India's Men squad head to Chinese Taipei for 2017 William Jones Cup: Roster, Schedule, Preview

India's big summer of international basketball action continues. After the women's team's experiences at the William Jones Cup last week, the Senior Men's squad will have their chance at the prestigious invitational tournament in Chinese Taipei. Under a new, experienced head coach, but minus several of our top players, India heads to Chinese Taipei for the 2017 William Jones Cup - the Men's tournament - to be held from July 15-23 at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium in Taipei. The tournament will serve as crucial practice for India as they prepare for the summer's biggest extravaganza: next month's FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon.

India's squad from the 2017 BRICS Games last month

This year's large fray of the round robin championship will feature ten teams, including international squads from Asia and a couple of club teams from the rest of the world. India's schedule will be jam-packed, with nine games in nine consecutive days. Participating teams include two host Chinese Taipei teams, Asian champions Iran, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Iraq, and club sides from Lithuania and Canada.

Last year's the Philippines' club squad Mighty Sports won the William Jones Cup. India showed potential but finished with a 1-7 record. Memorably, a couple of important Indian players arrived late to Chinese Taipei because of a visa issue.

India will not be held back by visa problems this year, but injuries and travel will reduce the team to a more depleted squad, compared to what the coaching staff will hope will be the full team for Lebanon. India is being led by Rikin Pethani as captain and will feature international star Amjyot Singh. Missing from action will be Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Yadwinder Singh (injury) and Amritpal Singh, Palpreet Singh, and Satnam Singh (busy with international club obligations). Their absence will give other veterans and up-and-comers like Pratham Singh, Basil Philip, Prudhvi Reddy, Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi, Gurvinder Singh Gill, and Prasanna Sivakumar a chance to shine.

All the spotlight, however, will be on Phil Weber, newly-hired coach of the Indian Men squad - even though at the time of writing, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) is set to finalise his contract or make an official announcement. Weber is an experienced NBA assistant coach who is currently working for the New Orleans Pelicans alongside Alvin Gentry and has worked in the past for the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks. This will be the first opportunity for Weber to put to test about ten days of practice time with the national team and get an idea of how India will shape up against top-ranked teams from the region (and beyond). Assisting him in India's coaching staff will be experienced national coaches Bhaskar Sappaniambalam and Sebastian Padipurakkal Joseph.

India Men's roster for 2017 William Jones Cup

• Prudhvi Reddy
• Anil Kumar Gowda
• Arjun Singh
• Pratham Singh
• Basil Philip
• Jeevanantham Pandi
• Rikin Pethani - captain
• Amjyot Singh
• Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi
• Gurvinder Singh Gill
• Prasanna Venkatesh
• Muin Bek Hafeez
• Head Coach: Phil Weber
• Assistant Coach: Bhaskar Sappaniambalam
• Assistant Coach: Sebastian Padipurakkal Joseph
• Manager: Devender Kumar

India Men's schedule for 2017 William Jones Cup - all timings IST

• July 15 - Iraq vs. India - 8:30 AM
• July 16 - India vs. South Korea - 8:30 AM
• July 17 - Chinese Taipei Blue vs. India - 4:30 PM
• July 18 - India vs. Iran - 12:30 PM
• July 19 - Atletas All-Star Lithuania vs. India - 8:30 AM
• July 20 - India vs. Chinese Taipei White - 12:30 PM
• July 21 - 3D Canada vs. India - 8:30 AM
• July 22 - India vs. Philippines - 10:30 AM
• July 23 - India vs. Japan - 12:30 PM

India's last international outing was at the 2017 BRICS Games in Guangzhou, China, from where they returned with a 0-3 record. Without Amritpal and Bhriguvanshi on the roster for the William Jones Cup, a lot of hopes will be on Amjyot Singh to be India's star man. Coach Weber will be putting a lot of trust on relatively inexperienced role players beyond the core of Amjyot, Pethani, Pratham, and Venkatesh, but that is why a tournament like this can be crucial to help the team get big match practice.

India's most winnable challenge will be in their very first game, against Iraq. The rest of the national teams are ranked higher than India and the club squads are likely to post a major threat, too. Playing against Iran will give India a good idea of the team they are also scheduled to face in their preliminary round stage at the FIBA Asia Cup.

The 2017 FIBA Asia Cup will be the biggest-ever iteration of the event, featuring the top teams from both the Asia and Oceania regions, held from August 8-20 in Beirut, Lebanon. India are in Group A of the tournament with defending champions Iran, Jordan, and Syria. Hopefully, Weber and the team are able to learn important lessons at the William Jones Cup over the next ten days and have a full, healthy squad available for the bigger challenge ahead.

Team India is in Maldives for 2017 SABA Basketball Championship hoping for 5th consecutive title

The South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) championship has been held four times, once every two years. India has won the title four times.

This week, India's Senior Men's national basketball squad is in Male, Maldives, to try and make it a perfect five for five.

Team India headed to Maldives for the 5th SABA Basketball Championship from May 19-23 to take part in the five-team tournament. The winner of this championship will qualify for the lone South Asian spot in the continent's most prestigious basketball event, the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup, set to be held in Lebanon in August. The participants in this year's events are India, hosts Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. As can be gleaned from past SABA editions, the Indian men’s team, with a blend of youth and experience, will start off yet again as strong favourites.

India’s attempt at a five-peat of the tournament will be led by experienced point guard Akilan Pari. Also featured in the squad are centre Amritpal Singh, guard Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and veteran forward Yadwinder Singh, the trio who recently took part in the NBL Draft Combine in Australia. Other familiar faces are centre Rikin Pethani, forward Prasanna Venkatesh, shooting guard Arjun Singh, centre Ravi Bhardwaj and forward Anil Kumar BK. Missing from the squad are a few notable big names that we hope will return to the team if India qualifies for the FIBA Asia Cup, including Amjyot Singh, Palpreet Singh, and Satnam Singh.

Photo via: Basketball Federation of India

Team India at 2017 SABA Basketball Championship

• Akilan Pari - Captain
• Muin Bek Hafeez
• Prasanna Sivakumar
• Anil Kumar Gowda
• Arjun Singh
• Vishesh Bhriguvanshi
• Amritpal Singh
• Vishal Kumar Gupta
• Ravi Bhardwaj
• Jeevanatham Pandi
• Yadwinder Singh
• Head Coach: Sappaniambalam Baskar
• Assistant Coach: Sebastian Padipurakkal Joseph
• Manager: Sushil Kumar

"Our motto as a team is to win big and make sure that the juniors of our team get playing time," said Pari, the team's captain. "This championship is important for them to get good exposure and will be crucial in their development as players."

India’s training camp for the tournament was held from 1st-17th May, at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi with 33 players, and the final selections were made on 7th May. A conscious effort was made by the selectors and Head Coach Baskar Sappaniambalam to ensure that the right blend of youth and experience was picked for their campaign in Maldives. "India has had a solid record at the SABA Championship and we aim to continue that trend," Sappaniambalam said. "It is the only tournament where we can provide an opportunity to our younger players and hence we have selected 3 players under the age of 22. Our main aim is to win and qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup taking place in Lebanon in August."

India's Schedule at the 2017 SABA Championship

• May 19: India vs. Maldives
• May 21: Sri Lanka vs. India
• May 22: India vs. Bangladesh
• May 23: Nepal vs. India

Indian Senior Men’s Basketball team returns to the prestigious William Jones Cup in Taipei

Held since 1977, the William Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei is one of the most prestigious international basketball tournaments in Asia, an invitational championship that is both a source of pride and an important warm-up run for bigger FIBA Asia basketball events. After 11 long years, India Men's basketball team will finally make a return to the tournament this year.

Nine teams - a mix of international, clubs, and college - will take part in the 38th William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament at the Hsinchuang Gymnasium in the city of Taipei from 23 to 31 July. The matches will be played in a round robin league format, with each team playing 8 matches. The team with the best record will be crowned champions.

This tournament will give India the opportunity to gain valuable exposure ahead of the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge, which is set to be held in Iran next month. The Indian lineup remains largely unchanged from the team that won the SABA Qualifiers earlier this month in Bengaluru, except for the return of star forward Amjyot Singh and the inclusion of Tamil Nadu’s Prasanna Venkatesh. Amrit Pal Singh will again take the captain's mantle for India and will be joined in the flanks with star Vishesh Bhriguvanshi. The team will be coached by Sebastian Padipurakkal Joseph.

"Being a prestigious tournament, the Indian men’s team got an invitation from the Taipei Basketball Association," said K Govindraj, the President of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) during the kit distribution ceremony at the Kanteerava Stadium Complex in Bengaluru earlier this afternoon on Thursday, "This will be excellent exposure for all our players who can correct themselves keeping in mind the upcoming FIBA Asia Challenge." Also present at the ceremony to convey his best wishes to the departing contingent was newly appointed Superintendent of Police & Director, Youth Empowerment & Sports Department, Bengaluru, Anupam Agarwal.

"It is going to be a great opportunity for us to prepare for the upcoming FIBA Asia Challenge," said Assistant Coach CV Sunny, "In all our positions, we have excellent depth and our chances are bright, so we can definitely put up a good fight against all the teams."

Participating Teams: Egypt, Iran, India, Japan, Korea, Mighty Sports (Philippines), California State University (USA), China, China B.

Indian Squad for the 38th William Jones Cup 2016

• Arshpreet Singh Bhullar
• Amjyot Singh
• Vishesh Bhriguvanshi
• Amrit Pal Singh Captain
• Basil Philip
• Rikin Pethani(
• Aravind Annadurai
• Arvind Arumugam
• Ravi Bhardwaj
• Akilan Pari
• TJ Sahi
• Prasanna Ventakesh
• Head Coach: Sebastian Padipurakkal Joseph
• Coach: CV Sunny
• Physiotherapist: Navaneeth Atholi Thiruvoth
• Manager: Chengalraya Naidu Talipinani

This is an impressive-looking Indian squad, and the addition of Amjyot can definitely help India achieve something special. Amjyot and India's captain Amrit Pal played last season for Japan D-League's Tokyo Excellence and helped guide them to a third-consecutive title. The last time Amjyot donned India colours, he was one of the top performers at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship finishing among the top 5 in scorers (20 ppg), and among the top ten in rebounds (8.3 rpg), blocks (1.1 bpg), efficiency (+17.1), and freethrow percentage (73.1 FT%). India has an interesting core of youth (Ravi Bhardwaj, Arshpreet Bhullar) and experience (Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Prasanna Venkatesh). Explosive point guard TJ Sahi continues his return to the national scene. Talented young big men like Rikin Pethani, Aravind Annadurai, and Bhardwaj will also make India one of the longest teams at the tournament. India has long needed this type of exposure tournaments before bigger FIBA Asia clashes - the William Jones Cup will provide the team with the perfect platform to fine-tune their chemistry and cause some shocks at the Asian stage.

Team India's Schedule - All timings IST

• India vs California State University – 23rd July, 12:30 PM
• India vs Japan – 24th July, 12:30 PM
• India vs China – 25th July, 4:30 PM
• India vs Korea – 26th July, 12:30 PM
• India vs Egypt – 27th July, 10:30 AM
• India vs Mighty Sports – 28th July, 10:30 AM
• India vs China B – 29th July, 10:30 AM
• India vs Iran – 31st July, 10:30 AM

The schedule, as you can see, is relentless. All the teams will play in eight games in nine days, which is sure to take a toll on the players by the end of the tournament. On paper, India is the lowest rank national team, and the other squads from the USA, Philippines, and China will also prove to be huge challenges for the Young Cagers. Hopefully India can avoid injuries, post a respectable finish, and be in decent health and form for the FIBA Asia Challenge next month.

The William Jones Cup is a prestigious annual invitational tournament, the inaugural edition of which was held in 1977. The Cup was conceived and named to honour Dr. Renato William Jones, who served as one of the founders of FIBA and served as its first Secretary General for 44 years. Iran is the tournament's defending champion, while the team from the USA has been the most successful in the competition, with 15 gold medal finishes. The last time the Indian men’s team competed at the William Jones Cup was way back in 2005. The Indian Women's team, however, played in the 2011 and 2012 editions of the Cup.

India win 2016 SABA Qualifiers in Bengaluru and qualify for FIBA Asia Challenge

Once again, Team India proved to be in a class of their own at the South Asian level. With three convincing victories from July 6-8, India steamrolled through opponents from Nepal, Maldives, and Bangladesh to a perfect 3-0 record at the South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) qualifiers and clinched their qualification for the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge. India hosted the qualifiers at Bengaluru's Sri Kantaveera Stadium this week.

Captained by big man Amrit Pal Singh with head coach Sebastian Padipurakkal Joseph calling the shots from the sidelines, India showed no hitch or hint of letdown against teams from neighbouring nations. The three victories were notched up by an impressive average margin of 48 points each.

India's campaign to qualify for the FIBA Asia Challenge got underway on Wednesday, July 6 against Nepal, who eventually staked their claim as the second-best team at the tournament. India started in the best way possible, on a 17-0 run and holding on to a 23-4 advantage at the end of the first quarter. While Nepal showed considerable improvement in the second period, India did just enough after halftime to post an insurmountable lead and notch a 81-53 victory.

India had a major size advantage in Game 2 against Maldives on Thursday, and despite some inconsistencies and unforced errors, they again started off on fire (23-5) and held a comfortable 37 point lead at halftime. India remained on cruise control in the second half and a fourth-quarter flurry saw them extend the lead to a huge, 96-40 win.

India took no chances in the final win against Bangladesh on Friday, July 8, putting up their best defensive performance of the tournament en route to a 95-35 victory. India outscored Bangladesh by double digits in each quarter. Experienced guard Vishesh Bhriguvanshi was India's leading scorer with 16.

Final Rankings

• 1. India [3-0]
• 2. Maldives [1-2] (+10)
• 3. Nepal [1-2](+6)
• 4. Bangladesh [1-2] (-16)

The trophies and medals were distributed by Ramalinga Reddy, Minister for Transport of Government of Karnataka. The other chief guests included Pramod Madhwaraj (Karnataka's Minister for Fisheries & Youth Services) Priyank Kharge (Minister of Karnataka for IT & BT Tourism, K Govindaraj, MLC (Karnataka) & President of Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and Chander Mukhi Sharma, Secretary General of BFI.

India will be thrilled to see the team play in some international games and get a feel for the system and each other before the bigger upcoming international challenges. The likes of Amrit Pal Singh, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, and Yadwinder Singh will have to continue to be positive influences for the team, while the enigmatic point guard TJ Sahi returned to the squad in style. Youngsters like Arshpreet Bhullar and Ravi Bhardwaj made their national team debut, and India saw some impressive performances by Karnataka's Arvind Arumugam, too. The biggest name missing from this list is of Amjyot Singh, India's superstar forward who is currently playing in Japan and hopes to return to the national team by the time the FIBA Asia Challenge begins.

This was India's fourth win in the last five edition of the SABA Qualifiers. The 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge is set to be held in Tehran, Iran, from September 9-18. It is the second step in the qualification process for the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup, which will be the first continental cup that will see participants from both Asia and Oceania. The FIBA Asia Cup (starting in 2017) was previously known as the FIBA Asia Championship and the FIBA Asia Challenge (starting in 2016) was previously known as the FIBA Stankovic / Asia Cup.

Five decades of Kerala basketball veterans come together for REBOUND 2016 in Kochi

More than 200 veteran basketball players from five decades of basketball in the state came together for a massive mix of hoops and nostalgia last weekend in Kochi. The city's Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium hosted REBOUND 2016, the first-of-its-kind veteran basketball event, in Kochi on July 2-3. REBOUND 2016 featured basketball matches, visits by legendary players of the state, three-point and free-throw competitions, and a special dinner event for the guests.

2016 is also the 125th "birthday of basketball" after the game was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891. This REBOUND platform marked the beginning of a deliberate action plan to help the sport progress in the state and country.

Attendants and participants at REBOUND 2016 included Unwin J Antony, Mohammed Iqbal, CV Sunny, Sunny Thomas, VV Harilal, TK Sheshadri, Leelamma Thomas, Jeena PS, Giji Biju, Ancy Mathew, Molly Mathew, Sheebama, Renny Harilal, Emily Mathew, Indulekha, and also coaches like Bevin Chacko, Prem Kumar, PC Anthony, and Dimal C Mathew. Arguably the most popular person in attendance on day 1 was hon. High Court Justice AM Shafeeque, former basketball player, was also in attendance.

On Sunday, July 3, SFS Tigers anchored by former international Unwin J Antony took the Men's title, defeating Eastern Bulldogs in an exciting final 31-29. In the Women's section, the Dynamos led by Jenna PS and Leelamma beat the Choice Mermaids 25-11 to win the title.

REBOUND also congratulated Sebastian Padipurakkal Joseph and CV Sunny for being named coaches of India's national team at SABA Qualifiers in Bengaluru.

India to host South Asia Qualifiers for 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge in Bengaluru: Full Roster and Preview

Over the past year and a half, Karnataka's capital city Bengaluru has also become the capital of Indian Basketball, as the new executive committee of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has shifted the federation's head office down south from New Delhi. Now, once again, Bengaluru is set to play center-stage and host, as the city's famous Sri Kantaveera Stadium will host the South Asian qualifiers for the FIBA Asia Challenge Cup from July 6-8. India's senior men's basketball squad, the defending champions of these qualifiers, will set out to defend their title in a round robin league format against Nepal, Bangladesh, and Maldives.

India's 12-man roster for these qualifiers has also been announced, which will be captained by Punjabi big man Amrit Pal Singh and coached by Sebastian Padipurakkal Joseph. The detailed anouncements regarding this regional competition were made by BFI President K Govindaraj at a press conference held on Sunday, July 3rd at the Karnataka Olympic Association building within the Kanteerava Stadium complex in the city.

After the round-robin tournament, the team with the best record at the end of this championship will progress from the South Asian region to the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge scheduled for 9th to 18th September in Tehran, Iran. A round robin tournament is when each team will face every other team in the tournament once, and the final standings will be based on win/loss statistics. The South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) serves as a sub-zone qualifier for the FIBA Asia Challenge.

The 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge is the second step in the qualification process for the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup, which will be the first continental cup that will see participants from both Asia and Oceania. The FIBA Asia Cup (starting in 2017) was previously known as the FIBA Asia Championship and the FIBA Asia Challenge (starting in 2016) was previously known as the FIBA Stankovic / Asia Cup. These changes were decided on at the second meeting of the 2014-19 FIBA Asia Central Board which took place in New Delhi on 30th-31st January 2016.

India has won three of the last four editions of these qualifiers, with Bangladesh scoring a victory in 2013 when India did not participate.

Tentative Fixtures (Subject to Change)

• July 6: India vs. Nepal - 5 PM
• July 6: Bangladesh vs. Maldives - 6.30 PM
• July 7: Nepal vs. Bangladesh - 5 PM
• July 7: Maldives vs. India - 6:30 PM
• July 8: Maldives vs. Nepal - 4:30 PM
• July 7: India vs. Bangladesh - 6 PM

"From accommodation to the indoor playing facility, all the arrangements have been made for the players and coaches to ensure a successful conduct of the event," said Govindraj, "Additionally, entry is free because we want to encourage youngsters to come and watch the matches."

India’s training camp had begun at Kanteerava, Bengaluru on 22nd June with 30 players, and the final selections were made on 26th June. The Indian squad will feature a mixture of youth and experience, and captained by center Amrit Pal Singh, who has returend from winning Japan's NBDL championship with Toyko Excellence. Also returning to the Indian team is guard Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, ONGC veteran forward Yadwinder Singh, high energy point guard Talwinderjit Singh 'TJ' Sahi, and guard Arjun Singh. Other familiar faces are guard Akilan Pari, centre Rikin Pethani (both Income Tax, Chennai), Basil Philip (Central Customs & Excise, Kochi), power forward Arvind Arumugam (Vijaya Bank, Bengaluru) and center Aravind Annadurai (Indian Overseas Bank, Chennai). Promising shooter Arshpreet Bhullar (Punjab) and big man Ravi Bhardwaj (Chandigarh) will make their senior team debut at this tournament. Missing from this tournament will be India's star player Amjyot Singh, who is currently in Japan.

Team India for SABA Qualifying Round 2016

• Arshpreet Singh Bhullar (Punjab)
• Arjun Singh (ONGC)
• Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (ONGC)
• Amrit Pal Singh (ONGC) - Captain
• Basil Philip (Customs and Central Excise)
• Rikin Pethani (Income Tax)
• Aravind Annadurai (IOB)
• Arvind Arumugam (Vijaya Bank)
• Ravi Bhardwaj (Chandigarh)
• Akilan Pari (Income Tax)
• TJ Sahi (Punjab)
• Head Coach: Sebastian Padipurakkal Joseph
• Assistant Coach: CV Sunny