IOB (Men) and Kerala (Women) win 32nd Federation Cup in Chittoor

One of the most prestigious tournaments in Indian basketball concluded in Chittor, Andhra Pradesh yesterday with a story of redemption. In the final of the 32nd Federation Cup National Basketball Tournament on Sunday, IOB (Chennai) exorcised years of demons against the dominant ONGC squad to win a memorable title, ending ONGC's five-year run at the top. In the women's final, Kerala's young squad added another feather to their cap, defeating neighbours Tamil Nadu in the final.

Organised by the Andhra Pradesh Basketball Association under the aegis of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), the Federation Cup brought together the best club/state teams from the top 8 states in both the Men’s and Women’s categories from around the country to Chittoor from May 1-6, 2018.

In the Men's final, Chennai's Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) finally ended ONGC's (Dehradun) reign at the top, winning 62-43 to win the gold. IOB shifted to high gear on the defensive end after halftime and were able to run away to the comfortable victory. The IOB squad featured several top names in the national basketball circuit, including Prasanna Venkatesh, Gnanasekaran Sivabalan, and Rikin Pethani, who led all scorers with 17 in the final. ONGC can find silver lining in their loss thanks to positive performances by experienced forward Yadwinder Singh and a return to basketball by star player Vishesh Bhriguvanshi after a 9-month lay-off to his torn ACL.

Kerala's Women were led by Neenumol PS (22) and national team star Jeena Scaria (20) for their victory over TN, 66-50. Kerala's captain Anjana PG added 14 in the final.

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

Al Riyadi win 2017 FIBA Asia Champions Cup in China; India's ONGC return winless

For Lebanon's Al Riyadi, the final of the 2017 FIBA Asia Champions Cup presented a familiar challenge. It was the same competition, the same time of the year, the same arena, the same city, and the same opponent: China Kashgar. But after losing in a close battle in last year's final, the Lebanese squad bounced back in style to get their revenge. On Saturday, September 30, at the 2017 final of Asia's premier club basketball tournament, Al Riyadi blew out China Kashgar in their homeland to clinch the gold medal at the Chenzhou Sports Center in Chenzhou, China.

Ten of the top club teams from different countries in Asia took part in this championship, held from September 22-30. India's representative at the FIBA Asia CC was once again Dehradun's squad ONGC - champions of the Federation Cup. But missing a couple of their key players to injury or other professional duties, ONGC lost all of their preliminary round games to return winless from Chenzhou - just like last year.

In the rematch of the 2016 final, Al Riyadi and China Kashgar set up a battle of the titans. But from the tip-off, Al Riyadi were immediately the hungrier of the two squads. Al Riyadi jumped up to an easy lead in the first quarter and extended their advantage to a 20-point lead, 46-26 by halftime. Kashgar had no answers for Al Riyadi's imports Robert Daniels (21) and Quincy Douby (17) who led the way to an easy 88-59 victory. This is Al Riyadi’s second overall Champions Cup title after first winning the plum in 2011. They also gave Lebanon their fifth Champions Cup crown overall, tying Iran for the most titles in the tournament’s history.

Earlier in the day, Kazakhstan's BC Astana edged Iran's Petrochimi 81-78 in an entertaining, back-and-forth battle to secure 3rd place at the competition. Anthony Clemmons (22) and Justin Carter (19) led the way for Astana, while Behnam Yakhchali paced Petrochimi with 18 in the loss.

China Kashgar's guard Darius Adams was named MVP of the tournament.

Once again, India's representative at this tournament were ONGC from Dehradun. But while the club side is dominant in domestic tournaments, they had a difficult time keeping pace with most of the talented squads at the FIBA Asia CC. ONGC were led by former India captain Trideep Rai in his first major stint as coach, and relied on the likes Anoop Mukkanniyil, Yadwinder Singh, and Riyazuddin to marshal them forward. But the squad had to survive without the services of two of their (and India's) best talents: captain Vishesh Bhrighuvanshi, who was on the team list but couldn't play due to injury, and Amritpal Singh, who has recently signed a contract with the NBL's Sydney Kings in Australia. ONGC were placed in Group B of the preliminary round stage along with Shabab Al Ahli (Dubai), Al Riyadi (Lebanon), Dacin Tigers (Chinese Taipei), and China Kashgar (China).

From the very first game against Dacin Tigers, ONGC were given a rude wake-up call. Featuring Indian-American former NBA player Sim Bhullar, Dacin raced to a 28-9 lead in the first quarter and didn't let their foot off the accelerator until they were leading comfortably in the final quarter. Led by Chia-Jung Chang (22) and Tzu-Kang Wang (17) Dacin won the game 94-62.

ONGC's tournament didn't get any easier, as, two days later, their next challengers were hosts and reigning champs China Kashgar. ONGC had no answers for Darius Adams, who led a balanced Kashgar attack with 25 to help his side to a 92-47 victory. ONGC struggled offensively except for a decent scoring night by guard Arjun Singh (17).

ONGC's worst performance came the next day against the eventual winners, Al Riyadi. The Lebanese side showed no mercy from the tip-off, taking advantage of ONGC's careless errors (31 turnovers) and soft defense to drop over 30 points in the first three quarters of the game. Al Riyadi's offensive explosion led them to a 127-51 victory, led by Quincy Douby (22), Amir Saoud (21), Jean Abd El Nour (18) and Wael Arakji (17).

ONGC still had an opportunity to make it out of the group stage against their closest opponents in the group, Dubai's Shabab Al Ahli, in their last preliminary stage game. ONGC stayed neck-to-neck with Shabab throughout, trailing only 39-36 in halftime. But a scoring drought in the third quarter cost ONGC some momentum, and despite an exciting late charge, they couldn't stop Shabab from surviving with a 72-71 victory. Qais Omar Alshabebi led all scorers with 26 for Shabab while Khalifa Salem added 16. Veteran ONGC guard exploded for 20 points while Arjun Singh pitched in with 17 and 10 rebounds in the loss.

The loss left ONGC at the bottom of Group B with a 0-4 record and knocked them out of qualification for the knockout stage.

Without Bhriguvanshi and Amritpal, there were no individual superstars to rescue ONGC in crucial stretches, but the team featured a balance of players who all averaged around 10 points per game, including Mukkanniyil, Riyazuddin, Arjun Singh, and Yadwinder Singh. Mukkanniyil and Yadwinder each averaged 9 rebounds per game, too. Much of the responsibility for carrying this squad came on the shoulders of veteran (over 30) players, and despite their best efforts, they simply didn't have enough in the gas to eke out a victory.

Final Standings

• 1. Al Riyadi (Lebanon)
• 2. China Kashgar (China)
• 3. BC Astana (Kazakhstan)
• 4. Petrochimi (Iran)
• 5. Chooks-To-Go (Philippines)

All Tournament Team

• Darius Adams (China Kashgar) - MVP
• Robert Daniels (Al Riyadi)
• Quincy Douby (Al Riyadi)
• Arsalan Kazemi (Petrochimi)
• Justin Carter (BC Astana)

ONGC to represent India at 2017 FIBA Asia Champions Cup in China: Roster, Schedule, and Preview

Asia's premier club basketball tournament - the FIBA Asia Champions Cup - will return this year for to be held in Chenzhou, China, from September 22-30, 2017. This is the second consecutive year that Chenzhou will host this tournament. Ten of the top club teams from different countries in Asia will take part in this championship. All matches will be held in the city's Chenzhou Sports Center.

China's CBA squad Kashgar - otherwise known as the Xinjiang Flying Tigers - will return to the tournament to defend their title from last year. Once again, India will be represented by Dehradun's squad ONGC, who won their fifth-straight title at the Federation Cup earlier this year. Despite featuring some top Indian talent, ONGC were ousted from the Preliminary Round stage without a win last year and finished tied for 9/10th place in the ten-team fray. ONGC have been drawn in the tournament's Group B.

FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017 Groups

• Group A: BC Astana (Kazakhstan), Mono Vampire Basketball Club (Thailand), Petrochimi (Iran), Sareyyet Ramallah (Palestine), Chooks-To-Go (Philippines).
• Group B: Shabab Al Ahli (Dubai), ONGC (India), Al Riyadi (Lebanon), Dacin Tigers (Chinese Taipei), China Kashgar (China).

ONGC have finalised their roster, coached by their former star and former India captain Trideep Rai. The team is set to have serious cause for concern this year: their marquee talent Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, recovering from a serious knee injury from the BRICS Games earlier this year, hurt himself again at the '3x3 Road to Mexico' basketball event in Gurugram a few days ago. Big man Yadwinder Singh is back in action after an injury, while guard Arjun Singh will be another important player to watch. The squad's superstar big man - Amritpal Singh - has left the team to join the Sydney Kings of Australia's NBL.

ONGC roster for FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017

• Abhishek Rai
• Mohit Bhandari
• Vinay Dabas
• Anoop Mukkanniyil
• Riyazuddin
• Arjun Singh
• Vishesh Bhriguvanshi
• Muralikrishna Ravindran
• Udai Bhan Singh Rawat
• Yadwinder Singh
• Head Coach: Trideep Rai
• Assistant Coach: Dinesh Kumar

The tournament will be held in league-cum-knockout format, with the top four teams of each group of five qualifying for the quarter-final stage after the preliminary round of round-robin games.

ONGC's Preliminary Round schedule - all timings IST

• September 22 - Dacin Tigers vs. ONGC - 12 PM
• September 24 - ONGC vs. China Kashgar - 5 PM
• September 25 - Al Riyadi vs. ONGC - 7:15 PM
• September 26 - ONGC vs. Shabab Al Ahli - 12 PM

Without Amritpal and with a Bhriguvanshi not at full strength, ONGC will find it difficult to compete against the more stacked squads from Chinese Taipei, China, and Lebanon. Their best chance at a victory, and a potential quarter-final spot, could be in their final game against Dubai's Shabab Al Ahli.

China Kashgar will once again be favourites to win gold this year, while Lebanon's Al Riyadi and Iran's Petrochimi could both pose serious threats to their crown.

Indian Basketball star Amritpal Singh has been signed by NBL's Sydney Kings

For those searching for the ultimate desi Cinderella story, the tale of 26-year-old star Amritpal Singh is even stranger than fiction.

At age 18, Singh, the son of a farmer from a small town in Punjab, had never held a basketball. By 22, he had become the captain of India's national basketball team. At at 26, he has taken his boldest step forward it: he will become the first Indian to be in a roster of a team in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).

On Wednesday, August 30, the Sydney Kings officially signed Amritpal Singh, making the 7-footed center the first Indian-born player to be contracted to an NBL team following changes to the rules that allow for these nationalities to play as unrestricted players.

Earlier this year, Singh's teammate with the Indian national team and ONGC (Uttarakhand) Vishesh Bhriguvanshi signed a training contract with the Adelaide 36ers.

Sydney Kings Managing Director Jeff Van Groningen said it was a significant signing for the club and Australian basketball. "We welcome Amritpal to our organisation," said Van Groningen. "We take our responsibility as a member of the global basketball community very seriously and endorse the NBL’s focus on ‘bridge-building’ with those that share an interest and passion for our great game both in India and within the Indian community here in Australia. We are excited at what Amritpal can contribute to the Kings as a strong, rebounding big man and we look forward to contributing to his rising career. He is young in the game but secured this opportunity through hard work and professionalism."

Singh has served as captain of the Indian national team, most recently in the India's gold-winning triumph at the 2017 SABA Championships in Maldives. Domestically, he plays for the Pune Peshwas of the UBA Basketball League and was employed by ONGC in Uttarakhand. Over the past few years, Singh has had his share of professional experience abroad, as he played in the Japanese D-League and BJ Summer League. Earlier this summer, he impressed NBL scouts at a Draft Combine and Melbourne and was given an opportunity to train with the Kings. He traveled with the Kings' invitational squad to China for the Atlas Cup and helped them win the competition with his big performances.

Sydney Kings Head Coach Andrew Gaze, a former legendary player in Australian basketball, said he was excited to work with Singh. “Amritpal was a very strong contributor to the Kings offseason program, particularly during our invitational tour to China," Gaze said. "His rebounding was a major factor that allowed us to win the Suzhou event, and he also picked up our overall playing philosophies and schemes quite quickly."

"He's got great athleticism, runs the floor, got good hands, got good shooting touch," Gaze told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday. "He's got great size. Last season, one of the major deficiencies we had was our rebounding. He rebounds the ball really well."

The Kings found their most successful stretch in the NBL in the early 00s, when they won a three-peat of championships from 2003-2005. They have struggled in recent years, however, and finished second-to-last in the NBL's standings last season.

The Sydney Kings begin their National Basketball League 2017/2018 season with a game on Saturday, October 7 against the Adelaide 36ers at Qudos Bank Arena. But before that, Singh will be initiated to the team in the highest-level possible, with a pre-season game against the NBA side Utah Jazz on October 2. It will be his first time playing against this high level of competition, which could include a potential matchup against the 'Stifle Tower' Rudy Gobert.

Singh was born in the village of Fattuwal in Punjab, the son of a farmer, and used most of his athletic gifts ploughing the field or playing Kabaddi. At 19, he was finally introduced to the famed Ludhiana Basketball Academy (LBA) and their late head coach Dr S. Subramanian. Once he took to the game, Singh improved rapidly, graduated quickly the Indian national team, and has been a linchpin of the national squad for the past six years, a stretch that has included India's historic wins over China at the FIBA Asia Challenge and the most recent appearance at the FIBA Asia Cup.

"He's a good athlete, and he comes from a relatively small town in his area with not a lot of resources to refine his skills," Gaze told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It's testament to his work ethic and his love for the game and passion that he's been able to make this type of progress."

More from Gaze's interview with the Herald.

"You can't use one of those spots just for some token reasons or for marketing, there's none of that, as a coach I wouldn't do that, he's absolutely here on merit," Gaze said.
"We've got to keep this in perspective, he's got a long way to go. This is not the second coming of Hakeem Olajuwon, he's a player I believe has huge upside.
"He's a quick learner, he's got a good IQ, he's got a good instinct for the game, a natural instinct. He's got a lot of upside on the basis he's only been playing the game for five or six years."

Singh will join a roster in the Kings that includes swingmen Kevin Lisch and Brad Newley, both of whom made the All NBL Second Team last season.

Singh's unlikely journey to the Kings took one last minor speed-bump, when the riots in his home state of Punjab earlier this week put the entire area in a curfew and caused him to miss his flight abroad. Singh arrived late to Sydney, but now, he is ready to contribute and start on a whole new chapter in his basketball life.

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi becomes first Indian signed to Australian basketball league NBL

Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia and the country's fifth-most populous city, is nearly 9,000 kilometres away from Varanasi, the ever-living, ancient Indian city in Uttar Pradesh. And yet, with the supreme power of basketball, one of Varanasi's most accomplished contemporary exports is going to turn that distance into dust with his newest incredible leap.

Bhriguvanshi, one of the most experienced and talented players produced by Indian basketball, has just made history by becoming the first player to be signed by Australia's top-tier basketball league, the National Basketball League (NBL). He has been offered a one-year training contract by the Adelaide 36ers for their forthcoming season, which is set to begin in October. This contract means that Bhriguvanshi will be a part of the team as a reserve to train with the club, but will only get to play if he replaces an injured player.

Bhriguvanshi (25) was part of a four-member contingent of top Indian players who were invited to the NBL's Draft Combine in Melbourne in April. A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, he clearly made an impression on the Adelaide scouts for his ability to lead a team from the backcourt. Bhriguvanshi's Indian squad teammate, Amritpal Singh, has also received serious NBL interest and will be part of a pre-season tour with the Sydney Kings. One of them will surely become the first Indian to play in the NBL.

"Vishesh is an exciting talent from India, renowned for his court presence and intuitive feel for the game," said Guy Hedderwick, the 36ers, CEO. "It’s great to have signed the first Indian player to the NBL and we’re looking forward to connecting with the Indian community during his basketball journey."

Bhriguvanshi spoke to Jamie Alter on The Times of India and acknowledged that the signing was a dream come true for him. "A league in India is what I always wanted, but we still lack in that, so this opportunity makes me feel on top of the world. The NBL is one of the world's biggest leagues after the NBA," said Vishesh. "Every player has a dream to play for a reputed league some day, and so it was my dream. Representing the nation is very different feeling, and I am definitely proud of that, but playing in a league like this has always been my dream and that is what keeps me motivated."

In keeping with that 'dreamy' theme, Bhriguvanshi will also join the Dream Basketball Academy in Adelaide for the 2017-18 season. It is this Academy that introduced Bhriguvanshi to the 36ers by the Dream Basketball Academy. The deal follows the success of former Adelaide 36ers and Dream Basketball Academy player, Terrance Ferguson, who was selected at pick 21 by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Draft last month. Bhriguvanshi was also aided by My Sports Factory, a Coimbatore-based company that got in touch with Dream Basketball Academy to get the deal done.

"We look forward to this new relationship, not only with Vishesh, but with the whole of India," said Managing Director and Co-Founder of The Dream Basketball Academy Raheim Brown. "He will represent the Dream Academy and the Adelaide 36ers proudly for his country and himself. Following Terrance Ferguson’s success, NBA scouts are paying increased attention to the Dream Academy, the Adelaide 36ers and the NBL, as an alternative pathway to achieve an NBA career."

Bhriguvanshi, who had injured himself while playing for India at the BRICS Games 2017 last month, has recovered and is set to participate for the national team at the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon in August. He may head to Adelaide before that to begin training alongside the 36ers.

The 36ers have won four NBL titles in their franchise history, the second-most of any team in the league, but their last championship came back in 2002. They are currently coached by former NBA draftee Joey Wright and reached the NBL's semi-finals in the 2016-17 season led by Mitch Creek and Jerome Randle.

Getting a chance to make his NBL debut will be another great feather in Bhriguvanshi's hat. Born to a humble family in Varanasi (my hometown!) he has come a long way over the past eight years, becoming one of India's best young players, getting the post of national captain, dominating the domestic circuit with ONGC, and winning the MVP award of the recent season of the UBA Basketball League with the Bengaluru Beast. I have written extensively about Bhriguvanshi, who is perhaps the most-decorated athlete in India without mainstream name-recognition. Hopefully, this latest honour opens up doors for more opportunities for him and other Indian stars.

As we celebrate Bhriguvanshi's achievement, let us also take a moment to reflect on the first Indian to play professional basketball in Australia: Arjuna Award winner Geethu Anna Jose. The star of the Indian women team over the past decade Jose played for the Ringwood Hawks in 2006, won the MVP award in the Big V division, and played in the WNBL preseason in 2008.

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.

China Kashgar win 2016 FIBA Asia Champions Cup; India's ONGC return winless

Asia's premier international club basketball tournament - the 2016 FIBA Asia Champions Cup - concluded in Chenzhou, China, on Sunday October 16 with the host country's representative China Kashgar winning the finale. This was Kashgar's (otherwise known as the Xinjiang Flying Tigers) first victory at the FIBA Asia CC, and they defeated Lebanese champions Al Riyadi in an entertaining final at Chenzhou's Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium.

India were represented at this tournament by Dehradun's ONGC, who, despite featuring some top Indian talent, were ousted from the Preliminary Round stage without a win and finished tied for 9/10th place in the ten-team fray.

Kashgar's squad were led by naturalized Philippines player and former NBA player Andray Blatche. Blatche was the star man in the final, scoring 22 points with 8 rebounds for China, while his teammates Darius Adams and Abudushalamu Abudurexiti added 19 each in the victory. China led most of the way, and survived a furious comeback by Al Riyadi in the final quarter to notch the 96-88 win. Fadi El Khatib (23) and Dewarick Spencer (19) were the leading scorers for the Lebanese squad.

Spencer was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament.

Also on the final day, Iran's Petrochimi confirmed a third-place finish for the bronze medal by defeating the UAE's high-risers Al Ahli, 100-74. Al Ahli's Samuel Young was a one-man wrecking machine, notching 43 points and 10 rebounds, but he got little help from his teammates. Petrochimi relied on a more balanced offense, backing up on the efforts of James White (22 points, 19 rebounds), Behnam Yackchali (22), and Gerald Robinson Jr. (21) for their blowout victory.

A day earlier, China survived a mammoth clash against Petrochimi 90-86 in the semi-finals to secure their spot in the finale. The game featured numerous twists and turns, and China had to bounce back from an eight-point halftime deficit to take the advantage at the end of the tense game. Blatche was again the hero, leading with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Darius Adams added 20. Petrochimi were held at bay despite 26 point efforts by both Behnam Yackchali and James White. In the second semi-final, Al Riyadi had no problem blowing past Al Ahli, 107-79. Dewarick Spencer scored 26 for the winning side, while Fadi El Khatib (20) and Alade Aminu chipped in crucial points, too. Al Ahli's lone warrior was Samuel Young, who had 32 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

The FIBA Asia CC tipped off on October 8th with ten teams, and India's ONGC - who had qualified for the tournament with their Federation Cup victory - were placed in Preliminary Round Group A with four touch matchups. They were led by head coach Dinesh Kumar and India international talents like Amrit Pal Singh, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, and Yadwinder Singh.

From the opener against Iran's Petrochimi onwards, it became clear that ONGC were going to be fighting an uphill battle in this tournament. Petrochimi used a balanced effort to take an early double-digit lead over ONGC and played hawking defense to cruise to an easy 95-51 win.

ONGC's second match was more of the same, this time against Iraq's Al Rayyan. Another poor offensive effort had ONGC playing catchup from the get go. Preston Knowles of Al Rayyan turned out to be sublime in this game, putting up 39 points and 14 rebounds in the 95-53 win. Al Rayyan's captain Mohamed Mohamed added 17 in the win. The lone bright spark for ONGC was India's star guard Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, who notched 20 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

Another tough loss followed the next day for ONGC, this time against eventual finalists Al Riyadi of Lebanon. For ONGC, the duo of Amrit Pal Singh (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (18 points, 11 rebounds) played their best, but they got little help from the rest of the squad. Al Riyadi were led by Wael Arakji (21), Karim Zeinoun (20), and Dewarick Spencer (17) in the 91-65 win.

ONGC's campaign got an early end with a fourth-straight loss in their final Preliminary Round game to Chinese Taipei's Pauian. ONGC played their best game of the tournament for about three quarters, staying within sight of the Taiwanese competition as they trailed 73-62. But it was all Pauian in the final period, who blew open the gates to cruise eventually to a 101-71 win. Chin-Pang Lin scored 19 for Pauian, overcoming strong performances by Amrit Pal Singh (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Riyazuddin (18 points) of ONGC.

ONGC finished 0-4 in the tournament. Amrit Pal Singh ended with averages of 17 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, leading ONGC in both categories. Vishesh Bhriguvanshi chipped in with 16.5 ppg in the course of the tournament, too.

This was obviously not the improvement that ONGC were looking for, as basketball club representatives of India, after a similar finish at the last FIBA Asia CC back in 2013. ONGC simply did not have the depth and firepower to match the loaded squads that they faced, many of whom featured naturalized foreign players and other foreign recruits to add to their strenghts. The club tournaments will remain a weak point for Indian basketball internationally until India can begin their own proper basketball league and bring together more talents to play for Indian clubs.

Dehradun's ONGC represent India at the 2016 FIBA Asia Champions Cup in Chenzhou (China)

Domestically, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) are the 'superteam' of Indian Basketball, the desi Golden State Warriors, featuring a roster heady with several of India's finest and most experienced players, entering each competition as they earn equal parts of love and envy, and - for the last few years - almost always ending up with the gold. Now, this talented squad from Dehradun will get their chance to prove that their success can translate to rivals across the border, too.

Starting this weekend, ONGC will represent India at the 2016 FIBA Asia Champions Cup in Chenzhou, the city in China's Hunan province. This is the premier basketball tournament for the best Men's basketball clubs - not national teams - from across the continent. The FIBA Asia CC tipped off today, Saturday October 8th and will be held until the finale on October 16. A total of ten teams from different Asian countries will be playing games over the next week at the Chenzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Chenzhou. This is the return of the tournament after a two-year hiatus since the 2013 edition which was held in Jordan.

The participating teams this year are divided into two groups of five each, with ONGC in Group A along with Petrochimi, Al-Riyadi, Al-Rayyan, and Pauian. All the selected teams have won their local club championships - ONGC qualified with their recent win at the 2016 Federation Cup in Goa.

2016 FIBA Asia Champions Cup Groups

• Group A: Petrochimi (Iran), Al-Riyadi (Lebanon), Al-Rayyan (Qatar), Pauian (Chinese Taipei), ONGC (India).
• Group B: Al Shorta (Iraq), Barsy Atyrau (Kazakhstan), Westports Malaysia Dragons (Malaysia), Ah Ahli (UAE), Xinjiang Flying Tigers (China).

ONGC are sending a roster featuring three important members of India's national squad that tore through the international FIBA Asia Challenge in Tehran (Iran) last month, winning four games, including upsets over China, Philippines, and Chinese Taipei. It was India's finest international performance in twenty-seven years. These three players - India's captain Amrit Pal Singh, star guard Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, and veteran forward Yadwinder Singh - will no doubt be the fulcrum for ONGC on both ends of the floor. ONGC's roster also includes veterans like Mohit Bhandari, Trideep Rai, Riyazuddin, and Arjun Singh. They will be led by head coach Amit Kumar Singh.

ONGC roster for 2016 FIBA Asia Cup

• Amrit Pal Singh
• Mohit Bhandari
• Vinay Dabas
• Anoop Mukkanniyil
• Trideep Rai
• Abhishek Rai
• Vishesh Bhriguvanshi
• Riyazuddin
• Arjun Singh
• Yadwinder Singh
• Muraleekrishna Ravindran
• Udai Bhan Singh Rawat
• Head Coach: Amit Kumar Singh
• Assistant Coach: Dinesh Kumar

ONGC's Preliminary Round schedule for 2016 FIBA Asia Cup - all timings IST

• October 9 - ONGC vs. Petrochimi - 10:30 AM
• October 10 - Al Rayyan vs. ONGC - 10:30 AM
• October 11 - ONGC vs. Al-Riyadi - 3:30 PM
• October 12 - Pauian vs. ONGC - 12:30 PM

While the duo of Amrit Pal Singh and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi are two of the best at their positions in Asia, ONGC are bound to struggle against all of the Preliminary Round teams because of the international inexperience of the rest of the players on ONGC's roster. Dominating against IOB or the Indian Army may be one thing, but going against experienced club teams from other countries - many of whom feature excellent foreign imports - is going to be a huge challenge to overcome. ONGC's toughest matchup will likely be against Qatar's Al Rayyan, who were the runners-up in 2013 and are looking for their third title at the FIBA Asia CC. Iran teams have won five titles at this tournament, and Petrochimi will be hoping to become the sixth. Over in Group B, China's Xinjiang - featuring former NBA player Andray Blatche and recently drafted Zhou Qi - will be one of the title favourites representing the home nation.

ONGC will hope not to repeat history from 2013, where they lost all six of the games they played in and finished at last place (eighth). But Indian basketball has managed to turn heads and make rapid improvements over the recent years: will ONGC continue to wave the tiranga high and cause some more shocks for the Asian basketball world?

Hoopdarshan Episode 37: India's historic performances at FIBA Asia Challenge with Vishesh Bhriguvanshi

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi is a busy man. Between starring for India at the historic FIBA Asia Challenge performance in Iran, winning the Maldives pro basketball league in his first season, and leading ONGC to the FIBA Asia Champions Cup in China, the superstar guard found time to guest in Episode 37 of the Hoopdarshan podcast. With Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok, Bhriguvanshi recapped India's recent big wins, his stacked international basketball schedule, and revealed why's he's now the Banarasi James Harden.

Bhriguvanshi (24) is one of the biggest stars in Indian basketball. Hailing from Varanasi, the shooting guard is a former captain of the Men's national team and has led India to several notable international successes, including to multiple FIBA Asia Championships and the most recent, historic 7th place finish at the FIBA Asia Challenge.

Apart from our interview with Bhriguvanshi, we also discuss news of the NBA's global academies, a D-League contract for India's Palpreet Singh, and our early reviews of the NBA preseason in the latest episode.



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!

Hoopdarshan can be found on...

• - iTunes: Hoopdarshan 
• - Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud 
• - On Twitter: @Hoopdarshan 
• - Facebook.com/Hoopdarshan 

ONGC win 1st ever All India Basketball Tournament in Rohtak (Haryana)

New location, same excellence.

For the first time, an All India Basketball Tournament was brought to Haryana, as the city of Rohtak hosted a national-level Men's tournament from August 2-6. But even in this new space, the big dogs continued their same old tricks. Dehradun's ONGC, one of the most successful basketball units in India in recent history, were crowned champions of the tournament with a dominant win over Indian Railways in the Final on Saturday, August 7.

Eight Men's teams took part in the inaugural All India Basketball Tournament in Rohtak, which was organised by the Basketball Club of Haryana (BCH) under the aegis of the Haryana State Basketball Association and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI). The tournament was held at the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex in the city's Sector-6.

After a close first-quarter, ONGC blew open the dam in the second period led by India's national captain Amrit Pal Singh (18) and veteran guard Riyazuddin (35), who hit seven threes in the final. Leading 55-36 at halftime, ONGC continued their easy dominance in the second period, as international star Vishesh Bhriguvanshi also chipped in 24 points. ONGC closed the game out in style with a 90-62 victory. Himanshu scored a team-high 16 for Indian Railways.

ONGC's Amrit Pal Singh was named tournament's MVP and was awarded a cash prize of INR 5100. The winning team ONGC received INR 1,00,000/- and a trophy while runners up Indian Railway got INR 50,000/-. Additionally, every man of the match throughout the tournament received INR 2100/- and trophies.

Devender Kalyan, Commissioner-Income Tax (Gurugram) was the chief guest of the occasion. Krishan Hooda, Contractor (Haryana Urban Developmental Authority) was the guest of honour. Also present as guests were Pardeep Kumar, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rohtak) and Prof Dalbir Singh Kharab, Secretary of Haryana State Basketball Association. Two past players hailing from Haryana, Arjuna Awardee Om Prakash Sr and Dhyan Chand Awardee Ram Kumar were felicitated.

Participating Teams in Rohtak 1st All India Basketball Tournament

• Group A: ONGC, Income Tax, Indian Air Force, Haryana.
• Group B: Indian Railways, Punjab, Indian Army, Basketball Club of Haryana (BCH).

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.

2016 Federation Cup: Kerala Women rise to the top; ONGC Men make it a four-peat

At Goa, the best in Indian basketball clashed against the best. The top performing state/unit teams from around the country came together for the competition of the elites, the 30th Federation Cup Basketball Championship for Men and Women. After six daysT of high-quality basketball performances, age-old rivals met up in Finals on Monday, March 14, at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium at Goa University in Teleigao. The two finals were settled when the young Kerala Women's squad leaped up to defeat Chhattisgarh and Dehradun's ONGC made it four gold medals in a row with a defeat of IOB.

The 2016 Federation Cup was organized by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the Goa Basketball Association (GBA) from March 9-14. The annual tournament generally features the Champion District/Unit/Club from the top eight teams of the previous year's Senior National Championship in the Men's section, and the top eight state teams from the previous Senior National Championship in the Women's section. This year, hosts Goa added their units/state teams to the competition fray as well.

Old foes ONGC (Dehradun) and Indian Overseas Bank, Chennai (IOB) met once again in a final at the national stage. The two best Men's club teams in India have been sharing honours for the past several years, and defending champs ONGC were now looking for their fourth final win in a row following last year's gold medal in Pune. ONGC blazed ahead to an unbelievably hot start, leading IOB 27-5 after the first quarter alone. The quarter break provided the perfect tonic to IOB's woes, who stormed back to make the game competitive again at halftime, with ONGC leading just 31-26. With the game hanging in the balance until the final period, ONGC blew the game wide open by capitalizing on their opponent's offensive struggles to secure a 73-57 win. Team India veterans Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (20) and Yadwinder Singh (17) led the way for the winning side. International star Pratham Singh scored 25 for IOB in the loss.

The Women's final was also a captivating affair, featuring the young and star-studded Kerala squad taking on the current established powers of Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarh's biggest strength was in Poonam Chaturvedi, their 6-foot-9 center who is India's tallest female basketball player. Chaturvedi had been unstoppable throughout the course of the tournament, and continued her dominant streak with 33 points and 11 rebounds in the final. But Kerala's speed and hot shooting had brought them this far, and gave them confidence to take an early lead in the final. At halftime, Kerala led 43-41, but it was their big third-quarter push that finally settled the game. Kerala outscored Chhattisgarh 22-15 in the third, and were able to maintain their advantage through the final period to secure a 80-71 win. The talented Keralite trio of Stephy Nixon (26), Jeena PS (22), and Neenumol PS (21) led the way in the win. Sharanjeet Kaur of Chhattisgarh added 21 in her team's losing effort.

ONGC's Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Chhattisgarh's Poonam Chaturvedi were named MVPs of the tournament.

The BFI also befittingly chose the finale of the Federation Cup to felicitate yesteryear Senior India basketball legends. The players felicitated were Hanuman Singh (Arjuna Awardee), Hanif Patel, Mohammed Rizwan, Dilip Murthy, Siraj Ahmed (all former India men's players), Ajay Sud (Vice President-BFI), K Govindaraj (President-BFI), SK Kataria, Abbas Moontasir (both Arjuna Awardees), Sat Prakash Yadav (current head coach of the Indian men's team and former India men's player), Reginald Rajan (former India player) and Parminder Singh (Arjuna Awardee).

Earlier in the day, Telangana won third place defeating the South-Eastern Central Railways (SECR) Bilaspur Women 65-56. Telangana were led by M. Gayathri’s 20 points and P. Divya’s 18 points, while Seema Singh scored 26 points to go with 15 rebounds for SECR. In the men’s third place match, Army Red edged past Vijaya Bank, Bengaluru to clinch the bronze medal. Karnataka guard Mayur Bhat had 23 points and Jai Ram Jat added 16 in Army’s victory, while Vijaya Bank forward Arvind Arumugam had 25 points in the losing effort.

Final Scores

• Women: Kerala (Stephy Nixon 26, Jeena PS 22, Neenumol PS 21) bt Chhattisgarh (Poonam Chaturvedi 33, Sharanjeet Kaur 21) 80-71 (23-17, 20-24, 22-15, 15-15).
• Men: ONGC (Vishesh Bhrighuvanshi 20, Yadwinder Singh 17, Trideep Rai 15) bt. IOB (Pratham Singh 25, Aravind Annadurai 13) 73-57 (27-5, 4-21, 20-21, 22-10).

Bronze Medal Matches

• Telangana (M. Gayathri 20, P. Divya 18) bt SECR (Seema Singh 26) 65-56 (11-10, 22-8, 20-17, 12-21).
• Army Red (Mayur Bhat 23, Jai Ram Jat 16, Vivekananda Das 14) bt Vijaya Bank (Arvind Arumugam 25, Rajesh Uppar 14, M. Navin 13pts) 76-66 (22-19, 17-16, 15-15, 22-16)

Final Standings

Women

• 1. Kerala
• 2. Chhattisgarh
• 3. Telangana

Men

• 1. ONGC
• 2. IOB
• 3. Army Red

India's top basketball teams head to Goa for 2016 Federation Cup

Two years ago, the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium at Goa University in Teleigao hosted one of the contemporary high-points of Indian basketball. The 2014 Lusofonia Games were being held in Goa, and it was at this stadium where Head Coach Scott Flemming led the Indian national Men's squad to a memorable basketball gold medal victory in the tournament. While Goa has never been known to flaunt much basketball structure or associate positive history with the sport, this was a moment that generated real excitement for the sport among local fans.

This week, the same indoor stadium will get a chance to take a step further. The 30th Federation Cup All India Basketball Tournament for Men and Women - organized by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the Goa Basketball Association (GBA) - is set to be held in Goa from March 9-14. A tournament among only the elite teams in the sport in both men's and women's division, the Goa University will once again play host to some of the most talented players in Indian Basketball starting tip off on Wednesday, March 9.

The Federation Cup is held annually and is one of the most coveted tournament's for basketball clubs/state teams throughout India. Generally speaking, in the men’s section, the top eight state teams from the previous year’s Senior National Championship send the Champion District/Unit/Club of the State Championship/Inter-district/Inter-Unit. Counting a team from hosts' Goa, this year's Men's competition will feature nine teams. In the women’s section, the top eight state teams from the previous year’s Senior National Championship are eligible to participate, along with the Champion team of the Indian Railways Unit. Another significance of the Federation Cup is that it serves as the qualifying tournament for the FIBA Asia Champions Cup for Men, which pits the top clubs in the continent against each other. The winning men’s team from the Federation Cup qualifies to the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, which is set to be held in October this year.

The Federation Cup will seek to bounce back after the fiasco surrounding the tournament a year ago. Last year's Federation Cup was held in Pune (Maharashtra) around the same time that the BFI broke apart into two separate executive committees, with meeting one in Bengaluru, one in Pune. The Pune committee - led by Poonam Mahajan - organised the 2015 Federation Cup, but it is the Bengaluru committee - led by K. Govindraj - that now has control over the BFI and is organizing the 2016 Federation Cup. ONGC (Men) and Southern Railway (Women) were crowned champions in Pune and will return this year to defend their title in Goa as well. ONGC have won the last three gold medals at the Federation Cup and will be seeking a four-peat.

Teams participating in the 2016 Federation Cup are:

Men

• Group A: ONGC (Uttarakhand), Bhiwani Club (Haryana), Vijaya Bank (Karnataka), Ludhiana Basketball Academy (Punjab).
• Group B: Indian Overseas Bank (Tamil Nadu), Army Red (Services), Kerala Police (Kerala), North Western Railway (Rajasthan), Don Bosco Oratory (Goa).

Women

• Group A: Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa.
• Group B: Delhi, South East Central Railway (Chhattisgarh), Karnataka, Telangana.

You can find a detailed schedule of matches via the BFI here.

"The six-day tournament will be played on league cum knock out basis which will feature champion club from the top eight states of the previous year’s Senior National Championship", Goa Basketball Association secretary Ashley Rosario told reporters in Goa. Goacom reported that DD Sports will telecast the tournament's semi-finals, finals, and closing ceremony live nationally. Amita Mascarenhas and Suzeth Durate will be Goa’s flag bearer for the opening and closing ceremony.

2015: The Year in Indian Basketball

Bring on the fireworks and crank up the party music. Another year has come to an end and every passing moment leads the countdown closer to 2016. But before we look ahead at the future, let's look back and celebrate the past. Indian basketball's stock has been rising exponentially for the last few years, and 2015 became one of the biggest year's for the sport in the country so far.

There have been several major individual success stories, crucial off-court developments, and national and international team triumphs over the past 12 months, news that has been good, bad, ugly, or inspiring. Let's take a quick look back at the biggest India Basketball stories in 2015.

- India's most-prestigious domestic basketball trophy - the Senior National Championship - is usually scheduled to be at stake to kick off the year, and 2015 for Indian basketball began with the conclusion of the Senior Nationals in Bhilwara (Rajasthan) on January 5. In the Women's section, Chhattisgarh repeated after 2014's surprise win to once again win the gold. In the Men's tournament, 2013 champions Uttarakhand bounced back to reclaim their place at the top. Chhattisgarh's Poonam Chaturvedi recovered from a brain tumor to win the tournament's MVP in the women's division, while Uttarkhand's Amrit Pal Singh was the Men's MVP.

- Mumbai's prestigious invitational tournament Savio Cup held its 10th edition from January 11-18th and was won by ONGC (Men) and Chhattisgarh (Women).

- The Universal Basketball Alliance (UBA) acquired the rights to hold the All India Inter University Basketball Tournament. The Men's championship was held in Chennai and won by hometown Madras University on January 19. Former NBA player Cedric Ceballos came to India as a special guest for this tournament.

- WNBA and Olympic basketball champion Tamika Catchings was in India during the last week of January, and she was present to tip off the Mumbai city championship of the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA Programme at the Dominic Savio School in Andheri East on Wednesday, January 28th.

- Bollywood superstar Abhishek Bachchan - one of the most recognizable faces of Indian cinema and a known supporter of basketball/NBA in India - was chosen for the roster of the Celebrity Game at the NBA All-Star Weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York on February 13. He wasn't very good.

- The basketball tournament of the 35th National Games in Kerala came to a conclusion on February 13 with Uttarkhand (Men) and hosts Kerala (Women) winning the respective titles.

- Also in Kerala about 10 days later, IOB (Men) and KSEB (Women) won the 2015 JCI Basketball Tournament at Athirampuzha.

- Former NBA player Shandon Anderson was randomly a chief guest at a sports fest in Bengaluru on March 11.

- Income Tax (Men) and Southern Railway (Women) won 2015 All India Jeppiaar Basketball Trophy at Chennai's Jeppiaar Institute of Technology on March 14.

- India's first and freshest basketball podcast - Hoopdarshan - was launched by yours truly! Co-hosted by Kaushik Lakshman and I, Karan Madhok, Hoopdarshan has dropped 23 episodes over the past nine months, featuring guests like Satnam Singh, Scott Flemming, Amjyot Singh, Francisco Garcia, JD Walsh, Prashanti Singh, and many more!

- The Basketball Federation of India's (BFI) backroom squabbles finally spilled all over into the national news. In late March, around the tip-off of the 2015 Federation Cup in Pune, two rival groups held two different Annual General Meetings (AGMs) on two consecutive days in two different cities (Bengaluru and Pune) to form two separate executive committees to head the BFI. The Bengaluru one appointed K Govindraj as President and Chander Mukhi Sharma as Secretary-General, while in Pune, Poonam Mahajan was named as President and Roopam Sharma as Secretary-General. For the rest of the year, the battle between Team Govindraj and Team Mahajan became the ugly backdrop that created an ugly blotch on the progress of Indian hoops.

- The 2015 Federation Cup concluded in Pune on April 2. ONGC (Men) made it a three-peat of titles, while Southern Railway (Women) won gold in their division.

- Sim Bhullar became the first player of Indian-origin to play in an NBA game, featuring in the dying seconds of the Sacramento Kings' game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 7.

- Satnam Singh, the 7-footed teenage basketball phenom from Punjab in India, declared for the 2015 NBA Draft in late April.

- Sim Bhullar made his first official visit to his ancestral home in India with the NBA. He visited Mumbai, Noida, Amritsar, and Chandigarh between May 2-7, interacting with fans, visiting the Golden Temple, taking part in charity events, and conducting an NBA clinic at the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA Elite National Camp.

- Scott Flemming, the Coach who guided India to a historic win over China in summer 2014, left the Indian national Men's team with an unmatched legacy after not renewing his contract with the BFI.

- The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) recognized Team Govindraj to be the rightful leaders of the BFI in late May, but the fiasco didn't clear up.

- Contracts of India's foreign coaches Francisco Garcia (Women's Senior National team) and Tommy Heffelfinger (Strength and Conditioning Coach) were not extended and the two left India at the end of May.

- India's Punjabi big man duo of Amjyot Singh and Amrit Pal Singh brought pride to the nation as they were selected to play for Hyogo Impulse in the Japan's BJ Summer League in early June.

- Aiming to give a voice to Indian basketball players - current and past - the Indian Basketball Players Association (IBPA) was officially formed in New Delhi in mid-June. The IBPA expanded to several other Indian cities through the course of the year.

- After continued infighting between different factions of the BFI over the control of the federation's executive committee, the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs in India put on hold the conduct of all official basketball events in India in mid-June until the office bearers of the BFI would be recognized by the government. The two sides were called for a meeting in Mid-July (and several times thereafter) by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), but reconciliation consistently failed. In October, FIBA had to urge the Sports Ministry in India to grant immediate recognition to Team Govindraj.

- On June 25, Satnam Singh made history by becoming the first Indian to be drafted into the NBA. He was selected 52nd by the Dallas Mavericks.

- India hosted the 4th South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) Championship in Bengaluru and won it in style, with a perfect 5-0 record over Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka to qualify for the upcoming FIBA Asia Basketball Championship (ABC).

- Spaniard Francisco Garcia was temporarily reinstated by Team Govindraj and returned to coach India's Women's team for the FIBA Asia Women in early July.

- The Universal Basketball Alliance - UBA India - launched the 2015 UBA Basketball League to be held in Hyderabad from July 17 to July 30. Eight teams representing different Indian cities took part. The Chennai Slam won the inaugural edition of this tournament on July 30.

- Satnam Singh played in the Summer League for the Dallas Mavericks. He stumbled, stuttered, and took baby steps forward.

- Six Indian coaches were chosen for Basketball Without Borders programme in South Africa from July 29-August 1.

- In early August, Satnam Singh returned to India for the first time after being drafted for a fortnight. He toured the Golden Temple in Amritsar, spent time in his village Ballo Ke, returned to the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana, the court where he first honed his game as a pre-adolescent. He trained young players in Punjab, Rajasthan, and more.

- China won the FIBA Asia U16 Championship again (in Medan, Indonesia). India went winless and fell to Level II.

- In mid August, Indian Army (Men) and Chhattisgarh (Women) won the PSG and CRI Pumps trophies in Coimbatore.

- Amrit Pal Singh and Amjyot Singh dominated Japan's Summer League and, as a reward, were both signed by Tokyo Excellence of Japan's Basketball D-League.

- Japan won 2015 FIBA Asia Women's Championship again in Wuhan (China); winless India fell to Level 2. One of the positives for India was the performance of Jeena PS, who scored 14.3 ppg for India and was one of the top young players at the tournament. Coach Garcia left India after this tournament.

- In mid-September, the IOA created an ad-hoc committee to oversee Indian Basketball and create a new executive committee for the BFI, but Team Govindraj - who had been leading the BFI for most of the year - called the committee 'illegal'.

- Rain disrupted the 2015 Youth (U16) Nationals in Bhavnagar (Gujarat). The final on September 21 was washed out and Tamil Nadu/Delhi (Boys) and Tamil Nadu/Chhattisgarh (Girls) were declared joint winners.

- At Asia's biggest Men's basketball tournament - the FIBA Asia Championship in Changhsa, China - hosts China romped their way to a gold medal at top, but India ended the tournament with something to smile about, too. Behind Amjyot Singh's breakout dominant performances, India made the quarter-final stage for the first time in 2003 and finished at an encouraging 8th place.

- At the 2015 Junior (U18) National Championship in Ludhiana (Punjab) which concluded on October 9, Tamil Nadu won the boys' gold while Chhattisgarh made it a threepeat in the girls' division.

- Income Tax (Chennai) won 2015 Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty Basketball Tournament in Bengaluru on October 11.

- The NBA in India partnered with ACG Worldwide Group to launch the 'ACG-NBA Jump' from October 26 in New Delhi. The programme is set to provide basketball players between the ages of 18-22 from around the country the opportunity to develop their skills and one top player from the programme would also receive the opportunity to attend the NBA Development League (NBA D-League) National Tryout in the United States Over three phases in the course of several months, the programme will choose the best players from six Indian cities, and then, sieve out the best from among the best to train him for the D-League tryout.

- India's largest interactive youth basketball festival - NBA Jam - tipped off its third season on October 28th in Jalandhar (Punjab). Satnam Singh and former NBA player Jason Richardson were among the guests to help promote the event around the country. This year's NBA Jam aimed at a record 24 Indian cities and more than a million young players.

- The 2015 FIBA Asia U16 Championship for Men was held in Jakarta (Indonesia) in early Novemnber. Korea won the tournament, ending China's monopoly in this championship. India's U16 team ended the tournament with a 2-3 record and dropped to 13th place.

- Satnam Singh was named to the roster of Dallas Mavericks' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends. He made his D-League debut on Legends' opening night.

- Calicut University of Malappuram (Kerala) won the 2015 All India Inter University Basketball Tournament for Women on November 19 in New Delhi.

- NBA India launched the 2015-16 season of the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA programme in Mumbai on December 9 with the promise to engage over 1.5 million young players in a record 14 cities. The programme will run till March 2016.

- WNBA star Briann January arrived in India on December 12 for ACG-NBA Jump camp in Mumbai.

- Member of India's U16 national team Harshwardhan Tomar - a 14-year-old center/forward from Madhya Pradesh - joined the Stellazzurra Basketball Academy in Rome (Italy). If he performs will, he could land a full scholarship to study and play basketball in Italy on a long term basis.

It was indeed a year to remember for India's individual potential, as the big Punjabi Singhs - Satnam, Amjyot, Amrit Pal - took big strides to further their careers as professional players. Meanwhile, the NBA continued to expand its presence in India, while the UBA introduced themselves as new players in the puzzle. India's international FIBA performances were a mixed bag, but even the positives abroad were overshadowed by drama at home, where the fighting factions of the BFI placed politics ahead of basketball.

Overall, the outlook for the future looks better than the past, and hopefully the smog of political drama can clear up so that Indian basketball can continue soaring higher in 2016. Happy New Year everyone!