink by their closest competitors in the country, IOB (Chennai) in the men's final, and it took a measured response by two of India's top international players - Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Amritpal Singh (17 points each) - to help the Dehradun side slip by to a 55-52 win.

Several of India's most important players came head to head in the women's final between Chhattisgarh and Indian Railways. Chhattisgarh had lost at the final stage at the Federation Cup the past two years and trailed 44-42 at halftime on Sunday. But a strong second half surge and impressive performances by their centerpiece Poonam Chaturvedi (28) and forward Sharanjeet Kaur (27) helped Chhattisgarh finally win the gold, 77-67. India's experienced international player Anitha Paul Durai (23) and Neena (17) had strong performances for Railways in the loss.

The third-place games were also settled on Sunday. West Bengal women were led by Madhu Kumari (22) and Libina MJ (16) in a statement big win over Tamil Nadu, 81-52. Indian Air Force (Services) finished third in the men's division with a 85-79 win over Karnataka's Army Service Corps and Centre.

Final Scores:

• Men: ONGC (Amritpal Singh 17, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi 17) bt. IOB (Prasanna Venkatesh 14, Pratham Singh 13) 55-52.
• Women: Chhattisgarh (Poonam Chaturvedi 28, Sharanjeet Kaur 27) bt. Southern Railways (Anitha Paul Durai 23, S. Neena 17) 77-67.

Final Standings

Men

• 1. ONGC
• 2. IOB
• 3. Indian Air Force

Women

• 1. Chhattisgarh
• 2. Indian Railways
• 3. West Bengal

Indian basketball's finest head to Coimbatore for the 2017 Federation Cup

If the Senior Nationals are the largest showcase of talent in Indian basketball, then the Federation Cup is the exclusive inner-club, a competition among only the best of the best. Based on the success at the previous nationals, only the top eight men's and women's teams from the country are invited to this national tournament, setting up a tantalizing tournament of the finest cagers in the country.

This year, the 31st Federation Cup All India Basketball Tournament for Men and Women - organized by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the Tamil Nadu Basketball Association (TNBA) - tipped off on Wednesday March 22nd at the PSG Indoor Sports Complex courts in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu). The 16 combined men and women's teams will play until the Finals on March 26th.

Participating Teams

Men

• Group A: Indian Air Force (Services), Ludhiana Basketball Academy (Punjab), Army Service Corps and Centre (Karnataka), Customs and Central Excise Kochi (Kerala).
• Group B: ONGC Dehradun (Uttarakhand), Indian Overseason Bank (Tamil Nadu), Central Railway (Indian Railways), Income Tax (Gujarat).

Women

• Group A: Southern Railway (Indian Railways), Telengana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab.
• Group B: Kerala, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal.

Reigning champions of the Senior Nationals and last year's Federation Cup Kerala Women will be hoping to continue their golden streak and win back to back titles. The Men's field has been dominated by ONGC (Dehradun) for the past four years, and they will be looking for an amazing fifth consecutive trophy in Coimbatore this year.

South Central Railway (Women) and ONGC (Men) win 2016 All India Basketball Tournaments in Coimbatore

Continuing an annual tradition, two of India's top invitational club basketball tournaments were held in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, featuring top talent from across the country. The 15th CRI Pumps Trophy (Women) and the Nachibuthu Gounder Cup (Men) concluded at the VOC Park Corporation Sports Complex courts in Coimbatore on Wednesday, June 1, with South Central Railway (SCR) of Secunderabad and ONGC from Dehardun winning the Women's and Men's titles respectively.

In the Women's CRI Pumps Trophy final, SCR trailed for most of the way to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) team from Thiruvanathapuram, and had build up a double-digit cushion. But SCR staged a brilliant comeback behind a 28 point outburst by M. Gayathri to secure a late lead and clinch the 51-48 win.

In the Men's Nachibuthu Gounder Cup final, veteran leaders and young stars of India's international squad came together to overpower Chennai's Income Tax en route to a 78-55 win. ONGC's Vishesh Bhriguvanshi led all scorers in the final with 28, while Amrit Pal Singh - who plays for Tokyo Excellence of the Japanese D-League - scored 18. Trideep Rai added 17 to ONGC's offensive firepower. Rikin Pethani and Ramkumar both added 18 for Income Tax in the loss.

Tipping off on May 27th, the Nachibuthu Gounder Cup made a comeback to Coimbatore basketball after eight years, replacing the All India PSG Trophy. Eight leading Men's teams - ONGC, KSEB, Integral Coach Factory (Chennai), Rail Coach Factory (Kapurthala), Income Tax, North Frontier Railway (Guwahati), Kerala Police and Coimbatore District Basketball Association (CDBA) - vied for top honours.

The CRI Pumps Trophy for Women was held simultaneously, in which the reigning champions Chattisgarh, runners-up KSEB, Southern Railway, SCR, North Frontier Railway, South East Central Railway (Bilaspur), Central Railway (Mumbai), and CBDA took part.

Last year, Indian Army won the PSG All India trophy while Chhattisgarh secured the CRI Pumps title in Coimbatore.

Indian Army and Chhattisgarh win All India Basketball Tournaments in Coimbatore

Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu once again hosted its annual monsoon basketball fiesta, two All India invitational tournaments for Men and Women. On Saturday August 15, while the rest of India celebrated the 69th anniversary of Independence Day, the Indian Army men's basketball team hoisted the 51st All India Basketball PSG Trophy. In the women's tournament, Chhattisgarh emerged as winners of the 14th CRI Pumps Trophy.

The Indian Army Men's team, who hail from New Delhi, bounced back after finishing as runners-up last year to defeat home-state team IOB (Chennai) in the final on Saturday, 59-53. Gopalram was the high scorer for the Armymen with 17, while G Sivabalan dropped in a game-high 19 points in IOB's losing effort.

The women's final, a high-scoring affair, turned out to be a personal showcase for Chhattigarh's giant center Poonam Chaturvedi. The tallest women player in India, Chaturvedi scored 48 points to help Chhattisgarh outlast their opponents KSEB (Kerala) 84-78. Grima Merlin Varghese scored 19 points for the KSEB.

International squads invited for this year's Coimbatore All India Basketball Tournaments

It's the Golden Jubilee of the All India Basketball Tournaments in Coimbatore, and to celebrate, this year's invitational tournaments for both men and women will feature South Asian international squads competing for the title. The 50th PSG Trophy (for Men) and the 13th CRI Pumps tournament (for Women) will both be up for grabs starting tomorrow, July 25th, in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu). The Men's national team from Bangladesh and Women's national team from Nepal have been invited to take part in a competition that will otherwise be competed for among Indian club sides. The six-day tournament will end with the Finals on July 30th.

Photo courtesy: Ekalavyas

The tournament is being organized by the PSG Sports Club and will also mark the silver Jubilee of PSG Medical College, Coimbatore. ONGC (Men) and Southern Railway (Women) will be playing to defend their titles at the respective competitions. Nine teams in the Men's division and a total of six women's teams will take part.

Participating Teams

PSG Trophy (Men): ONGC, Indian Navy, Indian Army, IOB (Chennai), Punjab, Customs (Cochin), ICF (Chennai), Electricity Board (Kerala), Bangladesh.

CRI Pumps Tournament Southern Railway, Electricity Board (Kerala), South Central Railway, South Eastern Central Railway, Western Railway, Eastern Railway, Nepal.

This is the first time that international teams will take part in these tournaments. G Selvaraju, Joint Managing Director of CRI Pumps, told Business Standard that with the participation of international teams, both the organizers (PSG and CRI Pumps) propose to make this tournament as an Asian level championship in the near future.

IOB (Men) & Southern Railway (Women) win 2012 All India Basketball Tournaments in Coimbatore

ONGC saw their incredible recent run of good play in Indian basketball tournaments come to an end on Sunday, September 2nd, as they were beaten in the final of the PSG Trophy All India Basketball Tournament in Coimbatore by IOB (Chennai). Although ONGC were the defending champions of this trophy - which tipped off this year on August 28th - it was IOB who played better in the second half of the final to clinch the trophy. Last year's runners-up Southern Railway lifted the women's CRI Pumps Trophy on the same day at the PSG Tech Courts in Coimbatore.

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All India Basketball tournaments to be held in Coimbatore from August 28th

From August 28th - September 2, the 48th PSG Trophy tournament for Men and the 11th CRI Pumps tournament for Women will be held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, for eight Men's and seven Women's basketball clubs from across India.

Participating teams:

PSG Trophy (Men): ONGC (Dehradun), RCF (Punjab), Indian Navy (Delhi), Customs (Chennai), Vijaya Bank (Bangalore), South Central Railway (Secunderabad), Indian Overseas Bank (Chennai), and Income Tax (Chennai).

CRI Pumps Tournament (Women): South East Central Railway (Chhattisgarh), Southern Railway (Chennai), Electricity Board (Kerala), South Central Railway (Secunderabad), South Western Railway (Hubli), Eastern Railway (Kolkata), and Rising Star (Chennai).

Both tournaments will be played on a league basis, before the Semi Finals and Finals on the 1st and 2nd of September respectively.

ONGC and South East Central Railway won last year's Men's and Women's tournaments respectively.