Parvez Irani: Hoopistani Indian Basketball Hall of Fame

Another member of India's historic basketball team of 1980, the first and only to play in the Summer Olympics in Moscow, has been added to the Hoopistani Indian Basketball Hall of Fame: Parvez Irani.

From Cuttack in Odisha, the 5-10 guard Irani went on to become an important player for Team India in the 70s and 80s. He appeared in all seven of India's matches at the Moscow Olympics in 1980 and averaged 3.4 points per contest.

After retiring from the game in the mid-80s, Irani served the Sports Authority of India (SAI) as a coach for thirty years, from where he finally retired in 2017. Irani's son Xerxes has found fame in his own right as a star for the TV show "Roadies". Irani also has the claim for being one of the rare players of Zoroastrian background to represent Team India.

Click here for more of the Hoopistani Indian Basketball Hall of Fame.

2019 Sub-Junior Nationals: Mizoram Boys and Tamil Nadu rise to capture the gold in Cuttack

Sometimes the best thing about basketball is watching a dominant force unleash its dominance, over and over again, executing the game to its most beautiful conclusion. At other times, the joy of the game is in the underdog stories, of surprises, of being witness to a 'Cinderella' run to the title, in David defeating Goliath.

Both these instances were on showcase over the past week at the 46th Sub Junior (U14) National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls, held in Cuttack (Odisha) from September 3-9. Organised by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the Odisha Basketball Association, the Sub-Junior Nationals featured participation from 24 boys' and 25 girls' teams from around India. At the finals on Monday, Mizoram (Boys) became the 'Cinderella' story, winning the gold, while Tamil Nadu (Girls) captured the top spot after last year's runners-up finish. The championship was held in Cuttack's Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium and the Indoor Complex in Barabati

The girls' final was a rematch of last year's event in Kangra (Himachal Pradesh), with Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra squaring up again in the finals. Maharashtra, the reigning champions, stayed on course on Monday as well, as both teams started with a tie after the first quarter and TN only held a slim, 32-30 lead at halftime. But it was the incredible third period explosion by TN that proved to be the differene, as they outscored Maharashtra 33-13, and then put the nail in the coffin in the fourth to run away with a 85-67 victory. Antheya Daisy of TN was the best individual performer of the day, scoring 31 in the win. Juana Chrisolin added 18 points in TN's winning effort.

The boys' finale featured two very different teams: the favourites, Punjab, who had been dominating every level of the game with their size and athleticism; and the relative newcomers from the basketball-mad northeast state of Mizoram, who had surprised bigger teams en route to the final with their speed and shooting. The neck-to-neck game remained close for three quarters, as Punjab held a slim 35-34 advantage. But it was the Mizos who ended in style, hitting the big baskets and the getting the biggest stops in the fourth quarter to edge away to a 51-46 win, their third in Sub-Junior nationals history. Emmanuel of Mizoram led all scorers with 17 points.

The third-place match-ups of the losing semi-finalists were also held on Monday. In the boys' game, Maharashtra and Haryana went the stretch in a close contest, and the Maha boys eventually sneaked away with a 75-73 victory. Shaik Taufiq scored 26 to pace Maharashtra, while Kaushal of Haryana had a game-high 28.

In the girls' game, Karnataka had an easy ride against Delhi, routing their opponents 56-34 to return home with a bronze medal.

Final Scores

Girls: Tamil Nadu (Antheya Daisy 31, Juana Chrisolin 18) bt. Maharashtra 85-67 [18-18, 14-12, 33-13, 20-22].

Boys: Mizoram (Emmanuel 17) bt. Punjab 51-46 [12-13, 10-8, 12-14, 17-11].
Final Standings

Girls

• 1. Tamil Nadu
• 2. Maharashtra
• 3. Karnataka
• 4. Delhi
• 5. Kerala

Boys

• 1. Mizoram
• 2. Punjab
• 3. Maharashtra
• 4. Haryana
• 5. Tamil Nadu

46th Sub Junior National Basketball Championship to tip off in Cuttack (Odisha)

The youngest national basketball event in Indian basketball will continue its decades-long journey tomorrow. The 46th Sub Junior (U14) National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls will be held in Cuttack (Odisha) from September 3-9, 2019. The championship will be held in Cuttack's Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium and the Indoor Complex in Barabati. It will feature participation from 24 boys' and 25 girls' teams from around India.

The event is being organised by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the Odisha Basketball Association.

Last year's defending champions from Kangra - Uttar Pradesh (Boys) and Maharashtra (Girls) will start this year's tournament among the favourites.

Participating Teams

Women

• Group A: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Harayana, Punjab, Kerala
• Group B: Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi
• Group C: Gujarat, Jharkhand, Manipur
• Group D: Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Odisha
• Group E: Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Puducherry, West Bengal
• Group F: Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Uttarkhand

Boys

• Group A: Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
• Group B: Rajasthan, Maharstra, Bihar, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh
• Group C: Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal
• Group D: Telengana, Gujarat, Manipur, Uttarkhand
• Group E: Delhi, Goa, Mizoram, Tripura
• Group F: Kerala, Chandigarh, Odisha, Puducherry

The championship will officially be declared open at 6.00 PM on 3rd September by Achhyuta Samanta, the MP of Kandhana.

Calicut University repeat to win 2016 All India Inter University Women Basketball title in Bhubaneswar

In India's most-competitive women's university championship, the reigning champions from Calicut once again rose above the rest to retain their title. Calicut University from Malappuram (Kerala) defeated Chennai's Hindustan University to win back-to-back titles in the All India Inter University Basketball for Women at KIIT Bhubaneswar (Odisha) on Thursday, December 29.

Led by Aswathy S Thampy (22) and Nimmy George (16) in the final, Calicut got off to a confident start, leading 32-20 over Hindustan at halftime. Calicut kept a steady hold on their lead in the second half to secure the 70-59 victory. Varsha Nandhini (23) and Srivihya S. Sekhar (17) led the way for Hindustan in a losing effort.

MG University from Kottayam (Kerala) took the bronze medal with a 66-41 win over Kannur on Thursday.

Madhya Pradesh (Boys) and Kerala (Girls) win 41st Sub Jr National Basketball Championship in Nashik

After winning a memorable double at last year's Sub Junior Nationals, Chhattisgarh's Boys and Girls had a chance to make it a 'double-double' when both teams qualified for the Finals at the tournament in Nashik (Maharashtra) this year. But their opponents had other plans: In two exciting final games at Nashik's Meenathai Thakrey Stadium on Friday, November 28, Madhya Pradesh (Boys) and Kerala (Girls) teams denied a repeat result at India's 41st Sub-Jr National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls by bringing back the gold their respective states. The two final games marked an end to the week-long tournament featuring 45 of the best under-14 boys and girls teams from across the country.

The tournament was organized by the Basketball Federation and India (BFI) and IMG Reliance along with the Maharashtra State Basketball Association (MSBA).

The boys final was a rematch between Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh from last year. The two neighbouring states - one born out of the other over a decade ago - played in a tough, defensive final a year ago where Chhattisgarh emerged as winners. This was MP's third consecutive boys' final appearance, and finally, they ended their losing streak at the last stand of this competition with a high-scoring finish. After trailing by 13 in the first quarter, MP responded with a bang in the second and trailed by just three at halftime. Behind scintillating performances by Amit Singh Chouhan (31) and Manish Prasad (19), MP continued at their fast pace to stretch their lead out to a 94-82 win. Salim Ali (26) and Saif Ali Khan (24) were the leading scorers for Chhattisgarh.

The women's final was a meeting of familiar foes - Kerala and Chhattisgarh - two teams that marked the most successful junior girls basketball programmes in the country. Chhattisgarh had won every single girls' Sub-Junior title since 2002, an astonishing twelve titles in a row. But their dominant streak finally came to an end on Friday evening. Led by 36 points and nine rebounds by inspirational captain Sreekala R, Kerala overturned a two-point halftime deficit to charge ahead in the third quarter and hold off Chhattisgarh's comeback attempts in the final period to win 78-72. Despite their success at the youth and junior levels, this was actually Kerala's first Sub-Junior nationals victory in the tournament's 41-year history. For Chhattisgarh, Elizabeth Ekka scored a game-high 37 points while Neha Karva added 17.

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards at the championship were handed to Kerala's Sreekala R (Girls) and MP's Mani Thakur (MP).

Earlier on in the day, the girls' bronze-medal game became an epic one-on-one encounter featuring two of the most impressive scoring performances ever seen at the national Sub-Junior level in India. Haryana's Meenu and Uttar Pradesh's Vaishnavi Yadav turned the game into their personal playground. Meenu scored a mammoth 65 points - a tournament high - breaking her own record of a 50-point game in the semi-final loss just a day earlier. In response, Yadav had 57 for UP to keep her side in the game. In a close back-and-forth contest, UP bounced back in the fourth quarter after trailing by five to win the game 98-95. In the boys' bronze game, Kuldeep S scored 21 to help Rajasthan defeat Odisha 73-61. Suresh D had 29 for Odisha in a losing effort.

On Thursday, Haryana's Meenu had taken part in a prior one-on-one duel, this time against the tournament's eventual MVP and champion Sreekala R of Kerala. The first girls' semi-final was held between Kerala and Haryana, which the former won quiet comfortably 96-78 after leading by just one at halftime. Once again, the story of the game however was an individual duel. Sreekala scored 42 to help her team win the match while Meenu poured in 50 in a losing effort. For Kerala, Aparna also added 28 in the win. In the other semi-final, Chhattisgarh defeated UP 73-65 thanks to 22 points by Elizabeth Ekka. Vaishnavi Yadav (34) and Shivangi G (16) were UP's leading scorers.

Eventual boys' winners MP fended off their semi-final challengers Odisha were relative ease, 78-61 behind 22 points by D. Raj and 16 by Harshwardhan. Odisha's best performers were Suresh Das (20) and Suresh (18). Chhattisgarh's duo of Salim Ali (18) and Saif Ali Khan (17) were at their best against Rajasthan in a high-scoring win, 96-85. While Chhattisgarh had a small edge to the game throughout, the single-handed efforts of Kuldeep Singh (36) kept Rajasthan contending till the very end.

Final Scores

• Girls: Kerala (Sreekala R. 36, Aparna Sadasivan 15, Danielie Mathews 13) bt Chhattisgarh (Elizabet Ekka 37, Neha Karva 17) 78-72 (22-18, 13-19, 21-11, 22-24).
  
• Boys: Madhya Pradesh (Amit Singh Chouhan 31, Manish Prasad 19, Mani Thakur 13) bt Chhattisgarh (Salim Ali 26, Saif Ali Khan 24) 94-82 (16-29, 28-18, 25-18, 25-17).
  

Third/Fourth Place Games

• Girls: Uttar Pradesh (Vaishnavi Yadav 57) bt Haryana (Meenu 65) 98-95 (27-27, 13-16, 24-26, 34-26).
  
• Boys: Rajasthan (Kuldeep S. 21) bt Odisha (Suresh Das 29) 73-61 (20-11, 11-10, 20-20, 22-20).
  

Final Standings Girls

• 1. Kerala
  
• 2. Chhattisgarh
  
• 3. Uttar Pradesh
  
• 4. Haryana
  
• 5. Tamil Nadu
  

Boys

• 1. Madhya Pradesh
  
• 2. Chhattisgarh
  
• 3. Rajasthan
  
• 4. Odisha
  
• 5. Haryana
  

Chhattisgarh (Girls) and Delhi (Boys) win Junior National Basketball Championship in Cuttack

Chhattisgarh's Women's basketball continued their golden age of dominance over hoops in India, defending their gold medal by winning the final on Sunday at the 64th National Basketball Championship for Junior Men & Women, India's premier basketball competition for under-18 talents from across the nation. Chhattisgarh defeated a spirited Kerala squad in the Final at Cuttack, in Odisha. The Men's title was capture by Delhi, who defeated Punjab in another clash of the titans.

The Junior Nationals, organized by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the Odisha Basketball Association, featured a total of 46 squads in the boys' and girls' divisions and was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium from September 1-8 in Cuttack.

The tournament featured surprises, breakout performances, and some dominant play by India's best junior stars, many of whom are sure to be the faces of the nation's basketball charge in the future.

Led by the dominant 6'7" Poonam Chaturvedi, India's tallest active female basketball player, Chhattisgarh arrived in the Final for a fitting clash against rivals Kerala. Chaturvedi, who averaged a scintillating 46 points per contest through the course of the tournament, added 43 points and 19 rebounds in the Final to cap a wildly successful route to the title. Sangeeta Kaur added 21 in the final for the winning side. Chhattisgarh took an early lead and maintained it till the end to outlast Kerala 79-69. Kerala's Poojamol KS, another star talent for the Indian junior side, scored 33 points in the final, but no other teammate was able to add to her efforts in the final.

The boys title pitted the deep and experienced Delhi side against the experienced and big squad from Punjab. Punjab's star-studded roster also featured India's 7-foot-1 phenom Satnam Singh Bhamara. Bhamara continued his bright performances at the championship with 24 points in the Final. Punjab led by one at the end of the first quarter, but Delhi made a comeback in the second and the dominant third period to take the lead and hold on for a 89-82 win. A mixed group of stars led by Pradeep Kumar (26), Gaurav Ohlan (23) and Pankaj Rathi (17) led the way for Delhi.

The bronze medal games were also held at the venue on Sunday. Tamil Nadu Boys rode on the coattails of S. Karthickeyan, who had a game-high 38 points to help vanquish Kerala 96-57. Akhil added 20 for the losing side. In the girls' game, Maharashtra broke a close tie against Tamil Nadu in the second quarter and maintained their advantage for a 78-66 victory. Ishwari Pingle (21), Shireen Limaye (19) and Krittika (16) were the leading scorers for Maharashtra.

Delhi's Gaurav Ohlan (Boys) and Chhattisgarh's Kavita Akula (Girls) were named the MVPs of the tournament.

The winning teams were awarded Rs 1,00,000 each, the silver-medalists Rs 75,000, and the bronze-medalists Rs 50,000. The two MVP’s in the boys and girls section, Delhi’s Gaurav Ohlan and Chhattisgarh’s Kavita Akula won Rs 15,000 each. During halftime of both the finals, the silver medal winning girls and boys teams from the 1st U18 FIBA Asia 3X3 Championship in Bangkok were awarded cash prizes of Rs 50,000 each.

On Saturday, history was made the tournament's semi-finals. Chhattisgarh's Poonam Chaturvedi, who had dropped 63 on Tamil Nadu Girls earlier in the competition, broke out once again against TN in the Semi-Final clash, scoring 67 points in one of the greatest individual performances of All Time at the Junior Nationals. Kavita Akula added 16 for Chhattisgarh who stormed by TN for a 110-79 win. R. Selvamithra led TN with 17. In the earlier girls' semi, Poojamol KS (30), Grima (22), Elizabeth (19) helped Kerala overcome a six point half-time deficit to Maharashtra to come back and post a 88-84 win. Sruthi (24) and Shireen Limaye (23) led the way for Maharashtra in the neck-to-neck challenge.

It was a close game in the boys' semi-final between Delhi and Tamil Nadu too, until the fourth quarter when mistakes and foul trouble by TN helped Delhi gain momentum and sneak by to a 92-75 victory. AS Sohal had a game-high 37 for Delhi, while Pradeep Kumar and Narendra Rathi added 17 each. S. Karthickeyan (23) and P. Vijay (17) were leading scorers for TN. In another close game between Punjab and Kerala, Satnam Singh Bhamara scored with 26 points while Rajveer Singh (20) and Khushmeet Singh (16) aided his efforts to help Punjab stamp their place in the Final with a 80-75 win. It was a close game till the very end, with both teams exchanging leads until Punjab finally created some separation in the game's dying minutes. Sreerag had 22 for Kerala.

Final Scores

• Boys:Delhi (Pradeep Kumar 26, Ohlan Gourav 23, Pankaj Rathi 17, Narender Rathi 15) bt Punjab (Satnam Singh 24, Loveneet Singh 14) 89-82 (19-20, 24-26, 20-11, 26-25).
  
• Girls: Chhattishgarh (Poonam Chaturvedi 43, Sangeeta 21, Akula Kavita 13) bt Kerala (Poojamol KS 33) 79-68 (21-15, 18-15, 19-21, 21-17).
  

Third/Fourth Place Matchups

• Boys: Tamil Nadu (S.Karthickeyan 38, Nikal Pandian 13, M. Harissh 13) bt Kerala (Akhil 20) 96-57 (27-18, 24-11, 30-12, 15-16).
  
• Girls: Maharashtra (Ishwari Pingle 21, Shireen Limaye 19, Krittika 16, Sruthi 13) bt Tamil Nadu (Keerthi 13) 78-66 (21-21, 19-13, 18-18, 20-14).
  

Final Standings

Boys

1. Delhi
2. Punjab
3. Tamil Nadu
4. Kerala
5. Madhya Pradesh

Girls

1. Chhattisgarh
2. Kerala
3. Maharashtra
3. Tamil Nadu
5. Uttar Pradesh

46 under-18 basketball teams descend in Cuttack for India's Junior National Championship

A total of 23 boys' teams and 23 girls' teams have descended in the city of Cuttack, Odisha, to take part in India's premier under-18 tournament, the 64th Junior National Basketball Championship for boys and girls. The tournament tipped off on Sunday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, and is slated to be held until September 8th.

Chhattisgarh's boys' and girls' squads both won the previous edition of the Junior Nationals in Puducherry, and will be defending their titles against the best young talent in the country this year. The championship is being organized by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) is association with the Odisha Basketball Association.

The participating teams are:

Boys

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

Girls

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

On Sunday evening, the championship was inaugurated by Dr. S. C. Jamir, the Governor of Odisha.

Chhattisgarh girls started the tournament in Cuttack on a positive note on day one, following the lead of India's tallest female basketball players Poonam Chaturvedi to a 92-65 win over Uttar Pradesh. Chaturvedi scored 44 points as Chhattisgarh led from the opening tip to a statement win. Experienced youngster Sangeeta Kaur added 31 for Chhattisgarh. UP were led by Preeti Kumari's 20 points.

In other top girls' game, Kerala and Punjab fought it out in a defensive encounter, which Kerala won 62-50. Young Kerala superstar Poojamol KS had 21 points for the winning side and Garima Merlin added 20. Nirmal Kaur had 29 points for Punjab in a losing effort.

In the boys' division, Delhi broke the triple-digit mark in a high-scoring affair, running past Rajasthan to a 114-86 victory. Pradeep (29), Narendar (26), A. Singh Sohal (25) and Pankaj (16) led the way to the win. Devendra had 22 for Rajasthan.

Tamil Nadu came back from a first quarter deficit to beat Madhya Pradesh 75-64 earlier on the first day. S. Karthickeyan was on fire, scoring 28 points, while Vijay added 17 in the victory.

You can follow all the results from the tournament via the BFI here.

Scores

Boys

• Tamil Nadu (S. Karthickayan 28, P.Vijay 17, G.Bethal 13) bt Madhya Pradesh (BP Singh 15, B Akash 14) 75-64 (21-23, 22-16, 20-8, 12-17).
  
• Delhi (Pradeep 29, Narendar 26, A Singh Sohal 25, Pankaj 16) bt Rajasthan (Devendra 22, Navjot 14, Atul Singh 14, Abhimanyu 13, Tushar 13) 114-86 (22-17, 39-13, 24-30, 29-16).
  
• Karnataka (Issac Thomas 20, Sowkin Shetty 13) bt Andhra Pradesh 80-52 (24-24, 21-7, 19-11, 16-10).
  

Girls

• Chhattishgarh (Poonam Chaturvedi 44, Sangeeta Kaur 31) bt Uttar Pradesh (Preeti Kumari 20, Barkha Sonkar 14) 92-65 (24-15, 23-15, 19-19, 26-16).
  
• Kerala (Poojamol KS 21, Garima Merlin 20) bt Punjab (Nirmal Kaur 29) 62-50 (12-9, 18-14, 13-16, 19-11).
  
• Karnataka (Supriya MS 16) bt Gujarat 67-13 (28-6, 14-2, 13-0, 12-5).
  

2013 Junior National Championship to tip off in Cuttack (Odisha) on September 1

Chhattisgarh's basketball squads will be the center of attention once again as they look to defend their title at the 64th National Basketball Championship for Junior Men and Women, set to be held in Cuttack (Odisha) from September 1-8, 2013. The tournament, which will pit India's finest Junior (U18) basketball players as they represent states and provinces from all across the country, will be organized by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) in association with the Odisha Basketball Association.

A total of 46 teams - 23 in each of the two divisions - will compete against each other for the crown. Matches are set to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, with tip off early morning on Sunday.

A year ago, Chhattisgarh dominated the Junior Nationals winning gold medals in both the boys' and the girls' divisions in Puducherry. They will be amongst the favourites this year again, especially since they won another double gold in the Sub-Junior competition at the Nationals in Patna earlier this week. Maharashtra and Kerala (Girls) and Punjab and Madhya Pradesh (Boys) could be amongst the top challengers to Chhattisgarh's crown.

At the tournament's onset, the BFI's CEO Roopam Sharma said, “Basketball Federation of India is delighted to host the 64th Junior National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls in Cuttack. The BFI is thankful to the Odisha Basketball Association for rendering their support in organizing and hosting the event. Young and dynamic players will be the path of success for basketball in the country. This event will showcase competitive games and a pool of talented players, who will comprise the next set of senior level players.

The tournament will be held on the league-cum-knockout basis, with the Finals scheduled for September 8.