Hoopdarshan Episode 24: The Kobe Episode

Hoopdarshan, the Indian Basketball podcast, has reached its 24th episode, which means that it's just about time to pay homage to Mr. 24 himself, Kobe Bean Black Mamba Bryant. After 20 years in the NBA, Bryant will be retiring at the end of this season. Co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by hoops enthusiast Kunal Mathew to discuss the highs and lows of Kobe's career, his most-memorable moments, his legacy, and his place in the 2016 NBA All Star Team.

Listen to Kaushik, Karan, and Kunal talk about many faces of Kobe, including the cocky teenager Kobe, failed rap star Kobe, Shaq's friend/foe Kobe, Mr. 81 Kobe, Beijing Olympics Kobe, MVP and 5 rings Kobe, and finally, elder statesmen Kobe. We also discussed our favoured All Star teams for Toronto next month, and dove into the Chicago Bulls' chances in the Eastern Conference.



Hoopdarshan aims to be the true 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 

2016 National Basketball Championship crowns India's finest in Mysuru: Services (Men) and Indian Railways (Women)

Let's call 2016 the year of redemption in Indian Basketball, when the past greats returned to the top of the mountain and rejoiced in glory once again. For the past eight days, Mysuru (Karnataka) became the heartbeat of hoops in India, hosting the country's largest and most-prestigious basketball event, the 66th Senior National Basketball Championship for Men and Women. Over 53 combined teams in the Men and Women divisions participated, and after two high-flying finals on Saturday, January 16th, Indian Railways (Women) and Services (Men) emerged as national champions.

The 'Senior Nationals'- organized by Karnataka State Basketball Association (KSBBA) under the aegis of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) - tipped off at the Chamundi Vihar Stadium Complex in the city on Saturday.The championship returned to Mysuru after a gap of 29 years. 29 men’s teams and 24 women’s teams representing most of India's states and provinces took part.

The first final on Saturday was the women’s game between Kerala and Indian Railways. Both teams entered the final with a perfect 6-0 record and were facing each other for the first time in the tournament. Kerala began the game well and ended the first period with a 3-point lead in the game. Railways made a crucial change in their defensive strategy to begin the second quarter to make a comeback. Veteran Railways point guard Anitha Paul-Durai connected on three 3-pointers on her way to 16 points. Railways blew the game wide open in the second half to cruise to a 72-55 victory, clinching the gold medal after a gap of two years. Stephy Nixon was the leading scorer for Kerala with 17 in a losing cause.

The men’s final between Services and Uttarakhand was expected to be a hard-fought battle for first place. Both teams came into the final on a 5-1 record, after knocking out the more favoured Punjab and Tamil Nadu teams in the semifinals. The defending champions started off well, with their star player and India captain Vishesh Bhrighuvanshi (20 points) leading the charge. Down by 2 points at the end of the first quarter, Services cranked up the heat with their point guard Joginder Singh shooting lights out from long distance. Joginder (26 points) nailed 6 threes in the game to give Services a double-digit lead over Uttarakhand. The backcourt due of Joginder and Narender Grewal (20 points) ensured that Services maintained a 10-plus point lead through the third quarter. But entering the fourth, Uttarakhand made a push for a comeback behind center Murali Krishna (24 points) to cut down the Services lead down the stretch. Services maintained their composure down the stretch to stave off the Uttarakhand comeback attempt. They held on to a 6-point lead to end the game with a 73-67 victory and capture the gold medal after a gap of 9 years.

Navaneetha PU of the Indian Railways was awarded the Most Valuable Player in the women’s section, while Services' and India's international starting point guard Joginder Singh was awarded the men’s Most Valuable Player. Each MVP was given a cash prize of Rs. 10,000.

Dr. HC Mahadevappa, Minister for Karnataka's Public Works Department, Mahadeva Prasad, Karnataka's Minister of Co-operation, Dr HM Ambarish, Karnataka's Minister of Housing and Abhay Chandra, Karnataka's Minister for Fisheries & Sports were the chief guests during the final.

Earlier in the day, Delhi women edged past Telangana 71-66 to capture third place. Raspreet Sidhu led the scoring for the Delhi side with 21 points, while sisters Pratima Singh and Prashanti Singh contributed with 19 and 16 points respectively. Telangana centre Anusha Anto had 24 points in the loss and Jincy Joseph added 17. Tamil Nadu men bounced back from their disappointing semifinal loss against Uttarakhand yesterday to defeat Punjab and secure third place. Tamil Nadu dominated the game in the second half and ran away to an 82-68 victory. Tamil Nadu forward Aravind Annadurai scored a game-high 33 points in the contest and teammate Rikin Pethani chipped in 18. Gagandeep Singh (18) and TJ Sahi (17) were Punjab's leading scorers.

The gold medal winning teams were awarded a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh each. Runners up were awarded Rs. 50,000 each and the third placed teams were awarded Rs. 25,000 each.

On Friday, the tournament's semi-finals were capped by a memorable comeback by Uttarakhand Men, who bounced back from 20 points down to defeat Tamil Nadu and book their spot in the Finals. India internationals Bhriguvanshi (21) and Yadwinder Singh (21) played a big part in Uttarakhand's comeback bid, as the Dehradun-based unit outscored TN 24-12 in the final quarter to win 71-69. In the second Men's semi-final, Services ended Punjab's roaring charge in style, doing most of their damage in the opening and final quarters. The trio of Jairam Jat (20), Ashutosh Rai (18), and Joginder Singh (16) proved to be too much for Punjab too handle. Services won 83-66. Punjab were led by young star Gurvinder Singh Gill (16).

The women's semi-finals on Friday turned out to be relatively one-sided affairs. Indian Railways used their experience and guile to make short work of the surprise team of the tournament - Telangana - for a 78-50 win. Experienced India star Anitha Paul Durai led Railways with 20, while Divya P. had 21 for Telangana in the loss. Kerala relied on some heroic performances by their star players to turn a potentially tricky game against Delhi into an easy win. India's rising star Jeena PS had 30 points and 10 rebounds while Stephy Nixon pitched in with 19 points and 19 rebounds to help Kerala win 82-41. Pratima Singh scored 21 for Delhi's Women.

Final Scores

• Men: Services (Joginder Singh 26, Narender Grewal 20) bt Uttarakhand (Murali Krishna 24, Vishesh Bhrighuvanshi 20) 73-67 (15-17, 25-14, 16-15, 17-21).
  
• Women: Indian Railways (Anitha Paul-Durai 16, Navaneeta 14) bt Kerala (Stephy Nixon 17, Jeena PS 14, Anjana PG 14) 72-55 (12-15, 26-13, 19-13, 15-14).
  

Bronze Medal Games

• Men: Tamil Nadu (Aravind Annadurai 33, Rikin Pethani 18, Prasanna Venkatesh 13) bt Punjab (Gagandeep Singh 18, TJ Sahi 17, Rajveer Singh 13) 82-68 (17-17, 15-20, 30-19, 20-12). 
• Women: Delhi (Raspreet Sidhu 21, Pratima Singh 19, Prashanti Singh 16) bt Telangana (Anusha Anto 24, Jincy Joseph 17) 71-66 (21-21, 12-20, 15-11, 23-14).

Final Standings Men

• 1. Services
• 2. Uttarakhand 
• 3. Tamil Nadu 
• 4. Punjab 
• 5. Karnataka

Women

• 1. Indian Railways 
• 2. Kerala 
• 3. Delhi 
• 4. Telangana 
• 5. Chhattisgarh

Karnataka sets sights on a state basketball league, the KBL

Ever since the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) fractured into two and the ruling executive committee behind the federation shifted from Delhi to Bengaluru, the center of Indian basketball - and a new BFI office - has shifted south, too. Under BFI President K Govindraj, a former player from Karnataka and current president of the Karnataka State Basketball Association (KSBBA), several major events have been held in and around Bengaluru over the past year, including the South Asian basketball U18 qualifiers, Team India trials and practices, and the current Senior National Championship in Mysuru.

It was during the launch of the 66th Senior Nationals - India's biggest and most-prestigious basketball championship - that Govindraj announced the next major step forward for Karnataka Basketball. Inspired by the national Cricket's Indian Premier League (IPL), Govindraj mentioned that the KSBBA is planning to launch a basketball Karnataka Basketball League (KBL) in the near future.

Via SportsKeeda

"An Indian Premier League-style basketball league is in the pipeline," said Govindraj, "We plan to launch the KBL soon. We will have the teams divided into four or five groups, from all parts of Karnataka. The initial group matches will be held at non-Bengaluru venues like Bellary. The winner and runner-up from each group will then play the final league, to be held in Bengaluru."

Karnataka already has a decent structure of school and college level basketball events around the state, but they have limited professional options via banks, railways, or other units. Now, the KBL can potentially open more doors to provide longer basketball careers to those devoted in elongating their professional basketball career. There is still no information if the league will provide a long-term full-time salary to players, but that should be the ideal goal for the KBL's organizers.

India still doesn't have a full, national basketball league. If the KBL can be a success at a small level, hopefully it ignites a flame that can spread nationwide.

Sacramento Kings pull out the stops for India - and stop Kobe - on Bollywood Night 2016

अपने पैरों पे खड़॓ होना मुंबई से सेक्रामेन्तो तक.

The players rocking the #DesiKings Tees making entrance to the field! @nbaindia Courtesy: @luxme06 @blacksheep217 #DMC #McBen #RudyGay #KingsForIndia #KingsBollywoodNight #INDtoSAC #instaparty

A photo posted by Ekalavyas (@ekalavyas) on Jan 7, 2016 at 9:15pm PST

(Get on your feet, from Mumbai to Sacramento).

And with that energizing message, the Sacramento Kings launched their ode to the Indian community in the USA and back in India - their third annual Bollywood Night - during their game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, January 7 2016 at the Sleep Train Arena. Led by Vivek Ranadive, the first Indian-born majority-owner of an NBA team, the Kings made this year's Bollywood Night bigger than ever before. As a special bonus, they won a thrilling game, too, holding off former rival Kobe Bryant in his last professional game in Sacramento.

Ranadive, tech billionaire, bought the franchise in the summer of 2013 and has since taken several efforts to further the relationship between the Kings and India, between Sacramento and his birthplace Mumbai. This year was the third consecutive season that the Kings hosted a Bollywood themed night, after its previous two editions in front of sell-out crowds. The night included India-inspired fabrics and decor, cuisine, Bollywood-themed fan giveaways for those in attendance, and performances from leading Indian-American entertainers and celebrities.

Tapping into the global appeal of Bollywood on the décor and merchandising front, the night witnessed colourful fabric sheets hung from the catwalks over the bowl, rally towels on seats for all fans, Indian cuisine, Bollywood scarves and t-shirts in the team store, mehendi for fans, and warm-up shirts for the Kings’ players.

The first Miss America of Indian-descent – Nina Davuluri – joined the Sacramento Kings Dancers for a special Bollywood-themed dance routine. Davuluri was interviewed by Kings.com about Bollywood Night before tip-off. The Kings Dancers also dressed up in Indian garb on the night, as was Slamson the Lion, the Kings' official mascot. The starting line-ups for the Kings and the Lakers were introduced by a special guest announcer in Hindi. The Kings also showed a special introduction video before tip off - from Mumbai to Sacramento.



Ranadive's daughter, the aspiring pop-star Anjali World, performed at halftime, along with rapper 6speed. Other events included Punjabi sword fighting and dance performances by the California-based Ankhiley Gabroo dance group. Sacramento native and artist Pam Shankar, of Indo-Fijian descent, sang the pre-game national anthem.

The game itself was a perfect Bollywood movie plot for the hometown team. The first half was lighthearted and jovial, with the home-team taking a 27 point lead behind an incredible performance by their hero DeMarcus Cousins (29 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists) overcoming a strong performance by their arch-nemesis Kobe Bryant (28 points). But no Bollywood film is complete without conflict, and the Lakers made a heroically cinematic comeback in the fourth quarter to take the lead behind strong performances by guards D'Angelo Russell (27) and Jordan Clarkson. Eventually, the Kings were able to withstand the blow and give the home fans a happy ending with a 118-115 win.

After years of memorable playoff battles between the Lakers and the Kings in the early 2000s, this was Bryant's final game in Sacramento. The home crowd got a victory, but as the credits rolled in the end of the Bollywood bonanza, Bryant got a loud ovation from their rival fans. Bollywood Night was over, the respected villain lost, and the heroes notched up another win to get closer to an unlikely playoff spot!

India's National Basketball Championship to tip off in Mysuru (Karnataka) on January 9 with the country's finest talents

Welcome to Mysuru, formerly Mysore, the third-largest city in Karnataka. Known for being the 'cleanest city in India', descending from a proud history of the Kingdom of Mysore, boasting beautiful palaces, and known for its popular silk saris.

And now, hopefully, for its basketball, too.

From January 9-16, the entire Indian hoop nation will descend in Mysuru for India's biggest and most prestigious basketball tournament, the 66th Senior National Basketball Championship for Men and Women. The 'Senior Nationals'- organized by Karnataka State Basketball Association (KSBBA) under the aegis of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) - will tip off Chamundi Vihar Stadium Complex in the city on Saturday. The Senior National Basketball Championship is returning to Mysuru after a gap of 29 years. 29 men’s teams and 24 women’s teams representing most of India's states and provinces have confirmed participation.

Karnataka's chief minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the tournament on Saturday evening.

Last year's Senior Nationals were held in Bhilwara (Rajasthan). 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.

Chhattisgarh’s Women team will attempt to complete a three-peat of titles after breaking Indian Railways’ monopoly over the trophy two years ago. In the Men’s section, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Services, and hosts Karnataka will feature stacked rosters competing for the title. India’s best players will be there competing for the nation’s most prestigious domestic title. Over 160 matches will be played in this premier league cum knockout gala that will see the country’s top international stars in action. Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (Indian men’s team captain), Anitha Paul Durai (veteran Indian women’s captain), Jeena PS (Kerala) and Karnataka’s own international stars Arvind Arumugam, Bhandavya HM and Rajesh Uppar are just few of the big names expected to participate in this marquee event.

"In terms of number of teams to register, this is the highest participation we have received in a long time," said K Govindaraj, President of both the KSBBA and the BFI. "Bengaluru hosts many Championships, we wanted to give Mysuru an opportunity to showcase its infrastructure and host a National level event. With this exposure, hopefully Mysuru can also conduct an Asian level competition in the future."

Speaking on the innate potential of basketball, he said, "If you go to any school, taluka or district stadium, you will find a basketball court. That is the ubiquitous presence of basketball, which we are going to take to greater heights."

Participating Teams

Men

• Level 1: Group A: Uttarakhand, Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab, Delhi.
  
• Level 1: Group B: Tamil Nadu, Services, Kerala, Indian Railways, Telangana.
  
• Level 1: Group C: Chhattigarh, Chandigarh, Goa, Odisha, Puducherry.
  
• Level 2: Group D: Rajasthan, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura.
  
• Level 2: Group E: Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh.
  
• Level 2: Group F: West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh.
  

Women

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

Besides on-court action, the BFI and KSBBA will also be organizing the FIBA Asia Development Plan - Referees clinic at the Chamundi Stadium from January 14-16. This will be conducted by Heros Avanesian, Head of Competition – Asia, International Basketball Federation, FIBA Asia. As per the FIBA Asia directives & guidelines it is mandatory for all National and FIBA Active referees to participate in the clinic. Non-participants or referees who fail the tests will be deprived from officiating FIBA ASIA events.

The Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah will be inaugurating the Championship at 5 pm on 9th January. Other chief guests will include V Shrinivasa Prasad (Minister of Revenue & Dist. in charge, Mysuru), Dr. HC Mahadevappa (Minister of Public Works Department), Mahadev Prasad (Minister of Co-Operation) and K Abhaychandra (Minister of Youth Services and Fisheries).

Hoopdarshan Episode 23: Basketball in Exile - How basketball bonds the Tibetan refugee community in India

In early October, Hoopdarshan co-host Karan Madhok traveled to McLeodganj and Dharamshala - hill-stations in the Indian Himalayas home to a vibrant community of Tibetan refugees - with photographer Angad Sodhi to cover a basketball tournament among the refugees. The epic trip turned into a story for the upcoming issue of SLAM Magazine (# 195) encapsulating together sports, politics, and travel. In Episode 23 of Hoopdarshan, host Kaushik Lakshman, Karan and Angad talk about the story behind the story, featuring how basketball bonds the refugee community together, the Tibetans' relationship with China and India, unforgettable characters from McLeodganj, and the quest for the perfect momo.

McLeodganj is home to the 14th Dalai Lama - in exile from Tibet to India since the late 50s - and his Temple. Dharamshala hosts the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. Both towns have thus become hosts to tens of thousands of Tibetan refugees over the past few decades and exist as idyllic worlds of peace, spirituality, and surprisingly, basketball. This episode should be heard as a preview or a companion piece to Karan and Angad's work on SLAM Magazine, the print edition of which will be available in US in early January and worldwide soon after. It will also be published on SLAMOnline.com soon.

Angad Sodhi is a professional photographer in Chandigarh, best known for his modern wedding photography around India. You can find some of his best work on his Instagram page or on Facebook.



Hoopdarshan aims to be the true 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 

India's combined FIBA ranking drops to 52 at the end of 2015

Happy new year readers! As per tradition here at Hoopistani, we will start the new year by quickly catching up with India's place in the basketball world.

Indian basketball had a roller-coaster of a year in 2015. There were some strong performances, like the Men's squad making it to the Quarter-Final of the FIBA Asia Championship for the first time in a dozen years. But there were also disappointments, like the Women's team getting relegated to Level 2 of the FIBA Asia Women's Championship. The up-and-down year resulted in India's combined FIBA rankings (Men, Women, Boys, Girls) dropping one spot - from 51 a year ago - to 52, with 66.6 points. India is the ranked 8th in Asia in the combined rankings.

FIBA – the world’s governing body of basketball – bases their world rankings on the major FIBA World Championships, the continental championships, and the Olympic Games. Rankings are made based on the performance of each country’s Men’s, Women’s, and Youth rankings where applicable. Youth rankings are based on the performances of the U19, U18, U17, or U16 teams in international competitions.

On the back of their impressive performances at Changsha's FIBA Asia Championship, India's Senior Men jumped eight places up to 53 from 61 last year. Despite domestic turmoil, the 2015 FIBA ABC turned out to be a fruitful tournament for Team India. India sent a tweaked 12-member squad to Changsha, featuring new head coach Sat Prakash Yadav and minus the presence of many veteran players, but they did well enough to finish the tournament with a 3-6 record at 8th place. Amjyot Singh proved to be India's breakout star of the year.

India's Women contingent - a young, rebuilding squad - returned home disappointed from the FIBA Asia Women's Championship in Wuhan, taking several steps back after their historic performance at this same tournament two years ago. Playing in the higher Level 1, India lost all five of their Preliminary Stage game to end the tournament at sixth place. They then lost a Level 1 playoff as well and fell to Level 2 for the 2017 FIBA Women's ABC. The Women fell one place to 40th place.

At the FIBA Asia U16 Championship for Men, India in Jakarta (Indonesia), India found themselves in a tough Group D, which featured two semi-finalists - Korea and China - as well as Iraq. The team was led by Head Coach Mahendar Singh Rathore and captained by rising young star Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi from Tamil Nadu. The team ended the tournament with a 2-3 record and dropped to 13th place. Their FIBA rank dropped one place to 52 from last year.

India's under-16 Women suffered a miserable outing at the FIBA Asia U16 Championship for Women in Medan, Indonesia, losing all five of their Level I in comprehensive fashion and losing the qualifying last game as well to fall to Level II in the tournament's 2017 iteration. Despite their performances, however, results elsewhere and participation points actually helped the Girls rise up one spot in the end-of-year FIBA rank.

Once again, USA reigned supreme in all the FIBA rankings, combined or otherwise, ranking atop the charts across the board.

India's FIBA Rankings at end of 2015

• Combined: 52 (66.6 points; Change -1)
  
• Men: 53 (9.0 points; Change +8)
  
• Women: 40 (15.9 points: Change -1)
  
• Boys: 52 (14.7 points; Change -1)
  
• Girls: 38 (27 points; Change +1)