2019 FIBA Asia 3x3: Australia win double golds; India's teams finish outside top-12

The 4th edition of the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup featured a record 40 teams (18 in the women's and 22 in the men's category) playing fast-paced, competitive basketball in the heart of Changsha, China. And when the dust settled it was the dominating newcomers from the Oceania region - Australia - that celebrated the spoils. With dominant displays throughout the knockout stage on Sunday, Australia's Men and Women both emerged as 2019 FIBA Asia 3x3 champions.

Held from May 22-26, the quickfire tournament featured most of the top Asian countries. Australia's Men, who also won the tournament's previous iteration in 2017, took the gold on Sunday with a 21-9 victory over Mongolia in a rematch of the last final. Tim Coenraad scored 8 points in the final including the game-winner for the Australians.

Australia's Women beat Kazakhstan 20-9 to win gold in their division on Sunday.

Hosts China's Men finished third after defeating Kazakhstan in the bronze medal game, 14-11. The women's bronze went to Japan, who won 21-14.

India also sent four-member squads to the 3x3 Asia Cup earlier this week, for both the men's and the women's divisions. Both teams were placed in the Qualifying Draw, meaning that they had to finish in the top of their group after the first two days of qualifying games to have a chance for qualification in the main Pool Stage.

Captained by Raspreet Sidhu, India's Women's team started the tournament in the Qualifying Draw B with Malaysia, Maldives, and Thailand. On the opening day, India defeated Malaysia in a nailbiter, 16-15. On Day 2, they scored a 18-12 victory over Maldives. But they failed to top their group after losing to Thailand in their final game, 21-15.

India Women finished at 14th place (out of 18).

India's Men's squad had a similar run in their two-day appearance at Changsha. Led by returning star guard Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, India were in Men's Qualifying Draw B with South Korea, Vanuatu, and and Malaysia. Like the women, India's Men's team also started their first day with a win over Malaysia, 21-13. On Day 2, they cruised past Vanuatu 21-10. But their journey ended with a heartbreaking close loss to South Korea 20-19.

India Men finished at 13th place (out of 22).

Team of the Tournament

Men

• Tom Wright (Australia) - MVP
• Delgernyam Davaasambuu (Mongolia)
• Yi Zheng (China)

Women

• Rebecca Cole (Australia) - MVP
• Nadezhda Kondrakova (Kazakhstan)
• Minami Iju (Japan)

Final Standings

Men

• 1. Australia
• 2. Mongolia
• 3. China
• 4. Kazakhstan
• 5. Jordan

Women

• 1. Australia
• 2. Kazakhstan
• 3. Japan
• 4. Mongolia
• 5. Turkmenistan

Team India set for 2019 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in Changsha, China: Rosters, Schedule, and Preview

From new domestic leagues, successful grassroots programmes, and individual athletes making a name for themselves internationally, 3x3 Basketball has caught on like wildfire in India over the past few years. But when it came to participating in the continent's biggest 3x3 bonanza last year, Team India was marked 'absent'.

Now, they get to rectify their absence and make a comeback to the tournament in style.

The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has announced four-member squads for India's senior men and women's squads, ready to take part in the 2019 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in Changsha, China, from May 22-26, 2019. The teams will be captained by Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Raspreet Sidhu, and led by the Serbian coaching duo of Veselin Matic and Zoran Visic. Both Indian teams are currently in the Qualifying Draws and will have to win their first few games to qualify for the proper group stage.

India's Women won the first-ever instance of this tournament back in China in 2013. Last year, India did not participate, but two teams from Oceanis took home the golds, taking part in the Asian fray for the first time: Australia (Men) and New Zealand (Women). Both teams will be threats again in the tournament this year, along with the hosts China. Mongolia and Japan also finished in the top three of the Men's tournament last year and should hope to contend this time around, too.

Team India Rosters for 2019 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup

Men

• Vishesh Bhriguvanshi - captain
• Arshpreet Singh Bhullar
• Akilan Pari
• Yadwinder Singh

Women

• Raspreet Sidhu - captain
• Bhandavya Hemmige Mahesha
• Sreekala Rani
• Shireen Limaye

For the Men's team, Bhriguvanshi will be looking to make up for lost time after spending much of the last two years rehabbing an ACL injury. He is India's best perimeter player, and has good understanding with the experienced forward Yadwinder Singh. Serbian Coach Veselin Matic only came to India a week ago to helm the men's basketball programme, and this will be his first international test. Matic's Serbian counterpart Zoran Visic will be the head coach of the women's team, and experienced Delhi baller Raspreet Sidhu will be expected to carry much of the squad's scoring load.

Groups

Men

• Pool A: Japan, Turkmenistan, Jordan
• Pool B: China, New Zealand, Qualifying Draw A 1
• Pool C: Mongolia, Australia, Qualifying Draw B 1
• Pool D: Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Qualifying Draw C 1
• Qualifying Draw A: Qatar, Philippines, Iran, Samoa, Thailand
• Qualifying Draw B: South Korea, India, Malaysia, Vanuatu
• Qualifying Draw C: Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam

Women

• Pool A: China, Australia, New Zealand
• Pool B: Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
• Pool C: Japan, Sri Lanka Qualifying Draw A 1
• Pool D: Iran, Turkmenistan, Qualifying Draw B 2
• Qualifying Draw A: Philippines, Chinese Taipei, Vanuatu, Samoa
• Qualifying Draw B: Malaysia, Maldives, Thailand, India

India's schedule in the Qualifying Draw - all timings IST

Men

• May 22, 2019 - India vs. Malaysia - 11:30 AM
• May 23, 2019 - India vs. Vanuatu - 10:30 AM
• May 23, 2019 - South Korea vs. India - 12:20 PM

Women

• May 22, 2019 - Malaysia vs. India - 12:40 PM
• May 23, 2019 - Maldives vs. India - 06:10 AM
• May 23, 2019 - India vs. Thailand - 07:40 AM

India will have to win their qualifying groups to have a chance for qualification. The men's team should be able to win their first two games but will face a tougher competition against South Korea. For the women, both Malaysia and Thailand will provide stiff challenge for India to finish at top.

If India win their groups, the Men's team will join Pool C with two podium finishers from last year, Mongolia and Australia. The women's team qualification would place them in women's Pool D with Iran and Turkmenistan.

Hoopdarshan Episode 76: Veteran Indian international Raspreet Sidhu

One of the most experienced players of Team India, Raspreet Sidhu joins the new episode of the Indian basketball podcast Hoopdarshan. A natural storyteller, Sidhu spoke with co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok about her father's role in her sports journey, basketball in Delhi, being on court for iconic moments in Indian hoops history, and the struggle for opportunities for India's women players.

In addition, Kaushik and Karan also discussed Harrison Barnes' visit to India, the main storylines from the second round of the NBA Playoffs, and whether or not a lay-up by Deepika Padukone can spark an Indian basketball revolution (not).



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 

Asian Games 2018: India's Women's basketball team look to take a step forward in Indonesia - Roster, Schedule, and Preview

As Asia's biggest athletic extravaganza rolls back around after a long, four-year break, India's Women's Basketball team is ready and up for the challenge to take a step forward.

Indian basketball continues to hear cheers in the reverberations of that one memorable shot. Last year, Shireen Limaye hit a game-winning jumper as time expired in the Division B final to give India a Division B victory at the FIBA Asia Women's Cup in front of home fans in Bengaluru and qualified them back into Division A, the big leagues of Asian Women's Basketball. It has been relatively silent on the women's hoops scene since, but things finally revved up again a month ago when India sent a team to play the William Jones Cup in Taiwan. Playing against elite level competition, India returned winless, 0-5.

Now, a 12-strong women's squad has landed in Indonesia for the Asian Games 2018 - The Asiad - as India's sole basketball representatives. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) made a disappointing decision not to invest on lower-ranked teams to travel for the event, and thus, India's Men's team will be staying home. India has also not sent teams for the Asiad's men and women's 3x3 basketball event. The 5x5 games will be held at the GBK Basketball Hall and the Istora Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta from August 14 - September 1.

Led by coach Shiba Maggon, a former captain of the national team, India's Women will be looking to fly the flag high for Indian hoops. Four years ago, at the Asian Games 2014 in South Korea, they were the youngest team in the tournament and finished at sixth place (out of 11). India still has a relatively young roster, captained by star player Jeena Scaria, and they will be hoping to improve on their past performances among the ten-team fray.

Asian Games 2018 Women's Basketball Participants

• Group X: Korea (Combined), Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, India.
• Group Y: China, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Mongolia.

The top four teams from each group will proceed to the Quarter-Final stage. India only has to secure one victory in the group stage to ensure a top-four finish.

India's roster for Asian Games 2018

• Sanjana Ramesh
• Pushpa Senthil Kumar
• Anjana Prasannan Geetha
• Bhandavya Hemmige
• Jeena Scaria - captain
• Rajapriyadharshini Rajaganapathi
• Raspreet Sidhu
• Shireen Limaye
• Priyanka Prabhakara
• Madhu Kumari
• Sangeeta Kaur
• Stephy Nixon
• Head Coach: Shiba Maggon

Scaria has been consistently the team's leader and best performer for the past few years, and the forward has helped usher in the team to a new era after the departure of Geethu Anna Rahul and Anitha Paul Durai. Limaye, India's game-winning hero and another multi-talented forward, is again a part of this squad. Experienced shooting guard Raspreet Sidhu will be looked upon for leadership and offensive prowess. Rajapriyadharshini Rajaganapathi could also prove to be an important part of the main rotation. Missing from the squad are point guard Kavita Akula and youngster Grima Merlin Varghese, both of whom were important contributors in last year's FIBA Asia Women's Cup.

India's Preliminary Round Schedule - all timings IST

• August 17 - India vs. Kazakhstan - 2:30 PM
• August 19 - Chinese Taipei vs. India - 8:30 AM
• August 20 Korea vs. India - 8:30 AM
• August 23 - India vs. Indonesia - 5 PM

Unlike a lot of international basketball tournaments, the schedule is well-spaced and India will find time for rest between some of the games in the preliminary round. Their matchup against Kazakhstan is sure to be fuelled with some bad blood, as it was Kazakhstan whom India defeated in the dramatic Division B final in Bengaluru last year. India and Kazakhstan have always been well-matched and this is sure to be one of the most competitive games of the tournament. India will play against a full-strength Chinese Taipei squad after losing to their 'A' and 'B' teams at the William Jones Cup last month. A combined Korea team will be a new challenge for India - South Korea defeated them last month at the Jones Cup, too. Finally, India will take on hosts Indonesia and a hostile home crowd. This should be a fun game, and if India can hold their nerves, they could use their size and shooting advantage to pull off a win.

This gives India two winnable opportunities (Kazakhstan and Indonesia) in the preliminary round. Their performances here will determine their seeding and matchup for the quarter-final stage, and if India can meet a favourable opponent (Thailand, Mongolia, or Hong Kong), they have a real shot at the semi-finals, too.

Group Y has two of the top contenders for the title, reigning Asian champs Japan and the powerhouses China. But the combined Korean team could also spring a surprise if this squad manages to mesh together and add to South Korea's 2014 Asian Games basketball title with another gold in Indonesia.

India's Women begin 2018 William Jones Cup today: roster, schedule, and preview

The last time we saw India's women's basketball team in serious international action was almost a year ago. It was a celebration. With the help of a miraculous buzzer-beating, game-winner by Shireen Limaye, India won Division B of the FIBA Asia Women's Cup in front of home fans in Bengaluru. That exhilarating victory has since been followed by a long period of silence. Without any upcoming international opportunities, the squad has been dispersed to focus on domestic events.

Rejoice now, fans. This week, Team India will return to international action as they take part in the 2018 William Jones Cup for Women, set to be held in New Taipei City in Chinese Taipei. This six-team invitational tournament will be held from July 25-29 and serve as a preparatory event for the larger challenge ahead: the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia next month.

India will face all the participating teams in the round-robin tournament, including two squads from the home side Chinese Taipei, reigning women's Asia champions and William Jones champions Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.

Team India is being coached by former national player and referee Shiba Maggon and led by the squad's most-talented player as captain, Jeena Scaria. Other important pieces in the roster include experienced guard Raspreet Sidhu, Shireen Limaye, Anjana Prasannan Geetha, Stephy Nixon, and more. The squad was finalised after a training camp in Bengaluru over the past month.

Team India roster for 2018 William Jones Cup

• Anjana Prasannan Geetha
• Sangeeta Kaur
• Stephy Nixon
• Bhandavya Hemmige Mahesha
• Pushpa Senthil Kumar
• Raspreet Sidhu
• Madhu Kumari
• Priyanaka Prabhakara
• Rajapriyadharshini Rajaganapathi
• Jeena Skaria
• Shireen Vijay Limaye
• Sanjana Ramesh

India's schedule for 2018 William Jones Cup

• July 25: India vs. New Zealand
• July 26: India vs. Japan
• July 27: India vs. South Korea
• July 28: India vs. Chinese Taipei A
• July 29: India vs. Chinese Taipei B

India played their first game against New Zealand on Wednesday and lost 114-39.

India took part in last year's William Jones Cup for Women and finished last after an 0-5 record.

With such a difficult fray of opponents, it is unlikely that India will be able to pick up any victories in Taipei this week. Their best hope is that this tournament serves as practice and prep for the Asian Games, where they will play a more mixed group of opponents and have an opportunity to spring a few surprises.

The 5x5 basketball tournament at the 2018 Asian Games will be held from August 19 to September 1 in Jakarta, Indonesia. India have been drawn in Group X of the tournament along with Korea, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan.

Due to a decision by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), India's Men's basketball team and 3x3 basketball teams will not be sent to Indonesia for the Asian Games. India's Men's team didn't participate in last week's William Jones Cup for Men, either. The tournament was won for the second year running by 3D Canada.

William Jones Cup 2017 (Women): Japan win; India finish 0-5

Under the leadership of a new, foreign head coach, India's women's team got off to a bumpy start in their first outing - the 2017 William Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei - but gained valuable experience against much-better squads to bring back home with them for the bigger challenge ahead.

India were one of six Women's teams that took part in the 39th William Jones Cup, a round robin tournament at the Changhua Gymnasium in Changhua in Chinese Taipei as a preparatory outing before the FIBA Asia Cup for Women destined to be held back at home in Bengaluru at the end of July. India were the only Division B team (the lower pool of the FIBA Asia Cup) at William Jones and lost all of their games to end at the bottom of the table. Nevertheless, the tournament turned out to be crucial for new Serbian head coach Zoran Visic to tinker with the team's lineups, instill some of his coaching style and philosophies, and provide the women with necessary competitive-game experience.

Three teams - Japan, New Zealand, and Chinese Taipei Blue - finished with identical 4-1 records to top the tournament fray, with a total of 9 points each and identical 1-1 records against each other. Japan, the current Asian champions, held the tie-breaker differential between the three teams with +1.07, and thus were named champions.

India's squad was captained by veteran star Anitha Paul Durai and feature other talents to watch like Jeena Scaria, Kavita Akula, Poojamol Subhashmon, and Shireen Limaye. Visic was joined in the coaching staff by veteran coach Shiba Maggon.

India's final scores at 39th William Jones Cup

• July 5: New Zealand bt. India 75-52
• July 6: Japan bt. India 93-42
• July 5: South Korea bt. India 56-51
• July 5: Chinese Taipei Blue bt. India 113-59
• July 5: Chinese Taipei White bt. India 79-41

India's 0-5 record dropped them to sixth/last place in the tournament. India were definitely a pace slower than all of their Division A opponents, but played a great game against South Korea in the close loss. Visic relied on the team's eldest players - Raspreet Sidhu and Anitha Paul Durai - to play the bulk of the minutes for the team. Paul Durai, Jeena Scaria, and Sidhu were India's top three scorers. Kavita Akula, Rajapriyadharshini Rajaganapathi, and Shireen Limaye also got to play major minutes through the course of the tournament.

India will now come back home for the FIBA Asia Cup in Bengaluru from July 23-29. In an interview a few weeks ago, Coach Visic had told me that the team will have to overcome their relative inexperience if they hope to win Division B and be relegated to the higher division for the Cup's next iteration. After playing against tougher opponents in Chinese Taipei, India should find their group - with Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan - a little easier. They will have to overcome Division B's Group B winners next, most likely to be Lebanon or Kazakhstan. With a home crowd cheering behind him, let's hope that the team can bounce back to Asia's higher level.

India are participating in the men's William Jones Cup, too, set to begin in Chinese Taipei on July 15.

Dribble Academy helps village girl earn scholarship in Noida's Shiv Nadar School through basketball

For the last two years, Noida's Dribble Academy has been a beacon for hoops in the grassroots for the Delhi-NCR region. It's an intensive basketball training academy in the Gheja village, created to cater mostly to underprivileged children (aged five and above) and focused primarily on skill-based training. Its founder Pradyut Voleti has a Masters in Clinical Psychology and has trained with leading basketball skill developers including Ganon Baker. Hundreds of young kids have already been part of the Academy and Voleti continues to build a road-map for the youngsters from the villages to find an outlet, and eventually, an alternative path to life success, through basketball.

Earlier this year, the Academy took their biggest step in helping one such youngster find that alternative path.

Shaily Upadhyay (12), the daughter of a household driver, found her solace in basketball. She took great leaps at improving her game with Voleti and the Dribble Academy over the past two years, and the fruits of her labour have now paid off. Upadhyay was awarded a five-year, hundred percent scholarship at one of the top educational institutions in Noida, the Shiv Nadar School. Her admission was based on a scholarship programme held by Shiv Nadar for exceptional young basketball players, and Upadhyay's performances stood head and shoulders above the competition. Over a hundred kids from Dribble Academy participated in Shiv Nadar's scholarship tryouts, while kids from other schools and areas in the region also took part.

Upadhyay was one of the first to join Dribble Academy's Gheja Village programme two years ago. Now, the Dribble Academy is working to train over 200 children in the village for free.

"Through basketball we teach them life-skills such as teamwork, discipline, and sacrifice," said Dribble Academy's founder Pradyut Voleti. "We started with five kids and now have over 200 .These kids come from families where they have a lot of emotional problems and even domestic violence. I just want to channelise their energy in the right direction, and through basketball I'm making them understand the importance of education."

"There was something different about Shaily from the beginning," added Voleti. "She would outwork everybody at practice, always try to help other players, and has been a leader on and off the court. This is huge for us: a kid from Gheja village who would have never dreamed of a school like this gets a hundred percent scholarship. This is just the beginning for Shaily; we want her to improve in academics and become an all-rounder."

"There are many more such kids at Gheja who are extremely talented and we are hoping that more schools show their interest in these kids and help them achieve."

At Shiv Nadar, Upadhyay will have the opportunity to train under talented young coaches Brahmaditya Singh and India's national women's team player Raspreet Sidhu.

Indian Senior Women to take part in William Jones Basketball Tournament in Chinese Taipei

A 17-women team of Senior Indian basketball players have been chosen as probables for The 33rd William Jones International Basketball Tournament, which will be held from July 31-August 4 in Chinese Taipei. The women’s tournament will be held at the Taipei Gymnasium in Taipei City.

A selection committee constituted by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has chosen a short-list of 17 players after observing their performance at the coaching camp at the KD Jadhav Stadium in New Delhi. The final team consisting of 12 players will be announced one week before the tournament begins.

Senior Women probables for 33rd William Jones Basketball Tournament:

Geethu Anna Jose
M. Pushpa
Anitha Pau Durai
Smruthi RK
Bharti Netam
Prashanti Singh
Harjeet Kaur
Akanksha Singh
Raspreet Sidhu
Asha Hegde
Aruna Kindo
Kruthika Laksman
S. Kokila
Sneha Rajguru
Shireen Limaye
Sonika
Amruta Bhuskute

The William Jones Cup is an international basketball tournament held annually in Taipei, Taiwan. It was named after Renato William Jones, a basketball promoter and one of the founders of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Other women’s team who have confirmed their participation in the women’s event this year are Japan National Team, Chinese Taipei National Team, Samsung Women’s Team, and Chinese Taipei University National Team.

This will be the first international action for the Indian National Basketball Team under new American head coach, Pete Gaudet. The tournament will also serve as preparation for the 24th FIBA Asia Championship for Women, to be held in Omura/Nagasaki, Japan, from 21-28 August.

Indian All Stars sparkle Mumbai with two electrifying games

The best basketball players in India came out to put up an extraordinary display of skill, athletic ability, and hoops intelligence at the Mastan YMCA court in Nagpada, Mumbai on Saturday, April 9 at the Indian All Star Games. The finest Indian men and women players, from all across the country, were invited to play in these exhibition matches that produced plenty of thrills and a few dominating performances.

For both the games, the players were divided into two teams each, WEST and EAST. The toast of the night was definitely Geethu Anna Jose, India’s biggest basketball star, who has recently been invited to tryout with several teams in the US-based basketball league, the WNBA. On Saturday, Geethu was at her dominant best, scoring 41 points in the Women’s All Star Game to lead the Team WEST to a 77-74 victory over Team EAST. In the Men’s game, Team EAST won 95-82.

The first-of-its-kind event in India was organised by Ibrahim Lakdawala of Lakdawala Developer PVT. LTD.

In the Women’s game, WEST took an early lead behind Geethu’s unstoppable inside play and support from Indian woman’s captain, Prashanti Singh (21), but sharp-shooting by Delhi’s Raspreet Sidhu (21) kept the EAST close in the game. With WEST holding on to a comfortable eight point lead at the beginning of the last period, EAST began to mount a comeback with a flurry of three-pointers by Bharti Netam, Anju Lakra, and Manisha Dange. But it wasn’t enough and the WEST held on for the three-point victory.

Hindi film actress Neetu Chandra was an added attraction for the fans present, as she displayed her own hoop skills as part of the Women’s EAST team. Chandra, who has been an active basketball player, has been participating in regularly in basketball events at the Mastan YMCA.

The Men’s game featured some exciting and athletic play, sharp passes, and fancy lay-ups by some of India’s finest. The EAST side made it a point to be dominant from the very beginning, leading 42-33 at the half and sustaining their strong play for the rest of the game, too. Trideep Rai (21) and Yadwinder Singh (18) did most of the damage from the EAST team, while Jagdeep Singh Bains scored a game-high 22 for WEST. In the end, EAST ran away to a 95-82 victory.

Awards

WINNERS – Women’s WEST & Men’s EAST: Awarded with Rs. 40,000 each.
RUNNERS-UP – Women’s EAST & Men’s WEST: Awarded with Rs. 25,000 each.
Most Valuable Player (MVP) – Geethu Anna Jose (Women’s WEST)
Best Player Awards – Prashanti Singh (Women’s WEST), Raspreet Sidhu (Women’s EAST), & Jagdeep Singh Bains (Men’s WEST).

Several awards were handed out to the outstanding players of the game, including BlackBerry phones, Laptops, travel bags, Grinder Mixer, and cash.

The All Star Weekend’s first day was Friday, April 8th when the gathered crowd witnessed a Men’s and Women’s 3-point shooting competition, won by Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Akansha Singh respectively, and a Men’s Slam Dunk contest, where Bhriguvanshi and TJ Sahi were named joint winners.